Family Medicine Orange County Medical Center - Curriculum

Clinical Experiences & Rotations

Our Family Medicine service is staffed by Family Medicine residents and attending physicians. The team consists of two interns, a second- or third-year resident, and an attending physician from Family Medicine and Internal Medicine. The team manages an average of 10 to 12 patients, including those in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) and Coronary Care Units (CCU). Each resident has on-call responsibility every fourth night.

Family Medicine

Throughout your residency, you will spend a significant amount of time in our off-site, culturally diverse, outpatient Family Medicine Center, under the supervision of a teaching staff of more than 25 full-time, board-certified family physicians.

Our residents are assigned a group of patients whom they follow throughout training, in both outpatient and inpatient settings, with the outpatient experience providing a spectrum of acute and chronic diagnoses. Preventive health care, prenatal obstetrical care and minor surgical and dermatologic procedures are also emphasized. Laboratory and radiology services, patient education programs, and consultations with various specialties are readily available.

Pediatrics

Your first year includes a four-week rotation on inpatient pediatrics at Childrens Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). In addition, two weeks in the nursery will emphasize normal newborns; however, part of your time will focus on stabilizing and resuscitating distressed newborns. Two weeks focus on ambulatory Pediatrics. First-year residents also spend two half-days each month seeing outpatient infants and children for whom they will be directly responsible throughout the three-year residency. While you are on inpatient Pediatric services, over-night call is every fourth night.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Residents have two 3-week Ob/Gyn blocks in both the R1 and R2 years. Residents work closely with innovative obstetricians, some of who are actively involved in research. At the end of your rotations, you can expect to have delivered over 40 babies (with more available if desired); in addition, you will have followed at least 3 prenatal patients through delivery.

The Gynecology experience emphasizes ambulatory gynecological problems. Nexplanon, IUD placement, endometrial biopsies and other gynecology procedures are also taught. High-risk Obstetrics and Gynecology electives are available in your third year.

Surgery

Four weeks in your first year are devoted to inpatient surgery, working with surgical staff faculty. We emphasize pre- and postoperative care, surgical diagnosis, and assisting in the operating room.

In your second year, you spend four weeks in the Outpatient Surgery Clinic learning minor surgical procedures, breast lump evaluation, and pre- and postoperative care.

Minor surgery procedural skills are taught and reinforced in the Family Medicine Center’s Minor Surgery Clinic and many other rotations throughout your residency.

ENT, Urology, Ophthalmology

These three rotations are each taught in one- to two-week time blocks and may be taken in any year of your residency. They focus primarily on outpatient care; however, operating room time is available for residents seeking inpatient exposure.

Residents work closely with attending subspecialists, seeing a wide variety of problems commonly encountered by family physicians.

Human Behavior and Psychiatry

A two-year longitudinal rotation in Behavioral Medicine on site at the Family Medicine Center allows you to develop essential skills in this area taught by our psychiatrists, psychologists, family physicians, and psychiatric social workers.

Second- and third-year residents participate in a bimonthly Behavioral Medicine/Psychiatry afternoon clinic, which includes small group seminars on specific psychiatric or psychosocial issues as well as counseling of adults and children. Residents also have the opportunity to participate as co-therapists during their regular clinics. Here they may work in partnership with a Behavioral Medicine specialist, who has extensive background in family, couple, and adolescent counseling as well as eating disorders.

As a third-year resident, you will spend two weeks working with the Chemical Dependency Recovery and Rehabilitation Programs as well as with other areas of Psychiatry. Electives in child or adolescent Psychiatry or inpatient Psychiatry are available.

Orthopedics

Residents have a two-week rotation in Orthopedics during their first year and another four-week rotation during their second or third year. Residents work one-on-one with an orthopedic surgeon, with emphasis on ambulatory care. You also devote time to seeing patients in our Sports Medicine Clinic as well as other locations. Opportunities are available to work with a high school team physician.

Physical Medicine / Sports Medicine

You spend four weeks working with Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Pain Management specialists. You gain exposure to a large variety of musculoskeletal problems, chronic pain, testing procedures, and treatments, and spend time on inpatient rehabilitation.

Electives

There are numerous opportunities for personalized electives within our health care system. During your second and third years, a total of over four months of electives can be used to complement your education. Many residents participate in international rotation experiences.

Conferences

Third-year residents assist our faculty in planning conferences covering the core curriculum in Family Medicine. Residents also exercise a leadership role in conference presentation.

All residents are expected to provide input regarding the educational content of the conference series and are encouraged to submit topic ideas, speakers, or case-based information.

In addition to the required daily noon conference schedule, annual symposia, hosted jointly by Kaiser Permanente specialty departments from throughout Southern California, are available.