NASHVILLE (AP) - Saint Thomas Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will become partners in training more medical residents.

The expanded program begins in 2013, and by 2017 about 100 medical residents will be trained yearly in varied specialties. There now are just 17 medical residents at the health system.

Baptist Hospital, a part of the health system, has been a partner with the UTHSC since 1981, and has trained more than 140 medical residents specializing in internal medicine.

UTHSC is the largest of the four medical colleges in Tennessee, enrolling 165 students per class every year. Saint Thomas Health is Middle Tennessee's largest health care system, composed of Baptist Hospital, Saint Thomas Hospital and Middle Tennessee Medical Center.