Baptist Health UAMS GME Program Continues to Grow

Physician Numbers as 52% Have Remained in State After Graduation

Aiming to grow the pool of physicians in Arkansas in the midst of a growing national shortage, Baptist Health and UAMS began collaborating in 2019 to open the Graduate Medical Education physician residency program housed on the BHMC-North Little Rock campus.

By working together, Baptist Health and UAMS are impacting the number of residency opportunities in Arkansas and helping the state better compete with other states for new physicians.

Studies show that physicians are more likely to practice close to where they did their residencies — 75% stay within 75 miles of where they trained.

In the academic year concluding in 2024, there were 25 physician residents who celebrated their graduation from the GME program — 11 from the family medicine program, 12 from the internal medicine program, and two from the psychiatry program.

From this group of graduates, nine physicians have decided to stay in Arkansas, and three have joined Baptist Health.

Additionally, 12 physician residents completed the transitional year program and have now gone on to a second specialty residency program, including one who was accepted into the GME psychiatry program.

So far since this GME program welcomed its first class five years ago, 35 physician residents have graduated from the family medicine program, 36 physician residents have graduated from the internal medicine program, and the two physician residents who graduated from psychiatry were the first since that program was added.

In the transition year program, 35 physician residents have completed training to move on to a second specialty program.

In total, 38 physician residents (52%) have remained in Arkansas following graduation from the GME program, and 14 physician residents (19%) stayed with Baptist Health after graduation!