New Rural Medicine Elective Rotation in Critical Access Hospital

UCI Department of Emergency Medicine is pleased to offer a rotation opportunity for residents from programs nationwide who are interested in rural medicine, critical access hospitals and wilderness medicine. 

Catalina Island Medical Center is a rural, critical access, freestanding emergency department, on an island with 4,500 residents and in excess of a million tourists annually. Catalina provides a unique opportunity for providers to deal with small rural town illness. In addition, we have the opportunity to evaluate and treat: 

• Blunt and penetrating trauma by bison
• A plethora of hiking injuries
• Golf cart accidents
• Snake bites
• Marine-related injuries
• Diving illness
• Heat stroke 

We also offer stroke telemedicine to our community. 

Mentoring will be one-to-one, as there is only one attending at a time. While our doctors are emergency medicine trained and board certified, we also encourage residents from other specialties to apply. 

The rotation covers housing and food at the hospital. All other expenses must be covered by your home residency program. 

Rural Medicine Elective Details

Duration: 

Two weeks

Location: 

Catalina Island Health 

Course Description: 

Residents will work at the emergency department on Catalina Island, which serves as a critical access hospital for residents and thousands of tourists. Depending on their elective hours needs, residents will complete three or four ten—to twelve-hour on-call shifts per week. 

Program Goals:

During this elective, residents will: 

• Gain practical experience in emergency medicine by working at the critical access limited emergency department on Catalina Island, serving both island residents and tourists.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to provide timely and efficient care for patients presenting with diverse medical emergencies in the unique setting of Catalina Island.
• Enhance skills in triage, stabilization, and management of patients in a remote setting, fostering adaptability and resourcefulness in delivering high-quality care with limited resources.

Eligibility, Application and Documentation Requirements

Eligibility: 

The elective is open to residents of any specialty in PGY-1 through PGY-4. 

How to Apply: 

Applicants must send a CV and letter of intent with a short bio to Isabel M. Algaze Gonzalez, MD, at ialgazeg@uci.edu.

Required Documentation: 

Prior to the elective rotation, a signed PLA (program letter of agreement) is required. UCI also requires visiting practitioners to have active personal medical insurance and malpractice insurance that will cover them during the rotation.