Family Medicine Residency Program

OVERVIEW

About the Program

Welcome to the Residency Training Program in Family Medicine at the Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center.   We are excited to continue a thirty year tradition of excellence in Family Medicine Residency Education. Our program is the sixth and newest Family Medicine Residency for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. We accepted our first class of 6 residents in July 2012.

Our program will offer a strong evidence-based educational experience that includes:

• direct patient responsibility for a large diverse population
• a highly structured educational curriculum with intense faculty involvement
• innovative teaching and educational exposure
• a focus on preventive care, health promotion and disease prevention
• a strong committment to community service
• the nation's largest electronic health record system, Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect™
• team-based care
• Patient-Centered Medical Home
• unopposed residency program

Kaiser Permanente in San Diego currently has one of the largest Family Medicine Departments in the world with over 160 Family Physicians on staff. The commitment to Primary Care is supported by our structure and strong presence in the medical center.

Our faculty has a wealth of teaching experience with many holding faculty appointments at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.  The faculty members have been chosen for their clinical expertise, approachability and genuine interest in teaching.

Although we are proud of our managed care roots, we feel our residents must be trained to function well in any practice setting. Kaiser Permanente residency graduates have chosen highly diverse careers and are sought after for their expertise in all aspects of Family Medicine.

Strong Academic Experience
Kaiser Permanente is at the forefront of providing quality care and top research.  The organization emphasizes and supports the importance of Primary Care.  Residents will graduate experts in ambulatory care.  We support academic experience by hosting medical student rotations through our department.  Our faculty is enthusiastic, experienced and committed to Kaiser Permanente, Family Medicine, and resident education. There are over 700 staff physicians at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego including board-certified specialists to help provide lectures, consultations and one-on-one elective experiences that prepare residents for any anticipated practice setting.  Residents will also have free access to numerous evidence-based web sites.

High Volume of Experience and Responsibility
Kaiser Permanente is a growing, stable, well-resourced organization providing complete medical care for a large patient base, approximately 500,000 Health Plan members in San Diego County. This volume allows the residents to have a wealth of clinical experiences including caring for very challenging sick patients.  It also provides an exceptional experience in Medicine, Pediatrics and Obstetrics. Residents will be given an opportunity to manage patients independently with adequate support, if needed, as part of our unopposed program.

Community Service
Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit organization and has an affiliation with La Maestra and Neighborhood Health clinics of San Diego County. This relationship allows our residents to practice in a variety of community clinics. The Family Medicine Department does a number of community service projects each year including performing free sports physicals at local high schools, shoe and backpack drives and other health promotion activities such as the annual Kaiser Permanente San Diego/Challenged Athletes Foundation Fun Run.

Systems Based Practice, Leadership and Professionalism
Family Physicians are leaders in the community. Time will be dedicated to residents: exploring their leadership potential; learning how health care systems are structured; and to participate in practice improvement projects. Residents will be expected to be an important part of their health care team in the Family Medicine Center. Residents will meet monthly with the program director to provide feedback on the residency program. Residents will also participate in medical center and departmental committees.

Excellent Resources and Opportunities
At the end of training, residents will be prepared to practice Family Medicine in a variety of different settings.
Many of the Southern California residents chose to remain with Kaiser Permanente after completing training.  Kaiser Permanente promotes a work-life balance, excellent patient care and the sense of community among physicians and staff. 

Many other residents who have completed Kaiser Permanente residencies have completed fellowships or have become physicians and leaders of other medical groups including community clinics, county health departments and academic medical centers.