Physician Retraining and Reentry, Inc., a San Diego-based program that educates and trains physicians to practice as primary care doctors, is pleased to welcome Dr. Jone Flanders, DO, FACP, FACC as senior medical advisor.  

Dr. Flanders’ extensive clinical, health care management and medical boards experience bolsters all aspects of PRR. She will lend her expertise on curriculum, outreach and, importantly, ways that PRR participants can leverage their primary care training. A cardiologist, Dr. Flanders was the chief of Inpatient Medicine Services at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. She serves as treasurer and fellow to the Federation of State Medical Boards and is former chair of the Hawaii State Board of Medical Examiners.

“Dr. Flanders’ deep understanding of the health care industry is valuable to PRR and its participants, since we’re all working together toward the shared goal of building the primary care physician workforce,” said PRR CEO Thomas DeRosa. “We’re excited about the partnerships she can foster through her extensive connections with state medical boards.”

The list of Dr. Flanders’ past and present professional affiliations is extensive and includes serving as past president of the Honolulu County Medical Association, a member and delegate for Hawaii of the American Osteopathic Association, a Board member of American Association of Osteopathic Examiners and as the American Medical Association delegate for the State of Hawaii. She has also held teaching positions at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine and the A.T. Stills University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona.

“I am looking forward to working with PRR on identifying and creating opportunities for physicians who have returned to practice or want to change specialties to provide much-needed primary care to our communities — especially those in under-served and rural areas,” Dr. Flanders said. “PRR and its participants should be commended for their efforts to increase the number of primary care physicians and I’m proud to support that.”

PRR’s educational program consists of15 online modules that cover a wide range of critical subject matter, such as cardiology, dermatology, medical record management and more. At the end is a final examination and a one-day, in-person practicum. Upon completion, graduates receive 180 AMA PRA Category 1™ credits from the UC San Diego School of Medicine and a Certificate of Completion from PRR. 

The program to re-educate, transition and return experienced physicians to practice as primary care doctors was developed about 10 years ago by Dr. Leonard Glass, a former UC San Diego School of Medicine professor. Within a few years, PRR partnered with UC San Diego School of Medicine Physician Assessment and Clinical Education Program faculty who were also concerned with the physician shortage crisis in the U.S. UC San Diego’s PACE program is a nationally renowned program used by state medical boards and medical facilities to evaluate physicians and their abilities and to remediate deficiencies. 

PRR is the only physician retraining program that focuses on preparing long-tenured physicians to return to medicine. PRR graduates fill shortages at clinics and other facilities and are especially valuable in underserved communities that lack access to qualified doctors. During times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, PRR’s graduates serve on the medical frontlines and provide much-needed care. Because the course is online, physicians anywhere in the U.S. can participate.