South Nassau Expands its Medical Education Program - Adds Surgical and OB/GYN Residency Programs

Expanding its role as a regional medical center and teaching institution, South Nassau Communities Hospital for the first time welcomed its own postdoctoral medical residents in surgery and obstetrics and gynecology on July 1.

In a major step forward, South Nassau received initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to add the surgical and obstetrics and gynecology residency training programs. The addition of two postdoctoral residency programs continues the ongoing transition of South Nassau from a community hospital to its current role as Medical Center that offers advanced training as well as ongoing education for staff to ensure patients are receiving state-of-the-art care.

Only six new surgery residency programs and seven new residency programs for training in Obstetrics and Gynecology were approved in the United States during this past year, making South Nassau’s approval all the more significant, given the stiff competition among hospitals competing to expand or start residency programs.

The South Nassau residency programs will ultimately offer 15 surgical and 12 obstetrics and gynecologic training positions. The Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology residency programs are five and four years in length respectively. Residents will receive strong academic and hands-on training.

“Having our own residency programs is another part of our ongoing effort to constantly improve patient care and maintain the highest standards,” said Richard J. Murphy, President & CEO of South Nassau. “We will be able to hand select residents who participate, closely supervise their training and pick the very best to join our staff.”

"While the nation’s healthcare delivery system is changing rapidly, a central component of it isn’t: that is the enduring need for compassionate, dedicated physicians with world-class medical training who will ensure that patients receive patient-centered healthcare services,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, South Nassau’s chief medical officer. “By hosting a robust postdoctoral medical education program, South Nassau is taking a proactive role in ensuring that there is a deep pool of qualified and experienced physicians based within the communities it serves.”

ACGME is a private, non-profit organization that evaluates and accredits graduate medical education (GME) programs. Residency is the final phase of a long educational process, required for a physician to practice medicine, and often influences where a physician eventually practices.

“The accreditation of these programs is a true testament to the support and educational opportunities we provide and our mission to train and prepare the next generation of physicians to meet the healthcare needs of their patients,” added Samuel Sandowski, MD, Director of Medical Education and Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for South Nassau Communities Hospital. “The fact that South Nassau is one of only a handful of newly accredited programs in this country demonstrates the resources available and committed to education.”

South Nassau is the sponsor of ACGME-accredited residency programs in Family Medicine, Surgery, and Obstetrics and Gynecology; AOA-accredited residency programs in Family Medicine, Geriatrics and Transitional Rotating Internships, and a CPME-accredited program in Podiatry. To date, South Nassau’s residency program has graduated nearly 200 residents from its Family Medicine Residency Program.

In addition to its training of residents, South Nassau trains several hundred medical students each year. It offers undergraduate clinical experiences for medical students from Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook, SUNY at Brooklyn, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Ross University Medical School. It also serves as a training site for Physician Assistant students from Hofstra University, Pace University, and Touro College.

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for its outstanding nursing care, South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. South Nassau is a Level II Trauma Center; a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons; and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program. In addition, the hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s gold seal of approval as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and disease-specific care for hip and joint replacement, wound care and end-stage renal disease. South Nassau also is a ‘Baby Friendly’ hospital as designated by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.