Natividad Medical Center

Overview

Natividad Medical Center offers a one-year Fellowship in Obstetrics, available to graduates of Family Medicine Residency programs. With over 2,800 deliveries each year, including approximately 800 Cesarean sections, Natividad can provide the Obstetrical Fellows advanced obstetrical operative training, alongside an unopposed Family Medicine Residency program.  Offering an ideal location and climate, our Residency is located on the Central Coast of California, within a short commuting distance to the San Francisco Bay area.

Mission

Our mission is to expand the availability of highly-skilled obstetrical services to rural communities by training qualified Family Medicine physicians in full-spectrum obstetrics, including vaginal operative deliveries and Cesarean sections.

Goals & Objectives

Our goals for the Obstetrical Fellows are to:

• Develop a competency in all aspects of antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum care.
• Develop advanced competency in operative obstetrics, including: Cesarean sections, operative vaginal deliveries, tubal ligations, 3rd and 4th degree laceration repairs, and dilation and curettages.
• Perform, and/or interpret, non-stress tests, obstetrical ultrasounds, and biophysical profiles.
• Learn the foundational aspects of quality and safety on Labor and Delivery.
• Develop and maintain competency in teaching obstetrics to Family Practice residents and medical students.rofiles.
• Learn the foundational aspects of quality and safety on Labor and Delivery.

Methods

The Obstetrical Fellows will meet their goals under the direction of both Natividad’s OB/GYN department physicians and the Family Medicine faculty.  

 The Fellows will be responsible for the following:

• Provide initial consultation and ongoing prenatal care in the outpatient clinical setting
• Admit and manage patients on the Antepartum service and on Labor and Delivery
• Provide ongoing management to laboring patients, where their clinical assessment skills will be developed under   faculty mentorship  
• Involved in normal and operative vaginal deliveries as well as Cesarean sections  
• Assist in gynecologic surgeries in order to further develop their surgical skills and understanding of anatomy.

In order to maintain their Family Medicine skills, the Fellows will spend one and a half day per week in a Family Medicine clinic.

The Fellows will participate in didactic teaching of the fundamentals of obstetrics to our PGY-1 and PGY-2 FM residents and medical students.  In addition, the Fellows will present one Grand Rounds lecture during the Fellowship year.

Schedule

• Twelve-month program (July thru June)
• Weekly schedule:  Family Medicine Clinic and two days divided amongst Labor & Delivery coverage, clinic staffing and call..

Eligibility and Application Process

To be eligible for our Obstetric Fellowship, one must have a California medical license, be a graduate of a Family Medicine Residency program, and be eligible for Board Certification in Family Medicine.  We require a current CV, medical school transcripts, copies of USMLE scores, and three Letters of Recommendation from the following:  Residency program director, another attending physician from one’s program, and the clinical nurse manager of the Labor and Delivery unit.  In addition, applicants will need to submit a one-page statement on why they would like to pursue this Fellowship.

Materials should be sent to:

Caleb Liem, MD
Program Director, Family Medicine Obstetrical Fellowship
Natividad Medical Center
1441 Constitution Blvd - Bldg 300
Salinas, CA 93906

For more information, contact Dr. Liem at (831) 755-4196
or LiemC@natividad.com