MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center prepares to welcome first Internal Medicine residents

While physician shortages constitute one of the largest health care issues in South Carolina, MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center is taking steps to help to alleviate this issue.

In July of 2025, Lancaster Medical Center will welcome its first class of eight Internal Medicine residents for its new Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, followed by the introduction of the Family Medicine Residency Program. When at full capacity, in the next five years, these new primary care residency programs will open approximately 50 GME positions for the community.

 

Part of MUSC Health, the program provides training opportunities for residents in a community hospital setting, supported by the resources of the Medical University of South Carolina’s academic health system. A comprehensive didactic curriculum, ambulatory clinics, research opportunities and inpatient rotations will help residents to build clinical, personal and professional abilities.

“The impact of having a residency program is tremendous, especially for an area such as ours, where we have a very much needed demand for primary care. Having the ability to start these primary care residency programs will help us,” said Edward McCutcheon, M.D., chief medical officer and associate designated institutional officer of the GME program.

According to the Cicero Institute, South Carolina ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and general surgeon availability, making the state 36^th in total physician supply and 38^th in active primary care physicians and general surgeons. Aravind Raghavan, M.D., director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, said starting a program like this could positively affect a community such as Lancaster.

 

“Especially in these rural and underserved communities, our goal is to train residents and graduate fulfilling physicians who will stay here in our community,” said Raghavan. “We also want to retain some of our physicians so that they can serve in these underprivileged communities.”

This new program has not only garnered a lot of enthusiasm from the community but medical students as well. When the applications opened on Sept. 25, there were over 3,000 applicants for the eight spots in the Internal Medicine inaugural class. Not only will these residents have a tangible effect on the community, but Tsveti Markova, M.D., chief academic integration officer, said the GME program will positively influence the academic culture of Lancaster Medical Center as well.

“When residents start, the access to health care improves. Also, residents are curious; they’re perpetual learners. They ask questions, and they implement all innovative, up-to-date evidence-based practices in these communities,” said Markova.

 

“Attending faculty physicians have embraced this opportunity. They enjoy teaching. That is one of the ways not only to enhance patient care quality but also to improve their quality of life. It's known that physicians’ burnout rates are lower if they're engaged in other activities, such as mentoring and teaching, in addition to patient care that they really love.”

For McCutcheon, this program is the start of a new chapter for Lancaster Medical Center – a chapter made possible by an amazing team. “I'm always thrilled and excited to talk about the program. We have a great team. Dr. Markova and Dr. Raghavan have been nothing but highly engaged, and they've helped us shepherd the program,” he said.

“Once we get the first inaugural class on board, I think we're going to see tremendous momentum that's going to continue to carry us into the future, and I'm excited for what's in store for us.”