Kaiser Permanente Washington Program

This is a small, unopposed program in the Seattle area that truly supports its residents in becoming excellent clinicians as well as providing a supportive environment for resident well-being. There is an annual resident retreat and a well-being program. The faculty are passionate and enthusiastic. You will not feel lost and alone here. It is like a small family and very supportive if you are struggling. This program focuses on training for outpatient medicine. You are given a panel of patients from Day 1 and care for them over the 3 years of training. Compensation is adequate / standard for the region and the benefits are excellent. You get the same health-plan and PTO allowance as the attendings (and you are encouraged to actually use your PTO). Many graduates choose to stay within the KP system after graduation, but the residency has a great reputation in the region should you choose to leave for another medical group. The inpatient training is fine, but it is mostly there so that one can better understand the hospital service. If you actually want to work in a hospital, this is not the place for you. Obstetric training is excellent. If you want to practice FM-OB, this is a good option. You would need additional training if you wanted C-section privileges but you'd be good for low-risk OB. Overall, I loved my time here. Residency is hard anywhere because being a new doctor is hard. But I think this is about as good as it can get if you still want to feel like a human at the end of your training.