Rural Training Track Sutter Health Family Medicine Residency - Coast

Family Medicine Rural Training Track on America’s Wild Rivers Coast.

The Sutter Coast Hospital Family Medicine Rural Training Track offers a dynamic, community-focused residency designed to prepare physicians for the unique rewards and challenges of rural healthcare. Residents begin their first year at a busy urban medical center in Sacramento, where they build a strong clinical foundation working with diverse patient populations across a wide range of specialties.

In their second and third years, residents transition to Crescent City on California’s scenic North Coast, serving a medically underserved area. Training takes place at Sutter Coast’s 49-bed hospital and its Community Clinic, where residents gain comprehensive experience in inpatient medicine, emergency care, obstetrics, pediatrics, behavioral health, and outpatient family medicine. Personalized electives allow residents to tailor their training to their career goals.

Guided by board-certified physicians, residents develop expertise in rural primary care and population health, focusing on continuity of care, chronic disease management, and preventive medicine. They learn to track patient health over time and deliver compassionate care in resource-limited settings, building lasting relationships within the community.

This residency prepares physicians not only to excel clinically but to become trusted leaders in rural healthcare—ready to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and communities that need it most.

Message from the Track Director

My journey in medicine has been shaped by a deep belief in the power of community and a commitment to equity in healthcare. These values have guided me toward the development and launch of the Sutter Coast Family Medicine Rural Track Program—a program designed not only to train skilled clinicians but to nurture leaders who are prepared to meet the unique challenges of rural medicine with compassion, resilience, and innovation.

The vision for this program began long before it was formalized. Since before 2019, Sutter has worked to bring this idea to life. In 2022, Sutter Coast Hospital was honored to receive a HRSA grant, allowing the vision to move forward into implementation. Now, we are recruiting our inaugural class of residents to begin training in June 2026—a milestone that represents years of planning, advocacy, and community partnership.

Our program is built around the philosophy that rural communities deserve physicians who are not only clinically excellent but also deeply invested in the places and people they serve. We train residents to become collaborative, culturally responsive leaders who will captain systems of care that are equitable, patient-centered, and sustainable.

The curriculum reflects this commitment. Residents spend their first 13 months in Sacramento, gaining broad foundational experience and engaging in continuity clinic. Then, for the remaining 23 months, they transition to Crescent City, where they truly become a part of the community—caring for their own patient panels at the Sutter Coast Community Clinic and rotating through a wide range of specialties at Sutter Coast Hospital. From inpatient and emergency medicine to obstetrics and outpatient electives, our curriculum blends traditional rotations with longitudinal learning experiences tailored to the needs of our rural community.

Sutter Coast Hospital, the only hospital in Del Norte County, serves a vast 45-square-mile area and a richly diverse population of about 43,000, including communities across the border in southern coastal Oregon. Training here is not only clinically rigorous—it’s profoundly meaningful. Residents encounter a wide range of medical conditions, social determinants, and system challenges, all while being deeply embedded in a community that values their presence.

Personally, I believe that joy and sustainability in medical practice are not luxuries; they are necessities for a long and fulfilling career. That’s why our program also emphasizes physician well-being and professional development, creating a supportive environment where residents can grow not only as doctors, but as whole people.

I’m proud of what we’ve built. The Sutter Coast Family Medicine Rural Track is more than a training program—it’s a movement toward a more just, resilient, and community-rooted model of care. I look forward to welcoming the first class of residents and to watching them thrive in a place where their impact will be both immediate and lasting.

Best Regards,

May Hong, M.D.