Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Will I have autonomy in the care of my patients?

As the resident physician taking care of your patients at the St. Joseph’s Medical Center, you will be their doctor. The attending faculty serve as your supervisors and advisors as you care for your own patients.

Does your Program adhere to residency work hour limits?

Our program strictly adheres to the ACGME residency work hour limits to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four week period, both because it’s required and because we believe it’s best for the wellbeing of our residents and their patients. Because of our night float system, many of our rotations have little or no call responsibility.

How much didactic time is there? Are residents protected from other duties during their dedicated educational time?

Our residents have a robust didactic curriculum with protected educational time on an All Day Thursday from 8 am to 3 pm to enhance our residents' learning. Our residents are excused from their other clinical duties to attend and which showcases Didactic and interactive sessions are taught by our Family Medicine faculty, residents and by visiting subspecialists. Journal clubs and morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences occur monthly. Residents are not scheduled for work responsibilities during these educational sessions and are expected to attend unless, need to attend an urgent patient care, vacation or sick.

What sort of elective opportunities will I have?

Electives allow residents the opportunity to tailor their educational training to fulfill their individual career plans. Available electives include Anesthesia, Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Hematology/ Oncology, Ambulatory Clinic, Neurology, Obstetrics, Orthopaedics, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Pain Management, POCUS, Pulmonology, Urology, Radiology, Rural Medicine, Sports Medicine, Sleep Medicine.

Does your Transitional Year Residency Program accept IMGs?

Our program accepts IMGs and several of our residents are IMGs.

Does your Transitional Year Residency Program accept DOs?

Our program accepts DOs and several of our residents are DOs. We are affiliated with Touro University and their medical students rotate at St. Joseph Medical Center as it serves as one of their training sites.

What Electronic Medical Record is used at St. Joseph’s Medical Center?

Our St. Joseph’s Medical Center currently utilized Cerner as its Electronic Medical Record and there are no plans to transition to a different EMR in the near future.

What fun things are there to do in and around Stockton?

Stockton is a city on the San Joaquin River, in California’s Central Valley. It is the largest city in San Joaquin county, the 11th largest city in California and the 58th largest city in the United States. Stockton is 3 hours away from Lake Tahoe, 45 minutes away from Sacramento and 1.5 hours away from San Francisco. The Haggin Museum features fine art and local history displays. Oak Grove Regional Park has trails, a nature center and a lake stocked with catfish. In nearby Lodi, Micke Grove Regional Park includes a Japanese garden, the San Joaquin County Historical Museum and Micke Grove Zoo. The Children’s Museum of Stockton offers hands-on exhibits. Stockton hosts many annual festivals celebrating the cultural heritage of the city. Take a look at some of the top-rated ’Things to Do’ in Stockton, California according to TripAdvisor. https://www.visitstockton.org/blog/things-to-do-in-stockton-california-according-to-tripadvisor

Does your Program sponsor visas?

Our program does not directly sponsor J-1 or H1 visas but we do accept ECFMG sponsored J-1 Visas. Noncitizens will be asked to provide a copy of a document that establishes employment authorization by the date of their interview. A list of acceptable documents can be found at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.

What is your Unmatched Resident Rate?

We graduated three classes so far with all our unmatched residents being able to match. With three classes 100%.

What hotels can I stay at?

If you are planning to travel to Stockton to explore the area or for the interview social event, we suggest flying into Sacramento airport (one hour North) or San Jose or Oakland Airport (one and a half to two hours West). San Francisco Airport is also a possibility, but you will encounter more traffic.

The public transportation options from the airports are limited so we suggest that you rent a car. We do not reimburse for any travel arrangements. We suggest the following hotels for overnight accommodations:

LOCATED OFF I-5 FREEWAY, ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH

• Courtyard Marriott: 3252 West March Lane, Stockton, California 95219 | (209) 472-9700
• Hilton: 2323 Grand Canal Blvd, Stockton, CA 95207 | (209) 957-9090
• University Plaza Waterfront Hotel: 110 W. Fremont St., Stockton, CA 95202 | (209) 944-1140