Kern Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Kern Medical is a public, safety-net teaching hospital in Bakersfield with over seven decades of continuous OB-GYN training, affiliated academically with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and matching four PGY-1 residents per year. The four-year curriculum builds from foundational vaginal deliveries and basic gynecologic surgery toward complicated obstetrics, gynecologic oncology exposure, urogynecology, minimally invasive surgery, and REI, with residents rotating through Kern Medical plus community affiliates (Mercy, Adventist, Mission Hospital) for broader gynecologic case volume. Research is a defined but not central component, culminating in a third-year project presented at a year-end forum rather than a publication-driven track. The program's resident roster—heavily composed of osteopathic graduates and Caribbean-trained MDs—alongside its emphasis on wellness structures (retreats, wellness days, ACOG week events) and collegial culture suggests a program that values resilience, teamwork, and hands-on clinical growth over pedigree or research output.