Shannon Holds Inaugural Family Medicine Residency White Coat Ceremony

Distinguished speakers included Dr. Amy Waer, Dean of Texas A&M School of Medicine, and Dr. Michael Wood, Chief Medical Officer of Shannon Medical Center.

“This represents a major milestone in Shannon’s transformation into a teaching institution with these research and education opportunities that we have before us,” Wood said. “The six new physicians here today will be instrumental in defining the culture of all of our graduate medical education steps moving forward for decades.”

Wood encouraged the new physicians to be “exceptional” in their patient care duties, “optimistic” about their learning journey over the next three years, and to be “intentional in developing a culture of trust, respect, and understanding” which will impact future physicians.

Dr. Waer welcomed the new physicians to the Aggie family, urging them to live by the core values of respect, excellence, loyalty, leadership, integrity, and selfless service. 

“You’ve all worked very hard, and the efforts have paid off. We have an outstanding group of inaugural charter members of this residency class,” she said.

The Shannon Family Medicine Residency Program, a partnership between Shannon Medical Center and Texas A&M School of Medicine, aims to provide residents with additional training, skills, and educational opportunities for family medicine practice. The three-year program is open to medical school graduates who meet the residency requirements.

Between October 2023 and January 2024, over 600 candidates applied to Shannon’s residency program, with over 100 interviewed for six available spots. Resident physicians will offer full-scope family medicine through an 18-room outpatient continuity clinic at Shannon Clinic – Knickerbocker, supervised by faculty physicians, and participate in specialty rotations at Shannon Clinic and Shannon Medical Center.

This residency program is part of Shannon’s broader efforts to improve healthcare access in the Concho Valley and uphold the tradition of compassionate, trustworthy care.