HCA Healthcare Riverside Program

Emergency Medicine Analyst Verified · Aug 31, 2026

HCA Healthcare Riverside Program

HCA Healthcare Riverside Program is a residency program specializing in Emergency Medicine, located in Riverside, California, directed by Daniel K. Ng, MD and coordinated by Kristina Ornelas. The program accepts applications through December 31, 2026. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at [email protected] or (951) 788-3536. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

Riverside Community Hospital's EM residency is a hybrid academic-community program embedded in a 542-bed Level 1 trauma center, comprehensive stroke center, and STEMI receiving hospital that sees over 100,000 patients (20,000 pediatric) annually as the highest-volume ambulance-receiving hospital in Riverside County, giving residents an unusually high patient-to-resident ratio and procedural volume from day one. Faculty hold UC Riverside School of Medicine appointments and the program hosts 450+ medical student rotations yearly, reflecting an academic teaching identity layered onto a high-acuity, safety-net clinical mission serving the underserved Inland Empire. Career preparation leans toward broad community and academic EM practice through the HCA/Vituity hospital network, with structured fellowship pathways available (ultrasound, critical care, EMS, hospice/palliative), a dedicated EM ultrasound curriculum and in-house fellowship, and multi-site pediatric EM exposure (Loma Linda, CHOC, RUHS). The program explicitly foregrounds resident wellness (ACEP Wellness Center of Excellence Award, automatic opt-in therapy, wellness research lab) alongside autonomy and high-volume real-world training, signaling a value on resilience and hands-on clinical readiness over academic research output.

Who it fits

An applicant whose ERAS narrative centers on thriving in high-volume, resource-variable, underserved emergency settings and building broad procedural competence and clinical independence rather than pursuing an academic research trajectory.

Research intensity

Moderate - scholarly activity is supported through HCA's national research infrastructure and encouraged, but the program's identity centers on clinical volume and wellness rather than research output.

Career orientation

Mixed - Community Practice, Fellowship

Important

The program notes a mission orientation toward serving the medically underserved Inland Empire patient population, and offers a JEDI Scholarship for away rotators who submit a letter of intent demonstrating past and future commitment to advocacy, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

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