Southwest Florida will soon be training doctors in its local hospitals.

Lee Memorial Health System and Florida State University College of Medicine unveiled plans for a medical residency program in Fort Myers. It will be the first of its kind in Southwest Florida and the only one between Tampa and Miami.

The program will be for medical graduates who are specializing in family medicine.

The announcement comes at a time when the state and country are experiencing a shortage of physicians – especially in primary care.

Although more medical schools are starting up in Florida, there are not enough residency programs to keep these new doctors in the state. Florida ranks 43rd nationally in the number of medical residents trained.

Lee Memorial Health System President Jim Nathan says the aim of this program is to bring more physicians to the area.

“By being able to have a training program here, we will be able to not only develop physicians that are trained in our community, but hopefully will want to stay in our community,” said Nathan.

Medical school graduates must complete residency training in their chosen specialty before they can practice medicine independently.

The FSU-Lee Memorial Health System program plans to bring in six residents starting in July 2013.