Biz ‘Bite:’ EIRMC adds psychiatry residency program

IBR Staff//November 15, 2022//

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Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) recently established a psychiatry residency program to address a shortage of mental health professionals throughout the state.

photo of the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center — Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. File photo

Idaho is reported to have the fewest psychiatrists per capita of any state in the nation. This shortage of psychiatrists — physicians who specialize in treating mental health and are licensed to prescribe medications — can have significant negative impacts for patients seeking mental health care in the state. EIRMC’s psychiatry residency program will train physicians who have graduated from an accredited medical school earning their degree as an M.D. or D.O. and now want to specialize in psychiatry. Psychiatry residency is a four-year training program; each year, four new residents begin the program. By 2026, it will be at full strength, with 16 psychiatry residents progressing through the program. EIRMC is part of the HCA Healthcare system, one of the largest hospital operators in the nation.

Matthew Larsen, D.O., director of EIRMC’s psychiatry residency program, said he believes this training will immediately and substantially address the shortage of psychiatrists in Idaho: “According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than half of the doctors who completed residency training in the last 15 years still practice in the state where they trained.”