COLLEGE TOWN, FL (WTXL) — HCA Florida Capital Hospital has welcomed 36 new resident physicians to programs in internal medicine, psychiatry, dermatology and more — a direct investment in addressing physician shortages across North Florida's Big Bend region.
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36 new resident physicians have begun their medical training at HCA Florida Capital Hospital in Tallahassee, joining programs in internal medicine, psychiatry, dermatology and a transitional year program.
Hospital leaders say the goal goes beyond medical education — it's about building a long-term pipeline of physicians who will stay and serve families across the Big Bend.
Jack Atwater, MD, chief medical officer at HCA Florida Capital Hospital, said residency programs have a strong track record of keeping doctors in the communities where they train.
"Residency programs, historically, about half of the graduates will stay in the communities in which they train. They get to know the hospitals, they get to know the staff, and they become part of the family. It's hard to leave home, you can stay where you are and grow," Atwater said.
Physician shortages continue to affect communities throughout North Florida, particularly in rural areas and certain medical specialties. Hospital leaders say expanding residency programs is one way to address that gap by developing doctors who already understand the patients and communities they serve.
For Ibrahim Hassan, DO, an internal medicine resident who began training this month, the opportunity to serve an underserved population was a driving factor in choosing Tallahassee.
"Being able to serve the Tallahassee community was something that really led me to believe this is where I wanted to begin my journey," Hassan said.
Hassan said his background shapes the kind of medicine he hopes to practice.
"What really excites me most where I come from in the part of the world is pretty underserved and rural as well so it kind of feels like I'm home while being in Tallahassee so that kind of excites me because this is the kind of the patient demographic that I really wanna focus my care in… specifically the underserved rural regions is really where I wanna practice medicine," Hassan said.
Atwater said the broader impact of growing the physician workforce benefits the entire region.
"These doctors have great potential. Should they choose to do so and go into one of those highly desirable subspecialties, they can stay in our community and in practice and deliver that care; it's a tide lift all the boat having more doctors means more care for more people," Atwater said.
As the Big Bend continues to grow, hospital leaders and new residents alike say they hope this class of physicians will become a lasting part of the community — caring for Tallahassee families and the surrounding counties for years to come.
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