Desert Regional welcomes first Internal Medicine residents amid physician shortage
Shay Lawson
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Desert Regional Medical Center has launched its first Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Dr. Joel F. Trambley, MD, PhD, program director, said it’s important to train more physicians in the area.
“The Coachella Valley or Inland Empire are actually some of the lowest per capita physician rates in the state of California,” Dr. Trambley said.
A 2023 report commissioned by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation found that the physician workforce in the Coachella Valley struggles to keep up with population growth. Huron Consulting Group researchers found a shortage of 236 physicians, mostly in primary care.
“It’s always hard to get people into more distant and rural areas,” Dr. Trambley said. “Almost all the training programs, or the large ones, are in big cities and they sort of get into the big cities and just stay there.”
He said one of the program’s goals is to encourage residents to commit to primary care in the Coachella Valley.
“One of the things we’ve done is set up a system where two out of every six weeks the residents are doing outpatient rotations,” Dr. Trambley said. “They’re doing their continuity clinic where they see patients regularly at DAP Health, and then they’re going to be doing some other experiences.”
Rayan Harb, resident physician, said joining the inaugural class is a special opportunity.
“When I have my name attached to something, I hold a lot of pride in that thing,” Harb said. “I want to make sure that we uphold a level of excellence in our practice.”
The program’s first residents arrived on July 1.