Physicians in training at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple
By Amy Rognlie | Photos courtesy of Baylor Scott & White Health
Not every city can boast of an award-winning hospital in its community, but Central Texans hold major bragging rights because of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple. Recently ranked by Fortune magazine as No. 2 out of 15 top U.S. teaching hospitals, Baylor Scott & White – Temple is part of the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas.
A teaching hospital trains nursing students, medical students, medical residents and fellows, pharmacy and physical therapy students, physician assistant students and many others under some of the best faculty in the country while focusing on patient safety, high-quality evidence and team care. We wanted to find out what makes Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple one of the best.
“‘How do we give the patient our best?’ is the constant question we ask ourselves,” said Christian Cable, MD, director of the graduate medical education program at Baylor Scott & White – Temple.
“Baylor Scott & White was one of the first to recognize that great patient care is a team sport. Our success demonstrates that we are doing health care differently. We’re not necessarily teaching ‘better’ than other hospitals, but what we’re great at is working together well. We gather information from our over 50 Baylor Scott & White hospitals so we’re taking best practices from across our state.”
Founded as a Christian ministry of healing over a century ago, Baylor Scott & White’s flagship hospital in Temple has 640 beds. It is the only Level I trauma center between Austin and Dallas, providing personalized, quality care as a center for research and medical education.
The hospital faculty and staff take seriously their responsibility as a community resource, and pass that passion along to their students and residents.
“Teaching, learning and reflection happens daily in every context at Baylor Scott & White. The teaching hospital environment provides an opportunity to listen to our patients, families and communities and what matters to them. Then we can help guide the next generation of health professionals early in their careers to meet those goals,” Cable said.
The Baylor Scott & White – Temple graduate medical education program, in its 114th year, has 450 of the system’s 800 residents and fellows in 40 specialties. Residents complete their programs in three to 10 years. At Baylor Scott & White – Temple, over half of the attending physicians are faculty members.
According to Cable, 25% of Baylor Scott & White – Temple’s residents stay with the health system after completing the training program and over 50% stay in Texas.
“Potential med students are attracted to our hospital because it is practicing big-city medicine in a smaller town,” Cable said. “Community is important here. We are dedicated to the health of the community because we’re members of that community. We live here, work here and care about the success of our neighbors. And we feel that care back. The outpouring of community support for our health care team was critical for our initial and continuing pandemic response. In my opinion, the Baylor Scott & White value of ‘we are in it together’ is sincere and a good way to live. It helps me to integrate work with life and provides a strong sense of meaning.”
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple is successful because it strives to be a trusted educator in value-based care delivery, customer experience and affordability.
“We decided these are the three things we’re going to be great at,” Cable said. “We will all become patients if we haven’t been already, and receiving care that is evidence-based, integrated and affordable just makes sense. At Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, we are doing our best to contribute to the health of the citizens of Texas.”
A few facts
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple was also named to Healthgrades’ “America’s 250 Best Hospitals” 2021 list, indicating clinical performance in the nation’s top 5%.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple among the top 10 hospitals in Texas in 2021:
- Nationally ranked in ear, nose and throat care
- High performing in gastroenterology/GI surgery and pulmonology
- High performing in heart failure, colon cancersurgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and knee replacement
