Training To Triumph
Texas Tech Health El Paso and The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus Celebrate First Graduating Psychiatry and Family Medicine Residency Class
Texas Tech Health El Paso and The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus recently celebrated the first cohort of psychiatry and family medicine residents and the second cohort of Internal Medicine residents who completed their graduate medical education – highlighting their years of intensive hands-on clinical experience.
“Residency is an incredibly challenging period, beginning right at the end of medical school instruction,” said Richard Lange, M.D, M.B.A., president of Texas Tech Health El Paso. “The care this group of doctors provided during their time here was transformative in our community. We're immensely proud of this first class of psychiatry and family medicine residents.”
The five family medicine, four psychiatry and 10 internal medicine residents who were honored successfully secured fellowships and practice opportunities. All four psychiatry residents were selected for the Texas Tech Health El Paso psychiatry program in spring 2021. Under the guidance of faculty physicians, residents worked close to 80 hours a week, using the knowledge they learned to provide specialized care.
Eryn Pynes, M.D., said the accomplishment of completing her residency felt more like a next step than an ending. She will begin working on a forensic fellowship at Texas Tech Health El Paso with Patricia Ortiz, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Texas Tech Health El Paso.
“We were fortunate to be a small group because we received a lot of one-on-one time with the attendees,” Dr. Pynes said. “They were instrumental in shaping us and allowing us to shape the program as well.”
Psychiatry is an underserved specialty nationwide, and Texas is considered a federally designated psychiatric health professional shortage area, based on the number of psychiatrists relative to the population. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there are 170 counties in the state with no licensed psychiatrists, leaving a need state-wide. Family medicine is another specialty that faces a severe shortage especially in west Texas because of vast rural areas and retirement statistics.
Texas Tech Health El Paso has helped grow El Paso’s physician workforce by 66% since 2009. This is made possible thanks to partnerships with academic hospitals such as The Hospitals at Providence.
“We are incredibly proud to graduate another cohort of medical residents - these physicians have made a tremendous impact within our hospital and our community,” said Nathan Worley, Chief Executive Officer for The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus. “Our mission is to continue to train the next generation of health care providers by offering an exceptional residency experience within our hospital, with the goal of retaining this talent to serve our local community.”
Partnering for Impact
The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus, which opened in 2017, is the network's newest full-service hospital and a key academic partner with Texas Tech Health El Paso for clinical clerkship rotations.
Building on this collaboration, Transmountain Campus and Texas Tech Health El Paso jointly launched their inaugural internal medicine and psychiatry residency programs in 2021.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
With a focus on excellence in health care education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals over the past decade, and will include dental graduates beginning in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.
About the Hospitals of Providence
The Hospitals of Providence covers the El Paso Region to include West Texas and Southern New Mexico. The system includes acute-care hospital locations: Memorial Campus, Providence Children’s Hospital, Sierra Campus, East Campus, Transmountain Campus, Specialty Campus, Mission Ridge Campus, Horizon City Campus and the Northeast Campus; Diagnostic Imaging Centers; the Emergency Room Montwood and Emergency Room Edgemere; Paso del Norte and El Paso Day Surgery Centers and the El Paso Center for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; The Center for Wound Healing; Inpatient Rehabilitation Program; Outpatient Therapy Centers; Weight Loss Center East and West. The Hospitals of Providence is dedicated to continuing the over 100-year commitment to the El Paso community. For more information, please visit TheHospitalsOfProvidence.com.