Outpatient Rotations

Behavioral Science/Psychiatry

Our exceptional behavioral science training is longitudinal and involves ongoing incorporation of behavioral medicine into the daily clinical education in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Residents work closely with Dr. Gibson, our dual board certified family medicine and psychiatry core faculty , on physician patient communication, health behavior change, understanding and working with psychosocial aspects of medical illnesses, assessing and treating psychiatric disorders and counseling skills. We believe that knowledge and skills in the behavioral sciences are critical to providing effective care in family practice and regard our training in these areas as a particular strength of the Residency Program.

Cardiology

First year residents spend two weeks with a Mercy-affiliated cardiologist at Mercy General Hospital and in the office. Mercy's cardiology program has been well recognized as one of the best in California.

Dermatology

Residents spend two weeks working directly with community dermatologists. Here residents gain experience in the management of common dermatological problems and minor dermatological surgical procedures.

Electives

Four months of elective time (including a one-month selective) is included in the curriculum. This time is used to gain additional experience in any particular area that a resident has interest. Residents can spend two 2-week blocks of the elective time outside the Sacramento community. International electives are encouraged. In the past, residents have traveled to the Azores, mainland China, India, Africa, Israel, Pakistan and Honduras.

International Health Curriculum

One month of elective time, in both second/third year rotations, may be taken out of the area with no Family Practice Clinic obligation. Out-of-town and out-of-country electives are allowed and encouraged. Two weeks are allowed for out-of-country electives in R2 and R3 and may be combined with two weeks vacation to make a month away. Residents have done electives in such diverse locations as Honduras, Peru, Kenya, Uganda, Himalayas, Tanzania, India etc.

ENT

First year residents spend two weeks with local otolaryngolgists learning about common ENT problems that a family physician will come across over a lifetime in practice.

Family Practice Clinic Block

Second/Third year residents each spend a full month in the family practice clinic during this rotation at the Mercy Family Health Center. This experience is in addition to time spent in the regular continuity clinic at the Mercy Family Health Center. The month consists of urgent care (same day) clinics and specialty clinics such as procedure, sports medicine, GYN, psychiatry consult, human trafficking and perinatal clinics. In addition, this resident is in charge of triaging all incoming labs and pharmacy requests.

Gynecology

During this rotation, third year residents spend four weeks working in a busy safety net community gynecologist office and hospital. Residents have primary responsibility of the patient and gain hands-on experience managing a variety of gynecological conditions in both the outpatient setting and the hospital OR and wards. Colposcopy, endometrial biopsies and IUD placement are just a few of the procedures a resident will perform during this rotation.

Ophthalmology

First year residents spend two weeks working with several board-certified ophthalmologists, in their offices, gaining knowledge in a variety of conditions that a family physician will see in their own practice.

Orthopedics

First year residents spend four weeks working with local orthopedic surgeons, in their office and in the hospital. Residents also become skilled at casting and splinting, setting simple fractures, and managing strains and sprains.

Pediatrics

First and Second year residents each spend a month in several busy private pediatricians' offices, as well as community clinics where residents typically see 10-12 patients per half-day. At these sites, family physicians and pediatricians are available for questions and teaching opportunities.

Practice Management

Residents participaste in a longitudinal didactic curriculum, covering a broad range of current practice management material. 

Primary Care/Outpatient Medicine

While your primary clinic will be the Mercy Family Health Center, the Primary Care/Outpatient Medicine rotation is designed to give residents an immersive experience in a variety of Primary Care practice settings to gain better insight into future career paths and acquire additional skills to allow you to better serve your patients. 

These practice sites are unique and serve a diverse group of patients, both culturally and socioeconomically: you will experience a “day in the life” as an MMG FM Attending physician (working with your own patient panel and coordinating care with in-house pharmacists and dieticians), see a variety of acute care issues at the MMG Express Care Clinic, envision a life at private practice at Health Living, and explore the world of independent physician associations at Riverbend Medical Associates. Many of the attendings at all of these sites are former residents of the program and serve as a wealth of information as you consider your future career! 

Radiology (Diagnostic Imaging)

First year residents have two weeks where they spend time one-on-one with a radiologist at Methodist Hospital. Here they review daily X-rays, CT scans, sonograms and more. A teaching file is available for additional experience.

Sports Medicine

Residents spend a 4-week block in sports medicine clinics with three sports medicine, fellowship trained community physicians (FM and Orthopedics). All residents provide sports physicals for team athletics at local schools.