Residency programs resume at medical center

Published July 2, 2007
By Steve Pivnick
81st Medical Group Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Keesler Medical Center achieved a major step in its return to pre-Katrina operations July 1 as medical and surgical residents arrived. This follows an almost two-year period without physician residency programs.

Twenty-three first-year residents arrived in mid-June for a two-week orientation program. This included inprocessing into the Air Force system, being issued identification cards, enrollment into the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, upgrade training in advanced cardiac life support and training in military equal opportunity, use of medical computers and other general subjects as preparation for their next three to five years of residency as Air Force physicians.

Following Hurricane Katrina, all Keesler residents were sent to military or civilian hospitals accredited for training to continue their residency programs at Air Force expense.

According to Dr. Alvin Cotlar, director of graduate medical education for the 81st Medical Group, members of the American Medical Association's residency review committee visited in November for a site survey to determine whether the medical center could return its residency programs as planned on July 1.

"Two programs, internal medicine and general surgery, received full accreditation," Dr. Cotlar observed. "Surgery is accredited for a five-year program and internal medicine for a three-year program."

However, the population demographics changed considerably post Katrina, due to an initial surge of younger, unmarried service members. This led to an insufficient number of children and expectant mothers among the beneficiary population to sustain independent pediatric and obstetrics/ gynecology residency programs.

As a result, the medical center and the residency review committee delayed the restart of the facility's three-year pediatric and four-year obstetrics/gynecology programs until the populations of children and expectant mothers return to sufficient numbers to sustain those residencies.

In the meantime, the Air Force has established an affiliation with the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, allowing the medical center to place military residents in those specialties, to do part of their training at UMMC.

"OB/GYN residents will spend six months in Jackson and six months at Keesler Medical Center," Dr Cotlar said. "Pediatric residents will also be assigned to the UMMC, but will complete two-month rotations at Keesler each academic year."

One pediatric resident will attend the pediatric residency program at the University of Louisiana Medical School in New Orleans.

The current group of doctors, mostly recent graduates of medical schools from throughout the U.S., includes six general surgery and seven internal medicine first-year residents assigned to Keesler. There's also a Keesler surgeon in a thoracic surgery fellowship at the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Three OB/GYN and six pediatric first-year residents start at UMMC in August.

Another factor affecting the residency program is the number and type of medical specialists assigned to Keesler who would provide valuable training in their respective fields.

"The Air Force Medical Service is committed to replacing all the specialties Keesler Medical Center had prior to Katrina," Dr. Cotlar said.

As the medical center rebuilds, several specialties arrive this summer and fall, including vascular and cardiovascular surgeons and a pediatric oncologist, among others.
Commenting on the incoming class, Dr. Cotlar said, "This is the sharpest, most professional-looking group of first-year residents I've seen in the 12 years I've been here. They meet or exceed all Air Force standards in every way. They're all eager to go to work."

Directors of the four Keesler residency programs are Lt. Cols. (Drs.) James Dolan, surgery; Todd Boleman, pediatrics; William Moore, OB/GYN, and Maj. (Dr.) William Hannah, internal medicine. Dr. Letch Kline, a retired colonel, is chief of surgery at the VA medical center and is program director for the thoracic fellowship.