Q: What should I do before the rotation?
A: Please fully explore this website. It will be very helpful in orienting you to our service and will be a reliable information resource for you. Most questions that you have are answered somewhere in this website. We recommend bookmarking this site.
Q: Where do I go on my first day?
A: This rotation takes place on the main Highland Hospital Campus which is located at 1411 East 14th Street Oakland, CA 94602. Your 'home base' for this rotation is the Dr. Ralph Bernstein and Dr. Taft Bhuket Endoscopy Workroom (HCP 5308) which is located in the Endoscopy Unit on the 5th floor of the Highland Care Pavilion. Entry to the Endoscopy Unit requires badge access which should be coordinated for you with the Department of Medicine Student Coordinator Mylene D'Cunha.
Q: Is there parking for students at Highland Hospital?
A: For visiting medical students, there is (unfortunately) no provided parking. Street parking is available in the neighborhood surrounding Highland Hospital. The easiest route to Highland Hospital by public transportation is to take BART or a bus to the Lake Merritt BART station, then transfer to the free Highland shuttle van which drops off/picks up at the front of the main hospital (adjacent to the Highland Care Pavilion). Look for the blue and white van with the "Alameda Health System" logo, looping through the BART parking lot at 8th Street and Oak Street every 12 minutes on weekdays, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
AC Transit Bus Route 62 stops at the entrance to Highland Hospital. AC Transit Bus Route 11 stops one block away on 14th Avenue at E. 31st Street. For schedule updates, call 511 and say 'Public Transportation' or visit 511.org.
Q: What should I read during this rotation?
A: For your core reading source, we strongly recommend that you use the GI module from the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) published by the American College of Physicians and the core articles noted in the Education Resources of this site. If you are going to pursue an internal medicine residency position, we highly recommend that you consider purchasing a copy of the MKSAP set. A copy of this is also available in our Chief Medical Resident's Office. For detailed subject matter, we recommend that you use the primary literature as your reference. And last, online sources such as UpToDate can also be used to supplement your knowledge.
Q: What if I get sick during the rotation or need an excused absence?
A: We certainly understand that people get sick and have needs for excused absences. If this is the case for you, please notify the faculty attending, the managing medicine resident, and your respective administrative coordinator (i.e medical student coordinator, residency coordinator, fellowship coordinator) using both email and a personal discussion (where possible). For students, please note that each respective medical student program has limits on excused/unexcused absences and we are required to report these. If you are planning to do residency interviewing during our rotation and will miss >20% of your rotating time with us, we STRONGLY suggest that you do not select our rotation. For each day missed, the trainee will need to complete one journal article summary assignment. Here are the guidelines for that.
Q: Who does the teaching?
A: The Division of Gastroenterology is staffed by five full-time and eleven part-time gastroenterologists. The great majority of teaching comes from the five full-time faculty, Drs. Benny Liu, Christina Chou, Jennifer Lai, Aaron Lee, and Ayesha Zahiruddin; however, on occasion, our part-time faculty will step in to support the teaching mission.
Q: Do I get weekends OFF on this rotation?
A: Yes. You get weekends and official holidays off on this rotation.
Q: Is there night call on this rotation?
A: No.
Q: Do you write letters of recommendation?
A: Yes, we do write letters of recommendation (LOR) for our trainees. LOR requests must be requested both in person and formally via email to the respective attending physician. In the email request, you should attach your CV, personal statement, board scores, the dates you rotated on our service, and a summary of your personal highlights during your rotation. We expect at least 6-8 weeks notice before the due date.
Q: Are there research opportunities?
A: Yes. Please note that we rigorously screen and evaluate all applicants to our research program. All applicants will need to schedule a personal meeting with one of the full time faculty. You will need to provide your CV, a statement of why you want to do GI related research, and a generalized outline of the time you are willing to commit to our program.
Q: Is there a dress code?
A: We expect that our trainees will dress professionally during their time with us. Dress during clinic days should be 'business professional'. Scrubs are acceptable on non-clinic days.
Q: What is the process by which the inpatient consult team makes referrals for interventional endoscopy procedures?
A: The Highland GI Service offers ERCP every Tuesday and Thursday PM. If an inpatient also needs EUS evaluation, the GI attending will reach out to AHS transfer center.