Divorces aren’t always a bad thing. They enable the parties involved to begin new lives that, it is hoped, will be better. Still, the initial breakup often is drenched in sadness and uncertainty.
Fortunately, sometimes things work out even better, for both sides.
Such is the apparent case in the recent split between the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and DHR Health, which announced in October that they were ending their cooperative agreement that provided a professional, clinical teaching site for UTRGV students.
UTRGV on Monday announced a new affiliation with HCA Healthcare Gulf Coast Division, and on Wednesday DHR announced a similar agreement with the TexasA&MCollege of Medicine.
The agreements include both professional residencies and clinical research.
When UTRGV and DHR ended their union, both sides said it was mutual and amicable. Still, many people in the Valley wondered why the two entities ended their symbiotic relationship, and whether Valley students could still find enough internships and residencies here, without having to leave the area. Such apprenticeships are crucial for new healthcare workers, and doctors tend to establish their careers where they served their residencies.
The importance of such professional opportunities can’t be overplayed. While many medical teachers continue to practice, some don’t, and teach what they know. Textbooks and other learning materials can take years to research, write, edit and make their way to school bookshelves. Meanwhile, health care practices and equipment advance quickly , and they usually appear first in emergency rooms and doctors’ offices and students often gain exposure to them in clinical situations long before they are addressed in the classroom.
Obviously the loss of such positions would hurt not only our medical students but patients who already benefit from their service and those will see them in the future. And they are sorely needed in South Texas, which has one of the most severe shortage of medical professionals in the country.
Now it appears that with two healthcare systems working with two medical schools, the Valley will reap even greater benefits. The original UTRGV-DHR cooperation involved 135 students. Dr. Amy Ware, dean of the Texas A&M medical school said Wednesday that its agreement alone will involve “hundreds of residents.”
These are major — and rapid — developments in providing better health care for Valley residents, and greater opportunities for local students who wish to pursue medical careers. Just a decade ago the Valley had no such opportunities other than the offerings of small career schools and nursing programs. The UTRGV medical school was created in 2013 and Texas A&M opened its doors in 2018.
We applaud all those who saw the need and committed the time, effort and resources toward addressing that critical need. Improved education, and the improved health of residents who benefit from improved medical care, will have expanded benefits as more people receive preventative rather than acute care, fewer workers miss work do to illness and fewer public resources are needed to address preventable health issues.
