Largest Contingent of UTMB Galveston Students/Residents Sent to Austin

Almost 100 >University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston medical students and residents displaced by Hurricane Ike have arrived in Austin and are continuing their clinical training with the Seton Family of Hospitals. The residents are also providing clinical services to patients under the supervision of UTMB Austin faculty physicians.

A total of 48 medical students and 50 residents have relocated to Austin in the past week. The damage caused by Hurricane Ike in Galveston has forced the relocation of UTMB’s medical students and residents to medical facilities across the state, with the largest group coming to Austin. The 98 coming to Seton hospitals are rotating across seven fully accredited training programs and two recently approved programs - general surgery and dermatology between Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas and University Medical Center Brackenridge.

“We faced enormous logistical and scheduling challenges to ensure our visiting trainees would have a smooth transition in their clinical work. Our staff did a wonderful job and Seton supported our efforts at every turn,” said Sam Shomaker, MD, dean of UTMB Austin Programs. “Our focus now is continuing a high quality academic experience for each of the visiting residents and medical students for as long as they are with us.”

“We are excited about adding these students to our current classes,” said Dr. Tom Caven, vice president of Medical Affairs at UMCB. “The growing physician shortage in Central Texas and the state means we can’t afford to delay graduation of any new physicians. Having these students as a resource to expand our ability to care for more patients is also a blessing as we continue caring for patients here because of Hurricane Ike while also maintaining services for local residents coming to our hospitals.”

The University of Texas at Austin has provided the residents and medical students living accommodations as along with assistance from the City of Austin, which provided access to the Ronald McDonald House next door to UMCB for student housing.

UTMB has had an academic medicine presence on the UMCB campus since the 1950s. Currently, there are seven fully-accredited training programs (Pediatrics, Family Practice, Neurology, Internal Medicine and OB/Gyn, Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a one-year Transitional residency) and two recently approved programs - general surgery and dermatology - which operate at UMCB, Dell Children’s Medical Center and Seton Shoal Creek.

The medical students and residents are expected to stay here for a couple of months.

Medical students: 48

Pediatrics: 5
Surgery: 8
Psychiatry: 7
Ob/GYN: 6
Internal Medicine: 15
Emergency Medicine: 3
Neurology: 1
Electives: 3

Residents: 50

Neurology: 1
Surgery: 10
Family Medicine: 1
Pediatrics: 3
Psychiatry: 1
Dermatology: 2
Ob/GYN: 9
Internal Medicine: 23