Podiatric Medicine & Surgery Residency | Riverside University Health System

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Letter from the Program Director

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program at Riverside University Health System (RUHS). At RUHS, our goal is to develop skilled, confident, and compassionate podiatric surgeons through comprehensive clinical and surgical training. Residents will care for a diverse and medically complex patient population while gaining progressive responsibility across the full spectrum of podiatric medicine and surgery. We place a strong emphasis on clinical judgment, surgical excellence, professionalism, and lifelong learning. Our residents are expected to be curious, hardworking, team-oriented, and receptive to feedback. The residents who thrive in our program will be those who actively seek opportunities to learn, take ownership of their education, and support the people around them. In return, we are committed to providing the mentorship, education, and opportunities necessary for each resident to reach their full potential. Through structured didactics, case-based learning, journal review, surgical skills development, and hands-on experiences, we strive to create an environment in which residents are challenged to continually improve. As Program Director, I believe strongly that residency should be a period of significant growth, both professionally and personally. Our responsibility is not simply to teach residents how to perform procedures, but to help them become independent physicians who can recognize problems, developing sound treatment plans, adapting when circumstances change, and advocating for their patients. We are excited about the future of our program and look forward to developing the next generation of podiatric surgeons. If you are looking for a residency experience that will challenge you, provide broad clinical and surgical exposure, and prepare you for a career in podiatric medicine and surgery, we invite you to learn more about RUHS. We look forward to meeting you. Sincerely, Joseph Park, DPM Program Director Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency Program Riverside University Health System

Joseph Park, DPM

Program Director

1-1-1

Residents per Year

2025

Year Established

439

Bed County Hospital

Curriculum

Year-by-year training structure and rotation schedule

Foundation & Multidisciplinary Training
PGY-1 focuses on building a strong foundation in podiatric medicine and surgery while providing broad clinical exposure through required rotations in vascular surgery, internal medicine, emergency medicine, orthopedics, family medicine, behavioral science, radiology, SICU, endocrinology, and anesthesiology.

Anesthesiology · 2 Weeks RUHS

Behavioral Science/PCLS · 2 Weeks RUHS

Emergency Medicine · 1 Month RUHS

Endocrinology · 2 Weeks RUHS

Internal Medicine · 1 Month RUHS

Medical Imaging-Radiology · 2 Weeks RUHS

Orthopedic Surgery 1 · 1 Month RUHS

Outpatient Family Medicine · 2 Weeks RUHS

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery · 6 months RUHS

Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) · 2 Weeks RUHS

Vascular Surgery · 1 Month RUHS

Advanced Podiatric & Surgical Training
PGY-2 expands the resident’s podiatric medical and surgical experience, with the majority of the year dedicated to Podiatric Medicine and Surgery. Additional required rotations in plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and infectious disease provide focused training that supports comprehensive lower-extremity care.

Infectious Disease · 2 weeks RUHS

Orthopedic Surgery 2 · 1 Month RUHS

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR) · 2 Weeks RUHS

Plastic Surgery · 1 Month RUHS

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery · 10 months RUHS

Advanced Surgical Training & Practice Preparation
PGY-3 is dedicated to advanced Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, allowing residents to strengthen surgical skills, clinical decision-making, and increasing levels of responsibility. The year also includes a private-practice elective at Redlands Podiatry Group to provide exposure to the clinical and operational aspects of podiatric practice.

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery · 12 months RUHS

Podiatry Private Practive-Elective · 1 Month RUHS

Required rotation

Elective rotation

Didactics Recurring teaching and conferences

Grand Rounds Quarterly Loma Linda Murrieta
Educational presentations and discussions on topics in podiatric medicine, surgery, and multidisciplinary patient care.
Case Review and Discussion Tuesdays, 12:30–2:00 p.m., and Thursdays, 4:30–6:00 p.m., except on the third Thursday of each month. Virtual with Chino Valley Medical Center
Interactive review of clinical and surgical cases, with emphasis on diagnosis, treatment planning, surgical decisions, and patient outcomes.
Challenging Case Conference Third Thursday of each month, 3:30–5:30 p.m., in place of the regular Thursday case review. Virtual with Chino Valley Medical Center
Collaborative discussion of complex patient cases, clinical reasoning, and evidence-based treatment plans.
Cadaver Lab Quarterly Mobile lab truck at RUHS
Hands-on practice of surgical approaches, techniques, and procedural skills in a supervised learning environment.

Academic activities Projects and requirements

Quality Improvement and/or Research Project Required for graduation
Residents complete a quality improvement or research project and share their findings in accordance with program requirements.

Social events The year together

November–December