Internal Medicine at San Francisco

About Our Program

The Program:

Kaiser San Francisco offers comprehensive internal medicine training in one of the most cosmopolitan and exciting cities in the world. Our residents gain clinical mastery in service of 175,000 members with no ethnic or socioeconomic majority. Residents have access to clinical databases on 3.5 million patients and select our program to further their research goals.

The System:

Residents also choose our program because they are seeking an advantage in the competitive northern California marketplace for their careers. During residency, physicians enjoy an environment where work can be balanced with personal life. Our salary and benefits are excellent, and the culture is egalitarian and supportive. Continuity clinic choices include practices specializing in the care of Spanish and Cantonese speakers, and persons infected with HIV for residents desiring specific training in those areas. Additionally, our facility is the regional referral center for interventional cardiology and cardiac surgery.

The Faculty:

Hospital ward teams are staffed by 18 dedicated Hospital Based Specialists, and the ICU/CCU is supervised by board-certified intensivists and cardiologists. Residents work side by side with their clinic preceptors for the duration of their training. Faculty choose San Francisco Kaiser for the opportunity to teach residents, and our leadership is similarly deeply committed to residency training.

Research:

The Division of Research of Kaiser Permanente in northern California has vast amounts of clinical data on 3.5 million patients. With support from local faculty, and programmers and statisticians from the Division of Research, residents are encouraged to formulate and answer a clinical question, and publish their results. Additionally, there is a resident-oriented course to help guide residents with research methodology. Affiliations with UCSF and Stanford provide additional research and clinical opportunities.

Didactics:

A new weekly Academic Half Day consists of four hours of protected educational time to supplement the clinical experience and help residents prepare for the American Board of Internal Medicine certification exam. Morning Report involves four phases: reporting of the admissions by the night float for the purpose of honing the residents clinical judgment and communication skills, a board review question, a clinical case presentation and discussion, and an evidence-based question and review from the case. Daily noon conferences consist of both visiting professors and faculty from within Kaiser, and serve to bring the staff and residents together at the lunch table.

Flexibility:

Residents may choose from a wide range of electives according to their career goals. Rotations away from the medical center are available during the residency for both clinical and research experiences. Residents have rotated at various institutions, including Stanford University, UCSF, and overseas in Ghana, India, Australia, and Sweden.