{"id":39227,"date":"2025-12-07T15:51:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T15:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=39227"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:54:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:54:05","slug":"training-primary-care-physicians-to-serve-spokane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/training-primary-care-physicians-to-serve-spokane\/","title":{"rendered":"Training the next generation of primary care doctors in Spokane","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

For many people, primary care is often the first stop when a health need arises. We turn to primary care for screenings, annual checkups, chronic disease management, health advice and referrals to specialists.<\/p>\n

Yet accessing primary care has become increasingly difficult in Washington and across the nation. This challenge is felt acutely in Spokane County, which is designated as a health professional shortage area (HPSA) for primary care<\/a>. HPSA is a federal designation that identifies areas of greatest need for particular health care services.<\/p>\n

To help address this shortage and expand access to physician training, MultiCare is launching an internal medicine residency program in Spokane.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leaders of this program are all practicing primary care physicians,\u201d says Matthew Hollon, MD, a board-certified internal medicine specialist<\/a> who also serves as the program\u2019s director. \u201cWe\u2019re passionate about creating a culture that will attract residents interested in practicing outpatient internal medicine locally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expanding the physician pipeline through residency training<\/h2>\n

Residency is a critical step in every physician\u2019s journey after medical school. Aside from being a requirement for medical licensure, residencies allow aspiring doctors to gain hands-on experience providing patient care under the supervision of an attending physician.<\/p>\n

While medical school enrollments in recent years have increased \u2014 growing by 33 percent between 2002-2019<\/a> and hitting a record high in 2025<\/a> \u2014 the number of residency training programs has not kept pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lack of residency training slots creates a bottleneck in the physician pipeline,\u201d Dr. Hollon says. \u201cThis contributes to ongoing critical shortages in adult primary care and other specialties.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Washington as of 2023, there were only 12 primary care medical residents per 100,000 people<\/a>, lower than the national average of 17 per 100,000 people, according to analysis by the Milbank Memorial Fund.<\/p>\n

The lack of residency training opportunities, particularly in internal medicine, is not distributed evenly across the state. While there are several internal medicine residency programs in Western Washington, there is only one in the Spokane area. Once launched, the MultiCare Spokane Internal Medicine Residency program will be the region\u2019s second.<\/p>\n

Through this three-year program, residents will develop expertise in providing primary care to a wide range of adults. Internal medicine training also includes an emphasis on managing complex chronic conditions and caring for those who are acutely ill and may require hospitalization.<\/p>\n

A distinguishing feature of the program is its focus on physician leadership development.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond the practice of internal medicine, we want to prepare residents to take on leadership roles in their community, their workplace or in professional organizations,\u201d Dr. Hollon says. \u201cPhysician leaders have an important part to play in shaping the culture of medicine and improving care delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

A major milestone on the path to launch<\/h2>\n

While the first class of residents won\u2019t begin until June 2027, the program reached an important milestone in 2025: MultiCare secured $500,000 in state capital funding to support the renovation of the residency teaching clinic.<\/p>\n

Once fully renovated, the space will include 22 exam rooms, a dedicated procedure room, and a modern, patient-centered design to support both care delivery and medical education. A skybridge also connects the clinic to MultiCare Deaconess Hospital, making it easy for residents move between clinical and hospital settings.<\/p>\n

In the short term, the program is expected to increase access to primary care through the residency teaching clinic \u2014 each resident will see a full panel of patients \u2014 and over time as program graduates set up practices in the region.<\/p>\n

In addition to expanding access to care in the greater Spokane area, this program also paves the way for the development of additional physician training opportunities at MultiCare.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo train physicians in subspecialties such as cardiology, oncology or pulmonology, organizations must first have an internal medicine residency program,\u201d says Jennifer Knowles, MD, chief academic officer at MultiCare. \u201cThat\u2019s why this program is such an important stepping stone as we grow graduate medical education across our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

MultiCare will begin recruiting residents for the program in September 2026. Once launched, the MultiCare Spokane Internal Medicine Residency will be MultiCare\u2019s fourth residency program. Others include:<\/p>\n