St. Luke’s Memorial Academic and Faculty Affairs

St. Luke’s Health – Memorial Hospital in Lufkin in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine has established the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Family Medicine Residency Program, the college’s first-ever rural health residency program. The program was created to train and address the physician needs in this rural part of East Texas.

Residents of the new rural residency program will train at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center, Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women, Texas Children’s The Woodlands and St. Luke’s Health – Memorial Hospital in Lufkin. The first year of training will take place in Houston, with the last two years focusing on the care of the underserved and vulnerable population of Lufkin and surrounding East Texas communities. The program will accept three residents each year with the inaugural group starting in July 2022.

Other program partners include Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center and Texas Children’s Hospital.

Interested in being a part of our Family Medicine Residency Program?

Call (936) 639-7145 for more information or contact Crystal Y. Carter.

St. Luke’s Memorial’s Nursing Residency Program is a comprehensive, 12-month program designed to facilitate the transition of newly graduated registered nurses (RNs) with less than 12 months of experience into confident and competent professionals. While often compared to nursing internships, this residency program offers a more structured and in-depth experience, including essential clinical rotations for students in various health care disciplines.

Here's how the Nursing Residency Program addresses key aspects of a nursing internship:

• Experience: Residents gain hands-on clinical experience in a specific unit within the St. Luke’s Memorial system. This experience is tailored to the demands of that unit, providing focused and relevant practical application of their nursing knowledge.

• Supervision: The program is overseen by local site coordinators, with regional direction provided by a director. Residents work directly with a dedicated preceptor on their assigned unit, providing close supervision and guidance.

• Skill development: Skill development is unit-specific, ensuring residents acquire the competencies necessary for success in their chosen area. Residents demonstrate proficiency through skills checklists completed in collaboration with their preceptor.

• Networking: St. Luke’s Memorial actively networks with colleges throughout Deep East Texas, engaging with nursing students completing clinical rotations at the hospital and hosting meet-and-greet events to foster connections and recruitment.

• Career exploration: Residents have access to a dedicated career coach who provides guidance and support in exploring various career paths within the nursing profession.

• Paid or unpaid: The Nursing Residency Program is a paid program. Residents receive a salary and are also eligible for sign-on bonuses offered by the East Texas market.

• Criteria: To successfully complete the program, residents must attend mandatory Zoom classes, complete pre-work assignments before each class, demonstrate competency in unit-specific skills with their preceptor and complete an evidence-based practice (EBP) project, which they present at graduation.

• Benefits: Residents receive the same comprehensive benefits package as all other employed nurses. Furthermore, completion of the residency program is a significant asset to their resume, demonstrating a commitment to professional development and excellence in patient care.

• Length of program: The program is 12 months long. Residents also have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor for up to two years, providing ongoing support and guidance.

• Nursing internship partners: While not strictly "internship partners," St. Luke’s Memorial actively networks with nursing programs at colleges throughout Deep East Texas to recruit residents.

The Nursing Residency Program provides a structured and supportive environment for new graduate nurses to develop their skills, build confidence, and launch successful careers.

For more information, call (936) 631-3053 or contact Alexandria Ntekim, BSN, RN, Nurse Residency Program Site Coordinator.

We are proud to host the WorkForce Solutions of Deep East Texas Teacher Extern program, providing high school teachers with a valuable one-week immersion experience at our facility. 

This program equips educators with real-world insights to develop more relevant and impactful curricula for their students. It allows teachers to observe and interact with health care professionals like nurses, radiology technologists and medical staff. The goal is to provide teachers with real-world insights into health care careers and practices, which they can then use to develop a more relevant and engaging curriculum for their students. St. Luke's Memorial also partners with several colleges and universities to provide clinical rotations and training for health care students.

Benefits

For the hospital:

• Opportunity to influence curriculum development and potentially attract future health care professionals.

• Strengthens community relationships and partnerships with local schools and colleges.

• Provides professional development opportunities for staff who serve as mentors and clinical instructors.

• Supports the development of local health care programs.

For teachers:

• Gains firsthand knowledge of current health care practices and career paths.

• Develops a deeper understanding of how classroom subjects apply in the real world.

• Enhances teaching methods and creates more relevant lesson plans.

• Builds connections with health care professionals for future collaboration.

For the community:

• Students benefit from a more relevant and engaging curriculum that prepares them for future careers.

• Strengthens the connection between education and the local health care industry.

• Contributes to a more skilled and prepared workforce in the health care field.

For more information, call (936) 639-7130.

Our commitment to education extends beyond our walls through strong partnerships with schools and organizations across the region. These programs help bridge classroom learning with real-world health care experience:

• Workforce Solutions of Deep East Texas – Teacher Externship Program:
  A one-week immersion for high school teachers at our facility, giving them firsthand experience in health care to help shape more relevant and impactful curricula.
  

• Angelina College – Radiologic Technologist Program:
  St. Luke’s Health – Memorial staff serves as clinical instructors, providing hands-on mentorship and participating in campus activities to support student learning.
  

• Nursing education partnerships:
  We collaborate with multiple institutions to support nursing education, including:

  • Stephen F. Austin State University

  • Tyler County Hospital School of Nursing

  • Local school districts: Lufkin ISD, Hudson ISD, Cold Springs ISD, Livingston ISD and Corrigan ISD
    

• Non-nursing partnerships:
  We also support students in other health care disciplines through partnerships with:

  • Tyler Junior College

  • University of Texas at Tyler

  • University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)

  • Texas Woman’s University
    

• Support for new local programs:
  St. Luke’s Health – Memorial Livingston is actively involved in establishing:

  • Lamar State University’s new nursing program

  • Lamar Institute of Technology’s Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program, both based in Livingston.