I am currently a PYG2 at Kaiser Oakland, and can share a bit about our program.
Most of us at Kaiser feel that we work at one of the "best kept secrets in the Bay Area." Our program is smaller (now 8 residents per class with a new MD/MPH track, 6 in my class), very friendly, and definitely has a family feel to it. Kaiser Oakland is the tertiary center for Pediatrics for much of Northern California (and Kaiser covers a large percentage of the population in Northern CA), so we see a great mix of zebras and really sick kids, as well as general pediatrics. Our patient population is very diverse socioeconomically. We are a site for 3rd year UCSF students for their pediatric rotation, so we get to teach a lot when on service months and in clinic. Our clinic is one of the strengths of the program - it runs like a standard Kaiser clinic and is organized and well-staffed. We do 2 block of clinic each year, so you get great outpatient pediatrics exposure. Overall, teaching here is great. Our didactics are very good and going to teaching is a priority, even when on service months. For those interested in subspecializing, we have no fellows, so you get to work 1-on-1 with the subspecialists. Residents who have gone of to fellowship from recent classes have all done really well.
From a happiness/lifestyle perspective, I think we have things really good here. Kaiser pays well, gives us great benefits, and will fully fund residents to do extras like international electives, research and community projects. The MPH is fully funded for residents on that track. Our program went from a q4-5 call schedule to a day/night float system at the end of last year. The longest shift is 16-hours for everyone, interns and seniors, and the new schedule allows for more weekend days off since we do less cross-cover. We also have better continuity with the ward patients since we do our nights in blocks now. Those of us who worked on the old system really like the new model much better, and our current interns seem happy with it too. Our small size actually gives a lot of flexibility in terms of scheduling things like vacations and away electives. We have a fantastic PD who is very attentive to resident needs and consistently uses our feedback to change things for the better.
Overall, I have been very happy here and feel like I will be well-prepared for practice upon graduation. Residency is hard wherever you train, so I recommend picking the place where you feel you will be best supported. If you are interested in our program I recommend doing a sub-I with us to check it out. I am happy to answer questions, but am not on this site very much. Good luck!
