A Telemedicine and Experience-Based Educational Opportunity for
Residents, Medical Students, and Family Nurse Practitioner Students

The OffSiteCare Rural Telemedicine Elective provides a unique combination of direct medical experience and the latest technological innovation in extending high-quality care to rural facilities: robotic telemedicine. OffSiteCare, Inc. currently provides telemedicine services to six hospitals in Northern California. This innovative program is being offered through a partnership between OffSiteCare and its partners, Sutter Health Medical Center of Santa Rosa, Sonoma State University, and Santa Rosa Junior College.

By working at a small hospital, participants in the Rural Telemedicine Elective will have the chance to gain direct experience in the ER, the ICU, or the Medical Ward – wherever the area of maximum need presents itself. The program also provides a powerful way of strengthening the ties between students and the local medical community. Our goal is to use both personal interaction and technology to keep medical care vibrant in our area, across the nation, and across the globe.

Program directors will work with participants to create a two- to four-week schedule, with students typically working two days the first week at Palm Drive, and then having the option to work at one or more of our other regional facilities. The following is a representative daily schedule:

8:30 to 9:00 AM
Daily teaching rounds. Telemedicine-based case presentations from the Solomon Telemedicine Hub at Palm Drive Hospital occur daily, and can be accessed in person or over the Internet. Supplementary printed educational materials are provided, and treatment options are discussed with a group of experienced medical professionals.

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Hospitalist apprentice. Participants will work directly with the hospitalist team at one of our member hospitals. Mentoring relationships will be facilitated by the program directors at OffSiteCare.

1:00 to 5:00 PM
Rotation. Participants will benefit from exposure to the four key areas in rural care: 1) Emergency Room; 2) Intensive Care Unit; 3) Medical Ward; 4) Family Practice. Participants will work in the area of greatest need, enabling them to explore different possibilities for future career paths. Placement will be arranged in advance, with mentoring relationships facilitated by OffSiteCare.

Host hospitals will provide room and board for residents during their one-to-four-week rotation. Four-week residencies can be created that enable participants to work at any of our six hospitals, with minimum stays at any location of one week and a maximum of four weeks.

The OffSiteCare facilities include:

• Healdsburg District Hospital, Healdsburg CA
• Howard Memorial Hospital, Willits CA
• Mendocino Coast District Hospital, Fort Bragg CA
• Palm Drive Hospital, Sebastopol CA
• Redwood Memorial Hospital, Fortuna CA
• Ukiah Valley Medical Center, Ukiah CA

To apply to the Rural Telemedicine Elective program, please provide the following information: