Family Medicine residents join local hospital for training

Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center is opening a new residency program in Family Medicine, becoming part of a national program that places medical school graduates in specialty training. Six new Resident Physicians will be starting their training at the hospital this summer.

Dr. Francis Chu, who is the program director for the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Family Medicine Residency said the resident physicians, graduates from medical school who choose a specific field for their specialty training will care for patients under the supervision of experienced physicians.

The six new Residents were chosen to come to San Jose through a national computerized matching program used by graduating medical students. The system assures that medical school graduates and teaching hospitals have equal opportunities to connect. “More than a hundred excellent medical student candidates interviewed with us late last year after our Family Medicine Residency was accredited,” says Dr. Chu. “All were interested in Kaiser Permanente but our program only had room for six doctors.”

These young students will graduate in May from medical schools in Wisconsin, Virginia, and California. There are four women and two men, and, like Kaiser Permanente’s patient population, they are a diverse group.

“We are delighted to have these physicians caring for our San Jose community,” said Irene Chavez, Senior Vice President and Area Manager of the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center. “This is foundational medicine and we will introduce them to Kaiser Permanente’s integrated health care system, emphasizing prevention.”

Family Medicine began in 1969 and grew from what were once called “General Practice” doctors who were often in solo practices. A Family Physician cares for patients from birth to end-of-life, with an emphasis on continuity and developing strong patient relationships.

“Our Family Medicine residents will learn in an integrated healthcare system with broad collaboration among KP physicians from all specialties,” says Dr. Chu. “We’ll be training them to become “full-scope” Family Physicians, leaders and teachers.”

The residents will spend three years at Kaiser Permanente San Jose learning about many aspects of medicine by rotating between Hospital Medicine, Ob/Gyn, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedics/Sports Medicine, Surgery, Behavioral Medicine, a variety of subspecialties and even working with our Community Medicine partner, School Health Clinics of Santa Clara.

“Our department has 24 full scope Family Physicians who will be valuable role models and mentors to these new residents,” says Dr. Chu. “And physicians throughout the medical center are excellent teachers who will provide our residents with a world-class learning experience.”

Dr. Efren Rosas, Physician in Chief at the KP San Jose Medical Center said, “Doctors who train new doctors will be in the resident’s hearts and minds for the rest of their careers; it was that way for me.”