39 new doctors will receive training at Modesto hospital as residencies are launched
A cohort of 39 physician residents is coming to Modesto to begin the next step of medical training in June.
For many years, Stanislaus County’s family practice residency captured the attention during “Match Week,” the traditional process for pairing residents with intensive medical training programs nationwide.
But this cohort, including 19 resident physicians in internal medicine and 13 in family medicine, is the first to participate in the new three-year Sutter Health programs based at Memorial Medical Center. An additional seven resident physicians will spend one year in the internal medicine program at Memorial before going on to training in another specialty such as radiology or dermatology, a Sutter spokesperson said.
The largest-ever National Resident Matching Program was held last week, as 52,498 registered applicants competed for 43,237 positions at residency programs across the country, a 4.2% increase.
The Modesto hospital received national accreditation for the internal and family medicine training programs in April 2024. The residencies aim to meet a growing need for primary care physicians, who practice either family medicine, internal medicine for adults or pediatrics.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new doctors into our community,” said Tracy Roman, chief executive officer of Memorial, in a news release last week. “Programs such as these clear a path for more physicians to begin their careers and train alongside mentors at the top of their field, which creates greater access for patients to receive the excellent care they need.”
Patient access to primary care has steadily worsened in most areas of the United States and inland California, as new physicians have gone into medical specialties such as cardiology, oncology and gastroenterology.
A UCSF study found the supply of licensed doctors in the San Joaquin Valley is paltry when compared to other regions of the state. And it recommended strategies to attempt to catch up with the demand as the valley’s population grows, such as “recruitment of health professionals trained outside the region, expanding training opportunities in the region and preparing young people in the region to complete training in the health professions.”
Medical school graduates apply to residency programs, participate in interviews and rank their preferred programs. During the annual Match Week in March, the National Resident Matching Program uses an algorithm to place applicants in a preferred program.
The 39 resident physicians will learn patient care at the 419-bed Memorial Medical Center and also work with Gould Medical Group doctors at a clinic facility on Sylvan Avenue. The 20,000 square-foot clinic building is set to open in a couple of months.
Dr. James Kruer will serve as director of the internal medicine residency at Memorial. Dr. Raeleigh Payanes will oversee the family medicine residents. “Primary care doctors can help proactively identify patients’ health concerns and better manage chronic illnesses, which in turn can help reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations so patients get and stay well,” Payanes said in the news release.
Sutter Health has aggressive plans for graduate medical education in Northern California, with a goal of training 1,000 residents for medical practice by 2030.
Last week, eight medical school graduates were matched with the Family Medicine Residency Program of Stanislaus County, constituting a full class for 2025. A total of 28 resident physicians are in the three-year family medicine training conducted at Doctors Medical Center and local health clinics.
The Valley Consortium for Medical Education, which oversees the program, also is adding three new residents to the orthopedic surgery program. The consortium Monday it’s moving forward with planning for post-residency fellowship training in obstetrics and addiction medicine.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 1:04 PM.
