Nephrology Fellowship (ACGME) - FAQ

We accept applications through ERAS and participate in the NRMP match program. Applications are typically accepted between July-August. Interviews will take place between September and October.

Our program accepts 2 fellows per year.

We are a small program with an innovative approach to medical education and clinical research, designed to maximize the educational experience.  In contrast to the old model of fellowship education, where the fellows served as a stopgap for understaffed services, our fellows are added to services that function well already.  In this way, fellows’ time is focused on direct patient care and learning. Research time is valued, and we have excellent research mentors to help guide you toward your future career path as well as internal funding mechanisms to provide you with the resources you will need to achieve your research goals.

Equity, inclusion, cultural competency, and diversity are core tenets of the Nephrology fellowship program and Kaiser Permanente. We seek fellows from a variety of backgrounds, life experiences, and nontraditional paths as we hold the strong belief that training the next generation of diverse and culturally competent health care providers is vital to addressing the health disparities that exist today. Our application review process employs a holistic approach that considers all aspects of the individual’s background, including academic and clinical achievements, race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, and unique experiences that have shaped the person they have become.

KP has a longstanding tradition and is a national leader in the promotion of diversity, inclusion, and culturally competent medical care. We are fortunate to have a robust Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Committee that facilitates local and regional physician education opportunities, including the recently launched Culturally Responsive Care & Inclusion Educational Series.

We offer many opportunities for research and scholarly activities. Please visit our Research & Scholarly Activity page for more information.

All fellows will choose a research mentor their first year. Fellows will work closely with their research mentor to design and complete clinical research. The experience of working with a research mentor will provide the trainee the necessary training to carry on independent research.

KP Northern California GME policy allows for 20 days of vacation and 5 days of education leave per academic year.

As one of the most desirable locations to live and work in the country, the cost of living in San Francisco is high. Kaiser Permanente provides one of the most generous resident and trainee compensation packages in the country. See the Salaries and Benefits page for more details.

It goes without saying that the pandemic COVID-19 has been extremely disruptive to every aspect of our lives, especially our country’s health care system. Despite the challenges, we remain committed to providing our fellows with excellent, well-rounded and diverse training.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, fellowship training has continued to be of greatest priority for our department, and we have made efforts to sustain the high caliber of teaching quality. The inpatient consult service continues to have a high volume of consults. The volume of elective procedures decreased transiently with shelter-in-place orders, but we are now returning to a more typical schedule with pre-procedural COVID-19 screening for all patients to ensure the safety of all staff and trainees. The outpatient continuity and specialty clinics have transitioned to predominantly virtual (video) visits, with in-person visits reserved for patients with severe illness or otherwise requiring an in-person assessment. The virtual visits are staffed by attendings and fellows via a 3-way video encounter to facilitate valuable learning gained from observing direct patient-provider interactions. We hope to transition back to in-person office appointments when COVID-19 restrictions are eased.