U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced today that more medical residents will be able to study in Florida, meaning more medical care for our patients and more jobs for our students. Approximately 325 new residency slots are being created at Florida hospitals so that medical students trained in Florida can serve the health care needs of Floridians.

For years, students have graduated from Florida medical schools only to be forced to leave the state to complete their residencies elsewhere because not enough residency slots exist in Florida hospitals. Florida is short nearly 3,000 new residency positions to meet current physician demand.

“Investing in medical students by creating additional residency slots means these young doctors will be able to complete their training in Florida and stay here to work, helping our economy and our patients,” Castor said.

“Right now, Florida is facing a doctor shortage. Adding nearly 325 slots is a significant step forward in addressing this problem.”

Castor has been pushing for additional primary care residency slots in hospitals across Florida. In 2007, she introduced the Residency Physician Shortage Reduction Act to expand the number of Medicare-supported physician residency training positions in teach hospitals.

As the only Democrat from Florida on the Energy & Commerce Committee in the previous Congress, Castor worked to include in the Affordable Care Act a measure to increase the number of residency positions in Florida to address the inequity. The new slots are a direct result of that measure. Over the past year, she doggedly urged Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, and CMS Director Dr. Don Berwick to approve the creation of additional residency positions at hospitals throughout Florida.

“We are addressing the huge shortage of residencies in Florida and creating job opportunities for our medical students,” Castor said. “Ensuring Florida receives an increase in residency positions has been one of my top priorities in Congress because Florida faces a critical physician shortage due to a lack of graduate medical education slots available to programs throughout the state.”

 Florida is one of the most populous states, but ranks toward the bottom in the nation in terms of the number of residency positions under Medicare.

Bruce Reuben, president of the Florida Hospital Association, said the slots are sorely needed.

“Florida faces a severe physician shortage,” Rueben said. “The net addition of nearly 325 new residency slots is a great first step to increase access to physician care for all Floridians. We appreciate Congresswoman Castor’s leadership on this issue.”

“Too many of Florida’s medical school graduates are forced to leave Florida to train because of the insufficient number of residency positions available,” Castor said. “We will not have enough primary care physicians to serve future generations if we don’t fix this by creating these jobs today.

Today’s news is a good step in the right direction.”