General Information

Introduction

ACGME accredited since 1975, the UCLA-Olive View Internal Medicine Program (previously the UCLA-San Fernando Valley Program) is based at the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. It is one of two UCLA-sponsored programs, the other being the UCLA Medicine program at the medical school campus, and the two programs share rotations and a strong relationship. Both are affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

The Olive View-UCLA Medical Center is an academic county hospital nestled in the foothills of Los Angeles County. We offer categorical and preliminary positions. Olive View is well known as one of the best teaching sites among UCLA medical students (don’t take our word for it, ask them). We recruit residents who are enthusiastic about learning and teaching, and who enjoy caring for county patients and the underserved. This program offers a balanced experience in inpatient and outpatient medicine. Our residents spend about 80% of their inpatient rotations at the Olive View county hospital and 20% at the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood or the UCLA-Santa Monica hospital. The combination of county- and university-based hospitals offers a comprehensive experience in Internal Medicine. We also offer international electives for those who are interested. The program is favorably recognized for:

Diverse patient population and wide-ranging pathology
Emphasis on diagnostic skills, with many “new” diagnoses made by housestaff
Outstanding teaching by housestaff and faculty
Balanced inpatient and outpatient experience
National reputation
Excellent fellowship and job placement
Collegial culture

About two thirds of our graduates continue on to do fellowships in medicine subspecialties. Our other graduates work in academic medicine, hospitalist positions, HMO's and private practice. We are proud of our graduates who have gone on to take leadership roles in different settings around the country. We pride ourselves on our collegial atmosphere that feels like a "family", with happy residents and faculty.

Philosophy

The general philosophy of the program is to allow the housestaff to learn in a supportive and caring environment, with significant room for independent decision-making. We believe that there is no substitute for experience, as long as good supervision is available.

Training Tracks

The UCLA-Olive View internal medicine program has two tracks (preliminary and categorical interns have similar schedules and requirements):

Categorical: internal medicine three-year training program
Preliminary: internal medicine one-year training program

The categorical program is

designed to suit the needs of physicians who want to practice either general internal medicine (primary care or hospitalist practice), or who want to pursue subspecialty training in highly competitive programs. It is our program’s philosophy that training of both specialists and general internists is very important, and that all housestaff who graduate from our program should be competent to enter private practice, HMO, group practice, academic medicine, or subspecialty training. Over the past 10 years, the UCLA-Olive View Program has sent approximately two-thirds of our graduates into subspecialty training (such as Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Pulmonary/Critical Care, Hematology/Oncology, Nephrology, Infectious Diseases, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Palliative Care and HIV/International health) and the other third into general internal medicine. It should be noted that many of those trainees who elect to go into general internal medicine have been selected to be either a chief resident, a GIM fellow at sites throughout the UCLA system or work in academic medicine. Throughout the three years, elective months are available to insure the flexibility necessary to create an individualized program; this can be aimed toward more general internal medicine/primary care or more subspecialty oriented internal medicine training.

In addition to an outstanding training in inpatient medicine, the program is specifically designed to provide strong outpatient medicine skills. Residents will spend at least 8 months in our Ambulatory Medicine and Urgent Care rotations throughout the 3 years of training. This outpatient clinic model includes experiences in treating general medicine patients assigned to a resident panel, as well as exposures to medicine sub-specialties. In addition, our unique ambulatory medicine rotation includes non-internal medicine subspecialty clinics such as dermatology, derm biopsy, neurology, women's health, podiatry, urgent care, and more. A weekly “Profession of Medicine” seminar series is also incorporated into the ambulatory medicine rotation for interns. There are specific "hands-on" procedural seminars on central lines, thoracenteses, arthrocenteses and soft tissue injections. Other topics include teaching and feedback, complementary and alternative medicine, palliative care & pain control and performance improvement.

The preliminary program is for

interns who are seeking a solid foundation in internal medicine prior to entering a different specialty. Interns in this track receive a broad exposure to all major areas of adult illness, and by the end of internship are competent to manage patient care issues on their own. It is designed to meet the needs of interns going into anesthesiology, radiology, radiation oncology, emergency medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, dermatology, and ophthalmology. At the end of the year, all interns who have completed this training are competent to continue on in internal medicine, if that is their desire.

Other Features of Note

As a part of the UCLA consortium of academic medical centers, our residents are responsible for teaching third and fourth year medical students. Third year UCLA medical students have rated the inpatient medicine ward clerkship at Olive View #1 overall among the seven UCLA affiliated hospitals for 8 of the past 9 years. We have a strong commitment to providing an outstanding experience for medical students, and therefore we evaluate our applicants for a genuine interest in teaching.

The UCLA-Olive View Program has an active Professional mentoring program. Housestaff are assigned a faculty member to assist in career planning and provide any advice or extra help the housestaff may need. Housestaff also meet with the Program Director or Associate Program Director on a regular basis to review performance and discuss strategies for improving the educational experience.

A Kennamer Fellowship in General Internal Medicine is available for fourth year medical residents who wish to broaden their knowledge and skills in general medicine. The Kennamer Fellow acts as a junior faculty attending and gains added experience in selected medical and non-medical specialties. A research project may be carried out and course work at UCLA is provided in selected topics related to general internal medicine.

Location & Housing

The San Fernando Valley is in the northern portion of Los Angeles County with a current population of over two million. It is nestled in the foothills of the Valley, and is against traffic from almost anywhere in the city (a real advantage in Los Angeles!). It is close to the vast resources of the city, including the Music Center, Rose Bowl, the Forum, Staples Center, USC & UCLA sporting events, museums, the beaches and surrounding mountains, and the numerous facilities available at UCLA.

The climate is warm and dry and allows for year round outdoor activities. The immediately surrounding areas are pleasant middle class communities. Housing for rent or purchase is available close to the hospital at much lower cost than on the west side of Los Angeles. However, many of our housestaff and faculty also live in the West Los Angeles area, and/or the Pasadena/Glendale areas, and commute to work (a short drive against traffic on the freeway). As a UCLA housestaff, our residents are entitled to participate in all educational and cultural activities at UCLA. In addition, housestaff are eligible for UCLA student housing which can provide substantial savings.

Benefits

Effective July 1, 2011 housestaff stipends are:

PGY 1 - $49,291/annually ($4,108/month)
PGY 2 - $51,062/annually ($4,255/month)
PGY 3 - $53,071/annually ($4,423/month)
PGY 4 - $55,208/annually ($4,601/month)
PGY 5 - $57,635/annually ($4,803/month)

Residents receive four weeks of paid vacation per academic year. Excellent medical, vision, and dental insurance are provided through UCLA. Maternity, paternity, and sick leave are also provided.

Application Information

We only accept applications through the ERAS system, and we will accept applications through December 31. However, if you wait until that date, most if not all of the interview spots will be full. If at all possible, your application should be in by November 1.
We require a Dean�s letter, a Chair letter from the Department of Medicine, and two other letters of recommendation. For your own benefit, no more than one letter should be from a research rotation.
Interviews are by invitation only. Letters of invitation are not sent out until after we receive the Dean�s Letter and at least two of your letters of recommendation. Don�t expect to hear from us until about early November, providing your application is complete. We do have set, formal interview dates with a limit on the number of applicants seen each day. The spots will be filled on a first come-first served basis. However, we do understand the pressures of the interview season, and will do our best to accommodate your schedule.

IT at OVMC

Check out this approximately 12 minute video to get a tour of some of our information technology at UCLA-OVMC. Produced by the Department of Medical Education Technology.