Natividad Obstetrical Fellowship Program
Overview
Natividad offers a one-year Fellowship in Obstetrics, available to graduates of Family Medicine Residency programs in the United States. With over 2,500 deliveries each year, including approximately 675 Cesarean sections, Natividad can provide advanced obstetrical operative training to Obstetrical Fellows, alongside an unopposed Family Medicine Residency program. Each of our fellows average 150 Cesarean sections per year. We currently support four obstetrical fellowship positions.
Offering an ideal location and climate on the Central Coast of California, Natividad is within a short commuting distance to Carmel, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Santa Cruz and 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 competency in all aspects of antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum care
- Develop advanced competency in operative obstetrics, including: C- sections, operative vaginal deliveries, tubal ligations, third and fourth 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 in Labor & Delivery
- Develop and maintain competency in teaching obstetrics to Family Practice residents and medical students
Methods
Obstetrical fellows will meet their goals under the direction of both Natividad’s OB/GYN department physicians and the Family Medicine faculty.
The OB fellows will be responsible for the following:
- Provide initial consultation and ongoing prenatal care in the outpatient clinical setting with OB/GYN attendings
- Admit and manage patients on the Antepartum service, Labor & Delivery and the Emergency Department
- Provide ongoing management to laboring patients
- Perform normal and operative vaginal deliveries, including C-sections
- Assist in gynecologic surgeries
- Provide care in a Family Medicine clinic on day per week
The OB fellows will participate in didactic teaching of the fundamentals of obstetrics to our PGY-1 and PGY-2 FM residents and medical students. Fellows will also have their monthly didactic sessions taught by the OB/GYN faculty, covering high-risk obstetrical issues. In addition, a hands-on formal ultrasound course will be coordinated. Furthermore, OB fellows will present one Grand Rounds lecture during the fellowship year.
Schedule
- 12-month program
- Average weekly schedule includes one day in a Family Medicine Clinic
- Monthly OB/GYN outpatient clinic with OB attendings
- Two to three 12-hr L&D calls, and an occasional 24-hr call
- Goal is for one golden weekend per month
Eligibility and Application Process
To be eligible for our Fellowship in Obstetrics, one must have or be eligible to receive a California medical license, graduate from a Family Medicine Residency program in the United States, and be eligible for Board Certification in Family Medicine. We do not accept J-1 Visa’s.
Requirements to apply
- At the time of graduation, applicants must have personally performed 75 vaginal deliveries
- Experience as a primary surgeon in C-sections is strongly encouraged but not required
- It is recommended that the fellow complete training in Neonatal Resuscitation Protocol (NRP) and Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) prior to starting the fellowship
- Spanish is highly recommended but not required
Application
- Procedure list, which includes – (please tally your numbers)
- Number of vaginal deliveries
- Number of operative deliveries
- Number of C-sections performed as primary surgeon
- Number of C-sections performed as first or second assist
- Curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation (please do not send more than two letters total) from the following:
- Residency program director
- One attending physician who has worked closely with you in an obstetrical setting
- One page personal statement on why you would like to pursue a Fellowship in Obstetrics
- Once accepted, standard credentialing requirements, including medical school transcripts, current DEA, diplomas, etc. will be needed
Deadlines
Applications are accepted from May 31 until July 31. We usually begin our interview process for the following year’s fellowship in late August.
Send materials via email to:
Soraya Esteva, MD, FACOG
Program Director, Family Medicine Fellowship in Obstetrics
estevasg@natividad.com
Our physical address is:
Natividad
1441 Constitution Blvd – Bldg 400
Salinas, CA 93906
Tel: (831) 755-4196
For more information, contact Dr. Esteva by email at estevasg@natividad.com
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HEAL Initiative Global Health Fellowship
UCSF’s HEAL (Health, Equity, Action and Leadership) Fellowship aims to train health professionals partner with underserved communities both in the US and abroad.
There are two types of HEAL fellows: Rotating Fellows and Site Fellows. Over two years, our rotating fellows work at both Natividad and our international partner site, Companeros en Salud, in Chiapas, Mexico. Site fellows are health professionals selected by Natividad who engage with the local community over their two year fellowship. All three receive Global Health Training and participate in a cohort community of HEAL fellows across all sites who work and learn together.
For more information about the HEAL initiative, please visit: https://healinitiative.org
HEAL 2019-2021 Site Fellow: Veronica Aragon, RN
Veronica Aragon was born in Santa Ines Yatzeche, a small village in the valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico. She is tri-lingual: her native languages are Zapoteco and Spanish.
Veronica’s family settled in Pacific Grove, CA when she was two years old, and her two younger brothers and sister were born at Natividad. Her parents worked in the fields and currently work in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Living in poverty in Monterey County, her family faced many challenges, such as lack of access to healthcare and safe housing. Although Veronica grew up in “America”, her family continued to practice their traditional beliefs and customs, which kept them connected to home.
As is customary in her community of origin in Oaxaca, Veronica dropped out of high school and married at age 15. Prior to delivering her first child at the age of 17, and with encouragement from the doctors and nurses at her primary care clinic, Veronica obtained her GED at a local adult school. In 2000, she was hired as the first indigenous interpreter for the Monterey County Public Health Nursing division. She worked in Public Health Nursing for ten years as an interpreter, community service aide, and lactation counselor. She also has experience in home health and hospice, and currently serves the community at Natividad as a Registered Nurse in Perinatal Services. She also works at another local hospital in Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical and volunteers in her community. Veronica firmly believes that the caring attitudes, compassion, and most of all encouragement from the health professionals she encountered as a young mother made it possible for her to beat the odds stacked against people like herself and her community.
Veronica appreciates continued learning and teaching! She currently holds a BSN, PHN and is currently pursuing a Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management with goal of obtaining a doctorate and FNP degree.
Veronica currently lives in Pacific Grove with her husband Cirilo and youngest son Brandon, a new college student. Veronica and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle, spend time with family and friends, and especially enjoy visiting their oldest son Damean who is currently serving in the military.
The HEAL Fellowship is an ideal fit with Veronica’s passions for working with families and underserved communities and representing her indigenous community.
HEAL 2019-2021 Rotating Fellow: Ian McDaniels, MD
Ian McDaniels grew up in rural Vermont. He attended the University of Vermont for both college and medical school. During college, he studied biology and anthropology, and developed a passion for the pursuit of health equity. In medical school he implemented a project training Bhutanese refugees to be patient navigators and spent several months rotating at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. He pursued his training in Family Medicine at St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT, where he continued to care for refugee families as part of his training. He has broad interests within Family Medicine but is particularly interested in medical education, primary care and hospital medicine. In the future he hopes to become involved in Family Medicine residency program development in medically underserved areas. Outside of medicine he enjoys cycling, hiking, photography, and spending time with his wife and cats. He is tremendously excited about joining the team at Natividad Medical Center!
HEAL 2019-2021 Rotating Fellow: Reiko Sakai, MD
Reiko grew up in Vermont, and after high school she lived in Ecuador for a year as a Rotary International exchange student. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied Health and Societies, with a concentration in international health and a minor in Spanish. She attended medical school at the University of Vermont, where she explored her interests in pediatrics and global health, and partnered with a local nonprofit organization to develop an LGBTQ+ inclusive adolescent sexual health curriculum. During her pediatrics residency training at the University of Utah, Reiko felt most connected and engaged in her continuity clinic, which serves a primarily Hispanic/Latino patient population. She received a community health grant to address immigration-related toxic stress among Hispanic/Latino youth. Reiko is passionate about supporting the health of children from underserved communities, and promoting health equity. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and finding new music and podcasts.
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