In performing these duties, particularly during the first few months of the year, the night float resident provides an invaluable service as both mentor and guide to those just embarking on their residency experience. When a patient has no other physician, the admitting resident serves as his or her family doctor throughout the patient s hospitalization. Residents on the adult medicine service also follow patients admitted to the 10-bed intensive care unit and participate in the care of patients who are admitted by private family doctors and internists from the community. Because of these arrangements, patients with a wide range of medical problems are seen. The adult medicine team meets daily for Morning Report to discuss the previous night s admissions and to have selected didactic sessions on topics of interest.
Faculty are available every day to assist residents with patient care.
Internal medicine attendings do consultations with residents on appropriate patients. The program emphasizes a family-centered approach to childbirth. Sutter Medical Center has on average 130 deliveries each month and the residents perform about half of these. In addition to deliveries done while on the obstetrics service, residents follow obstetrical patients in their own family practices, handling all of the prenatal care and managing the labor and deliveries. Residents also spend time in various outpatient settings providing prenatal care with community physicians and midwives.