New Residents and New Nurses Joining Kaweah Health

Kaweah Health is happy to announce that we matched 100 percent of our resident positions for 2026.

"This year’s match represents more than filling residency positions — it reflects our continued investment in the health of our community,” said Dr. Richard Pantera, Kaweah Health Graduate Medical Education Chair. “By training the next generation of physicians here at Kaweah Health, we are strengthening access to high-quality care for the patients and families we serve.”

This new class of residents comes from medical schools across the United States and the world, such as Boston University, Michigan State University, and the University of California, Davis. All five general surgery residents are women, only the second time that has happened since Kaweah Health’s program began. About 40 percent of general surgery residents are women nation-wide, so it is rare to have an all-female class.

Many of the residents are coming home as 19 of them grew up in towns throughout the Central Valley including Visalia. They were chosen from more than 3,000 applicants, of which 650 were interviewed for the 50 positions.

The Graduate Medical Education program began at Kaweah Health in 2013, and since then more than 350 doctors have gone through the program, about 40 percent of which have decided to stay in the community.

Unitek

Kaweah Health held its second Unitek graduation on April 10, with some familiar faces now joining us as RNs. The 26 graduates have all been working at Kaweah Health in various positions while completing their RN education.

Known as the Kaweah Health Nursing Education Pathway powered by Unitek College, the program currently has 160 employees enrolled. This unique opportunity allows qualified Kaweah Health employees to work and attend school simultaneously. Unitek offers students a special tuition rate, and Kaweah Health helps offset those costs and provides flexible scheduling to accommodate classes. Graduates commit to working at Kaweah Health for three years after earning their degrees.