What does your program offer that residents can’t get anywhere else?

Location, diverse patient population, education, and world-class partnership! Our program is located in beautiful Northern California and serves as the de facto county hospital in the state’s capital city. We serve one of the most diverse patient populations in the country and this affords our residents the opportunity to care for patients from all walks of life. UC Davis Hospital is a co-located Adult and Pediatric Level I Trauma Center, a Comprehensive Stroke Center, STEMI receiving center, and serves as the regional Burn Center with a catchment area that extends to the southern Oregon border and into Western Nevada. Residents spend approximately 70 percent of their time at the UC Davis Hospital as well as rotate through several community hospitals and the Sacramento VA Medical Center. This provides them with a broader sense of diverse patient populations as well as the ability to practice in different clinical environments, which enables them to add nuance and adaptability to their clinical practice.

Many of the staff attending physicians in the department are nationally recognized subject matter experts and have additional training in areas ranging from geriatric emergency medicine, toxicology, ultrasound, critical care, research, health policy, disaster medicine, EMS, and global health. In 2017, the UC Davis Health System partnered with the United States Air Force to develop the Air Force’s fourth and only fully integrated emergency medicine residency program. Military residents train alongside their civilian colleagues caring for critically ill and injured adult and pediatric patients. The training received here at UC Davis equips military residents with the clinical acumen and leadership skills necessary to arrive at their first duty station ready to care for military members and their families as well as provide world-class care to those deployed in harms way.

UC Davis EM residents and faculty enjoying a social event during ACEP2022. (Click to enlarge.)

What is the work-life balance like?

One of the central pillars of the department is to help our residents “develop time and practice management strategies and resiliency in order to maximize personal well-being.” Wellness is at the core of the program. It is the very fabric that brings the program together and is evident on each and every shift. We take pride in truly making this a program for and about our residents. Shift length is 10 hours long with two hours of overlap to allow for adequate patient disposition, signout, and to prevent residents having to stay beyond the end of their shift. This gives them more time and flexibility to get out and take in the beautiful sights, sunshine, and restaurants. They can hit the slopes in Tahoe, run, walk, jog, or bike one of the numerous hiking trails, visit one of the many national parks, or go wine tasting in beautiful Napa Valley. Oh, and did I mention that we are the farm to fork capital of the world?