WHO:
The medical students who represent the third cohort of the UC Davis - UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME) will begin their clinical training next week in a program designed to bring more highly-trained physicians to serve diverse communities in the San Joaquin Valley.
WHAT:
Photo opportunities will be available of students training in the clinical skills simulation lab. SJV PRIME students and faculty also will be available for interviews.
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 28
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Photo/video opportunities 12:30 – 1 p.m. Interviews
WHERE:
UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research 155 N. Fresno St., Fresno
Media: Please call (559) 313-6539 to confirm attendance. Please report to the front desk at the UCSF Fresno Center at 11:30 a.m. Parking is available in Lot 10 at the corner of Illinois and Fresno streets.
BACKGROUND:
In September 2010, UC Merced announced a partnership with the UC Davis School of Medicine and UC San Francisco’s clinical campus in Fresno (UCSF Fresno) to establish a medical education program for students interested in practicing in the San Joaquin Valley and working with underserved populations. The inaugural group of students began their classes at UC Davis School of Medicine in August 2011 as part of the UC Davis - UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME).
The initial class of SJV PRIME students completed the first two years of medical school at UC Davis’ Sacramento campus and the third and fourth years of clinical training at UCSF Fresno and in 3rd class of PRIME students start clinical training at UCSF Fresno –
Sacramento. All matched with residency programs in March and will graduate from the program with medical degrees from the UC Davis School of Medicine in May.
The second SJV PRIME cohort is entering its fourth year of clinical training and the third cohort will arrive next week to take part in orientation at UCSF Fresno prior to starting their first year of clinical training in the San Joaquin Valley. The orientation includes: meetings with program directors, learning how to use electronic medical records software, tours of clinical sites, team building exercises, lectures and clinical training in the simulation lab.
The third cohort includes students originally from Turlock, Tracy, Fresno, Atwater, Madera and Merced.
A fourth cohort was admitted to SJV PRIME for the 2014-2015 academic year. The admissions process is taking place now for the 2015-2016 academic year. All of the students will be graduates of the UC Davis School of Medicine.
To be considered for admission to SJV PRIME, applicants must meet the UC Davis School of Medicine admissions requirements. Applicants also must possess significant knowledge of the San Joaquin Valley, including a familiarity with underserved populations, public health issues pertinent to the region and a desire to practice medicine in the San Joaquin Valley.
The dire need for physicians in the San Joaquin Valley is well documented and will only intensify given the high rate of population growth in the region. The Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, recommends 60 to 80 primary care physicians and 85 to 105 specialists per 100,000 people. In 2008, the San Joaquin Valley had just 45 active primary care physicians and 74 specialists per 100,000 people, according to the COGME’s workforce assessments.
San Joaquin Valley PRIME is the sixth and latest addition to the University of California’s multi- campus PRIME initiative since UC launched the programs in 2004 to address physician-workforce shortages statewide. UC medical schools at Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco also have Programs in Medical Education, each of which provides innovative medical education that focuses on meeting the healthcare needs of California’s medically underserved populations.
UCSF is the nation's leading university exclusively focused on health. Now celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding as a medical college, UCSF is dedicated to transforming health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with world-renowned programs in the biological sciences, a preeminent biomedical research enterprise and top-tier hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. Please visit www.ucsf.edu.
UCSF Fresno, established in 1975 and now celebrating its 40th anniversary, plays a vital role in providing healthcare services to residents of the San Joaquin Valley, training medical professionals in the region, conducting research that addresses regional health issues and academically preparing a pipeline of students for careers in health and medicine. Please visit www.fresno.ucsf.edu
