Eisenhower Medical Center, one of the largest employers in the Coachella Valley, has responded to the region’s need for primary care doctors and other specialists by establishing residency programs and retaining the best to work in the community.
“We have two residencies, in family medicine and internal medicine, and a fellowship program in sports medicine,” says Dr. John Stansell, director of Graduate Medical Education at Eisenhower. “In the next year and a half we’re starting a residency program in emergency medicine. All of these are geared to the needs of our community.”
Dr. Stansell says healthcare is experiencing a shortage of professionals across the board, from physicians to nurses to respiratory therapists to skilled professionals who staff the hospital. “It’s difficult to attract skilled nurses no matter where you are in the United States. Young [people] are going to have opportunities for employment the moment that they graduate from nursing school.”
U.S. News and World Report recently recognized Eisenhower as one of the best hospitals in the country, garnering High Performing Hospital accolades in all nine types of care — the highest number of specialty recognitions earned by a hospital in the Inland Empire.
“Institutions that have educational programs provide a much higher level of care than those that do not,” Dr. Stansell says, emphasizing Eisenhower is a network of primary, urgent, and specialty care centers in the hospital’s surrounding communities. “My goal is to maximize the care potential of Eisenhower Medical Center.”
VIDEO: Watch the interview with Dr. John Stansell.