RIVERSIDE, JUNE 30, 2016 –Riverside Community Hospital officially
welcomed 25 residents for the Riverside Community Hospital/UC Riverside
School of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program during their first
White Coat Ceremony on Monday, June 27th. Family and friends of the new
Residents joined hospital staff; physicians and administration to witness
the Residents receive their white coats and wear them for the first time
Those also in attendance included city officials such as Cindy Roth, President
of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce, and Riverside City Councilmembers
Paul Davis and Chris Mac Arthur, and even family members who traveled
across the country to show their support.
“It was an honor to witness the welcoming of the new physician residents
at Riverside Community Hospital’s White Coat Ceremony”, said
Cindy Roth, President of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce. “This
class of dedicated residents will help to provide additional physicians
for the region which is greatly needed”.
The ceremony included a welcome by Paul Wales, Vice President of the Graduate
Medical Education Program and special remarks by Dr. Kenneth Dozier, Riverside
Community Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, who addressed the incoming
residents by saying, “Riverside Community Hospital as an anchor
in the region’s healthcare lives by its mission and vision statement
of, “Committed to Providing Compassionate Care and Improving the
Overall Health of our Community” and “Leading with Innovation
and Serving with Compassion”. We have a duty to fulfill this vision.
We, along with many others, recognized the need to develop more Primary
Care physicians for our growing population. This need was a primary driver
for the establishment of the UCR School of Medicine. With UCR School of
Medicine as our academic partner we set out to place our duty and vision
in action by establishing a robust Internal Medicine program. This program
will begin with 25 extremely academic and socially accomplished young
physicians that we will mold into the clinical and academic leaders of
the future. They will forever alter the landscape of RCH from that of
an accomplished clinical facility in the region into a clinical and academic
center of excellence to be rivaled in the region and beyond.”
The Residents were then called to the stage by Robby Gulati, M.D., Program
Director of the new Internal Medicine residency program, to receive their
new white coat, which next to a stethoscope, is seen as the most recognizable
symbol of the medical profession.
The White Coat Ceremony is a memorable event and experience for the residents
as they transition from medical school to the next part of their journey
to become practicing physicians.
The Internal Medicine program is the first residency at Riverside Community
Hospital. 300 interviews were conducted with applicants from around the
country. This program represents the culmination of years of hard work
to develop and implement the hospital’s graduate medical education
program, and is a significant milestone and addition to the hospital’s
ongoing growth and development.
This inaugural class is made up of fifteen residents who will continue
in the program for three years, graduating in 2019, and ten residents
who will be here for just one year, continuing on to various sub-specialty
training including Neurology, Dermatology, Radiology, Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation, and Ophthalmology.
“This class of residents has been selected because of their educational
achievements and enthusiasm for making a difference in our community,”
said Dr. Robby Gulati, M.D.. He added, “The presence of faculty
and residents increases primary care capacity in the inland Empire.”
Riverside Community Hospital and the UC Riverside School of Medicine are
working to develop residency training programs in an effort to reduce
the serious physician shortage. The Inland Empire area has seen patient
ratios as low as 120 doctors per 100,000 patients as compared to California
statewide where the ratio is 194 per 100,000 patients. The physician shortage
in Riverside is expected to worsen as physicians retire faster than new
physicians can replace them.
About Riverside Community Hospital
Founded in 1901, Riverside Community Hospital is a 373 licensed bed, full-service
acute care hospital in the heart of the Inland Empire. RCH has been recognized
as a Top Performing Hospital and has invested in a new campus expansion
project that includes a new 7-story patient tower, 3-story medical office
building, and a recently completed new 5-level, state-of-the-art parking
garage. With over 500 physicians on staff, representing over 200 specialties
and over 1,900 employees, Riverside Community Hospital is an Inland Empire
leader in providing advanced, comprehensive health care to the Inland
region. RCH houses one of the largest Emergency Room and Trauma Center
in the Inland Empire at 50. RCH is the largest STEMI (heart attack) receiving
centers and is a fully accredited Chest Pain Center. Centers of Excellence
include the HeartCare Institute, offering invasive and non-invasive cardiac
procedures, Center of Excellence for Surgical Weight Loss, the Transplant
Program, the Cancer Center and a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Riverside Community Hospital is also committed to training the next generation
of physicians through its Graduate Medical Education program.
