RESIDENCY PROGRAMS
Pediatrics at Oakland
Welcome to the Pediatric Residency Training Program at Kaiser in Oakland! Our program is based at the Oakland Medical Center, an academically oriented community hospital. Residents in our program learn and care for patients in the midst of a large medical center and the richly diverse East Bay area communities that we serve. Our mission is to train superb clinicians and compassionate caregivers, who are prepared for careers in a variety of settings including general, subspecialty, and inpatient pediatrics. Our training environment cultivates outstanding and quality patient care, academic excellence, understanding of our dynamic communities, and a successful work-life balance.
Education across the continuum is our focus, and our residency program enjoys a close relationship with the UCSF School of Medicine and the UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program. 3rd year medical students join us at Kaiser Oakland as a training site for their pediatric clerkship as well as through the KLIC (Kaiser Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship) program. Students from UCSF and the UCSF/UCB Joint Medical Program are at Kaiser Oakland also for pre-clinical experiences in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Additionally, 4th year medical students from medical schools across the country join us for a variety of sub-internship rotations. Lastly, many of our teaching attendings hold clinical faculty appointments at UCSF, Stanford, and UC Davis.
Unique Program Highlights
Curriculum
In addition to the foundation of required training rotations, our program actively tailors curriculum to the specific career pathway of the individual. With personalized mentorship and guidance, each resident can infuse elective opportunities in subspecialties, research, and global health into their personalized curriculum to best fit their needs and goals. Our training is based upon a platform of experiences that allow for tremendous longitudinal opportunities and relationships.
Community Medicine and Public Health
We are excited to offer a Pediatrics/MPH curricular track. This track will offer the opportunity for 2 of our incoming 8 PGY-1 residents to complete the requirements in general pediatric training with added concentration on community pediatrics and research in their first three years, followed by an academic 4th year of training at the UC Berkley School of Public Health.
In 2012-2013, our residency program will also introduce longitudinal curriculum in community pediatrics (Kaiser Pediatric REACH), with each resident participating in enriched community-based activities, advocacy in pediatrics, addressing the needs of the under-served and under-accessed, and basic public health training. Residents each complete a longitudinal community based project during their training and additional related electives may also be pursued.
Global Health
Training in International Pediatrics and Global Health are encouraged in our program. The KP Global Health Program facilitates funded rotations at Kaiser affiliated medical centers in Kenya, Zambia, and Cambodia. Past residents have also completed experiences in a variety of international and domestic settings that nurture and develop skills that are applicable abroad and at home.
Simulation and Procedure Training
Mock codes and mock deliveries are practiced in our on-site simulation center to help nurture skills in critical thinking and communication. Additional practical training in procedural skills is supervised by our inpatient faculty. Lastly, we continue to develop curriculum using these tools and video review to strengthen skills in patient hand-off and communication.
Research Opportunities
Kaiser Permanente has long had a rich and proud tradition of prioritizing meaningful research as a major component of its health care and educational mission. Research opportunities are actively available for our residents and these experiences are encouraged. Several of our residents are involved with research projects. Kaiser Permanente Northern California is home to our world class Division of Research. The DOR was founded in 1961, and today its staff of over 400 is actively involved with over 220 active research projects. The DOR and our residency programs have a wonderful established relationship, and residents who require access to patient databases, statistics, assistance with manuscript preparation, and other analytical services are supported by expertise at our DOR for assistance in project planning, data collection and processing. More information about the DOR can be found at www.dor.kaiser.org. Whether engaging in research for the first time or with previous experience, interested residents may participate in research courses offered by the DOR. This course is designed to give trainees the skills that they need to develop and engage in various research or investigative pursuits. Residents wishing to pursue their work further are encouraged to engage in more in-depth research experiences as well as pursue longitudinal projects. Strong support is provided for residents to actively present their work via posters and presentations at national meetings.
Our Residents
Residents enter our program from medical schools across the country with terrific strength and diversity in their individual achievements, talents, and experiences! Residents enjoy an environment that fosters teamwork, an intimate setting for learning, and a wonderful “esprit de corps” (see Our Residents).
Our team of residents consists of 8 residents per year and a 4th year chief resident. In July 2011, as we introduced the Peds/MPH program, our program successfully expanded to yearly complement of eight residents (with two residents selected per year to complete their MPH in their fourth year of training)
Furthermore, Kaiser Oakland has enjoyed success in Pediatric Residency Training since 1957 and has a proud tradition of excellence in the development of pediatricians in nearly every setting! Our pediatric department also is home to a successful fellowship training program in Hospital Based Pediatrics. Our East Bay medical center also trains residents in Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Head and Neck Surgery, Podiatry, and General Surgery (UCSF East Bay).
Our Philosophy
We provide academic training within a world-class health care organization for a large patient population. Our program fosters the professional and personal development of our residents in an integrated, scholarly, and supportive, managed-care environment. We offer residents a nurturing and friendly setting that supports individual pursuits and values resident autonomy and critical thinking skills.
We follow patients longitudinally through all aspects of the continuum of care, giving trainees exposure to principles of population management, evidence-based medicine, quality improvement, and team-based acute and chronic care—the cornerstones of Kaiser Permanente medicine since it was founded.
Quality, Technology, and Our Health Care
Kaiser’s excellence in quality health care and quality improvement are highlighted with didactic and practical training during residency. From understanding population management through childhood vaccination rates to quality improvement at the bedside, residents are actively involved in quality initiatives in all areas during their training.
Kaiser has consistently been a leader in the use of medical technology and our fully integrated electronic medical record is nationally recognized! Our patient-centered system allows for easy, efficient and comprehensive patient history review facilitates quality care. Patients may actively communicate advice questions with resident providers via secure e-mail messaging and even send photos of their child’s rashes or concerns directly into their electronic chart for their resident physician to follow.
Our integrated system has been noted as a model of a quality driven health plan:
President Barack Obama
Time Magazine Interview
July 2009
This approach has been adopted in other places, too: the Geisinger Health System, in Danville, Pennsylvania; the Marshfield Clinic, in Marshfield, Wisconsin; Intermountain Healthcare, in Salt Lake City; Kaiser Permanente, in Northern California. All of them function on similar principles. All are not-for-profit institutions. And all have produced enviably higher quality and lower costs than the average American town enjoys. "
