SAN ANGELO, Texas — Shannon Medical Center and Texas A&M School of Medicine formalized a partnership Friday morning to establish the Family Medicine Residency Program.
While Shannon has welcomed med students from schools around Texas to train with month-long rotations, this will be the first full-fledged residency program in the Concho Valley.
“This is a huge deal,” Program Director Kristy Edwards said. “Not only for San Angelo, but all of our surrounding rural counties.”
With Shannon covering 25 counties, equal to about 10% of Texas, the program will focus on the critical need for primary care physicians in rural communities.
“To help accomplish this mission, we are transforming into an academic medical center, with new research and educational opportunities,” Chief Medical Dr. Officer Michael Wood said. “Some of these counties do not contain a medical provider or a clinic facility. We will be able to provide these residents the unique training perspective of rural health so they are prepared to support patients of all ages in smaller communities in our region and throughout Texas.“
A newly-renovated space inside the Shannon South Knickerbocker Clinic will be home to the program, featuring a dedicated outpatient clinic and instructional space.
"By establishing the Shannon Family Medicine Residency Program, we will equip future physicians with the skills and commitment needed to provide exceptional leadership and healthcare to communities across Texas."
The three-year residency program will accept its first six residents in July of this year, with the eventual goal of 18 family medicine residents training at the hospital.
