Residents rotate through UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) in La Jolla, the Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla, and the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla.
Over the course of your three years, most residents will spend 40% of their time at VA sites and 60% at UCSD sites (split among Hillcrest, Jacobs+Sulpizio).
- In the intern year: 8–9 blocks
- In the second year: 5–6 blocks
- In the third year: 3–4 blocks
We have a robust cross-coverage system that is integrated into our two-week “QuiCC” (quality improvement and cross cover). All residents participate in this once each year during residency. This group of residents serve as an immediate cross-coverage pool should the need arise. When not covering fellow residents, they will participate in a dedicated quality improvement curriculum and develop their own quality improvement project. Many residents go on to implement these projects in our hospital systems and publish their work!
Residents have the opportunity to rotate through several different clinic sites including outpatient clinics at UC San Diego, the VA San Diego Healthcare System, Kaiser Permanente (one of the largest HMO organizations), Federally Qualified Health Centers, and refugee clinic sites.
All categorical residents will be assigned to a continuity clinic for their three years at UC San Diego. You will have your own patient panel and be the primary doctor for these patients.
We are excited to announce that starting with the 2025-2026 academic year we will be switching to an "X+Y" schedule on a 4+2 basis!
Our patient population is very diverse. UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest is a safety net hospital that cares for the underserved community, including significant homeless, immigrant, and HIV/AIDS populations. The Jacobs Medical Center and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health in La Jolla are referral centers for the greater San Diego area, including many desert communities east of San Diego with large Hispanic populations. These experiences provide opportunities to speak Spanish on a regular basis, although interpreter services are always available.
At UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, we also have a dedicated HIV outpatient clinic (Owen Clinic). Owen Clinic attendings also lend their expertise as consultants for patients with HIV who are admitted to the inpatient service, and these attendings work closely with the housestaff. VASDHS provides exposure to San Diego's very large veteran population, which tends to be younger, be more ethnically diverse, and has a higher percentage of females than many other VA referral areas. At the Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla, the patient population includes quaternary referrals from communities all over California, the United States, and beyond, including patients requiring services in organ transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, advanced oncology, and advanced heart failure.
