INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY

CATEGORICAL GRADUATES

As an almost entirely hands-on learner, I wanted to be trained at a place that provided high volume and high complexity, with a strong balance of autonomy and supervision. In my 3 years at SCVMC, I could not have asked for a more educational experience. The patient diversity, the tremendous variety in disease and acuity (ICU being my favorite), working closely with passionate, driven hospitalists and experts in almost every field, were opportunities that have been monumental in my development as a physician. I graduated feeling very confident about my skills and abilities as an Internist.  With that being said, my true passion has been in Primary Care and working with the underserved. The Social Medicine ILP was a fantastic experience. I had the opportunity to FEEL what is was like to help people living on the margins. I had the opportunity to explore severe mental illness, addiction and the incredible complexity of needs that define chronic homelessness.  I worked alongside an impressive network of people committed to caring for the most vulnerable people in the community and developing solutions to end homelessness.  I was very fortunate to be mentored by a team that was brilliantly enthusiastic which has fueled my drive to continue working with this population.

Todd Fong
VCU School of Medicine
SCVMC class of 2016
VHHP Primary Care

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One of the best measures of quality I've encountered in my career is the feedback I get from seasoned physicians.  There have been numerous occasions when either my boss or a patient relays the praise given to me from a sub-specialist whom I highly regard and respect.  The attendings at VMC are truly a breed unto their own.  Their dedication, passion, and energy for medical education has no equal.  The rigors and case diversity at VMC has undoubtedly given me a solid foundation to build my medical knowledge for my career.  Being in the community hospital setting, I work alongside hospitalists trained from around the nation and still PCPs and Sub-specialists ask for me by name to manage their patients in the hospital.

David Reinert
West Virginia University School of Medicine
SCVMC Class of 2016
PAMF Hospitalist

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After training at the Valley, I stayed on as a PCP with our homeless medicine program, VHHP. I am extremely satisfied and happy with my job, and I have Valley to thank for this. The training program allowed me to dive deeper into Social and Global Medicine so that I could explore and expand my passion for serving the poor and the marginalized. The opportunities to work at homeless clinics or to travel to Rwanda with the support and guidance from the program were valuable. I am grateful and appreciative of that. The opportunities as well as the training gave me the skills and passion that I wanted. Now I am happy at VHHP, where I am able to be creative, innovative and compassionate for our patients.

An Vo
Howard University College of Medicine
SCVMC class of 2017
VHHP Primary care

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Training at Valley has made me the best doctor I can become. In serving this often underserved patient population, residents are pushed to not only become better clinicians, but also better patient advocates and humanitarians. As a resident-driven program, we shoulder much of the responsibilities of our patients' care - and in the medicine program, we are on the front lines in the ICU and on the medical wards. Graduating from this program, I am leaving so much more confident than I could have ever imagined myself being at the start of this long road of medical training - and if I were to do it all over again, I would always choose Valley. 

Kellie Young
UCSF
SCVMC class of 2018
Gastroenterology Fellowship, OHSU

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PRELIMINARY INTERN GRADUATES

 

My preliminary year at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center was an amazing year and I could not have asked for a better experience! The diversity of the patient population and disease pathology as well as in depth exposure to the rotations left me feeling comfortable that I had learned as much as I could in that year. Additionally, the support from the senior residents and the attendings were incomparable. Intern and resident teaching were always a top priority with both morning and lunchtime didactics as well as afternoon teaching. There was never a moment that I did not feel the support and appreciation from the VMC family - attendings and chief residents were constantly available for any questions and actively sought out moments to discuss teaching points. Lastly, the sense of camaraderie amongst the interns, residents, and attendings was simply unmatched both in and out of the hospital - from bringing homemade cookies and pastries to morning rounds, to celebrating Pancake Fridays in the cafeteria after pre-rounding, and with all of the nighttime dinners, BBQs, and socials, I truly felt like I was part of a family.

Laura Huang
University of Miami
SCVMC Class of 2016
Stanford Ophthalmology 

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SCVMC was an easy choice for me. It was the people who drew me in from the start. First, the community of medical providers stand out in their compassion and commitment to caring for an underserved population. I came away from my intern year with genuine role models among my attendings and lifelong friends among my peers (including my future husband!). Second, the patients at SCVMC truly set it apart. You will never find a more grateful or diverse patient population who forms the core of a singular educational experience while lending incredible meaning to your work. I would choose SCVMC every time.

Grace Kim
Harvard Medical School
SVMC Preliminary class of 2016
Stanford Dermatology

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I can't imagine a better place to get a year of preliminary training in internal medicine than SCVMC. At Valley, you see a tremendous diversity of illness -- both horses and zebras -- and I've come out of the preliminary program feeling very prepared for advanced training in neurology. Working at SCVMC has also renewed my passion for social medicine and advocacy: we serve some of the sickest and poorest folks in Santa Clara County (which has both one of the highest median incomes & highest poverty/homelessness rates in the US!) and the opportunity to deliver care in a safety net setting is both humbling and inspiring. Plus, it's a fun program! Attendings and co-residents are all interested in creating a great community and educational environment.

Nuriel Moghavem 
Stanford
SCVMC Preliminary class of 2018
Stanford Neurology

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Being a preliminary medicine intern at SCVMC exposed me to a breadth and depth of medicine that prepared me for my advanced training in anesthesiology, a field where understanding the pathology and management of your patients' comorbidities is crucial in caring for them through their perioperative course. At its core, SCVMC is a special place. It's truly a privilege to be able to treat underserved patients (you're often the first doctor these patients meet!); this duty creates a unique bond and sense of community amongst hospital staff and across specialties. I've made lifelong friends through the program. It definitely exceeded my expectations. 

Lynn Ngai
USC
SCVMC Preliminary class of 2016
Stanford Anesthesiology

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Valley is a special place to train. There are so many things that drew me to this program. The clinical training, thanks to the diversity of patients and fact that it is a true safety net and county system, means residents learn to manage and triage sick patients with a wide range of pathology, exposure you would not get at other programs. In addition, the program leaders and attendings are passionate teachers, patient advocates, and role models. Most importantly, my co-residents were fun to work with and there really is a team approach; you are never on your own. I have such fond memories of my days on wards at Valley, and look back on my preliminary year as a special time where I learned to be a doctor and had fun while doing it. This program trained me well, with a broad knowledge base not just about medicine, but about the doctoring and humanistic side of medicine, which I will be forever grateful for. 

Katie Ransohoff 
Stanford
SCVMC Preliminary class of 2017
Stanford Dermatology