The first psychiatric residency north of Portland will begin this summer at Acadia Hospital in Bangor.
The hospital created the program in response to the state's shortage of psychiatrists, and a shortage of residency programs nationwide, says John Campbell, senior physician executive at Acadia.
"Because of the dwindling workforce of psychiatrists in Maine we felt it was imperative for us to address this, particularly for areas north and east of Portland and Cumberland County," Campbell said.
When applications for the four resident positions opened, there were nearly 500 applications submitted on the first day.
The first class of Acadia Hospital's program will start in July, making it the second psychiatric residency program in the state and the only one outside of Portland.
"Acadia Hospital being an anchor facility in this part of the state, important for us to fulfill the various responsibilities that go along with that including training and educating the psychiatrists of tomorrow," Campbell said.
Campbell says the residency program is just the first phase of a larger plan to add post-residency fellowships in specialties of psychiatry.
