PBRMC Kicks Off Year Three of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Training New Physicians for the Future

7/12/2023

POPLAR BLUFF, MO –This month, six new physicians from around the world began their medical residency at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC). In addition to the six first-year residents, six residents started their second year while six others started their third and final year, totaling 18 residents who have chosen PBRMC for their postgraduate medical training.

PBRMC’s internal medicine (IM) residency program is the only post-graduate medical education program in Southeast Missouri, with the closest program nearly 130 miles away. During the three-year program, residents rotate through different departments and specialties in the hospital, including pulmonology, cardiology and emergency medicine. PBRMC established its internal medicine residency in 2021 and is the hospital’s first graduate medical education (GME) program in its history.

“We always thought that our region would be an excellent location to train physicians due to our well-trained, energetic medical staff, our well-equipped hospital facility, and our diverse patient population,” Program Director Matthew J. Riffle, M.D., said.

PBRMC received an overwhelming response from aspiring physicians this year with more than 900 applications received. After a rigorous selection process, only 96 candidates were interviewed and carefully evaluated by the GME Internal Medicine Residency Selection Committee, resulting in a highly competitive rank list.

The PBRMC program participates in the National Resident Matching Program that uses a sophisticated algorithm to align candidate preferences with hospital rankings. Each year, PBRMC welcomes a new cohort of six internal medicine residents, bringing an influx of fresh perspectives, expertise, and dedication to patient care.

In addition to Dr. Matthew Riffle (program director), other PBRMC physicians such as Dr. Roland Njoh, Dr. Anil Nadipelli, and Dr. Mohanad Alfaqih are key faculty members of the program. Research has shown that residency programs have been a great recruiting tool for hospitals as many of the trainees will stay and practice medicine in the community in which they trained.

“We have had multiple trainees who have expressed interest in staying in Poplar Bluff after they finish residency,” said Caitlyn Wilfong, GME program coordinator. “We are fortunate to have matched six outstanding residents again this year so we have a full complement of 18 physicians in training.”

“In our continued evaluation of how to better serve Southeast Missouri, our internal medicine residency program allows us to train and, in many cases, retain quality physicians,” said Rick Naegler, PBRMC CEO. “The combined commitment of our dedicated physician leaders and PBRMC’s administrative leadership to having a successful education program in a caring environment, will support the development of future physicians to keep quality healthcare close to home.”

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