Specialty Emergency Medicine Facility Sacramento Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine Address 2025 Morse Avenue Sacramento CA 95825 Map & Directions Telephone (916) 973-6600 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

My Profession and Why I Chose It

I am an Emergency Medicine physician. This means that I see and treat patients in the Emergency Department or E.R. Patients of all kinds, from great-grandmothers to parents with newborn babies seek urgent medical care in the E.R. On a typical day, I may diagnose a patient with appendicitis, sew up another’s finger laceration, evaluate and treat somebody’s heart attack, or find a baby’s heartbeat on a bedside ultrasound. As one could imagine, the variation of the medical and surgical problems that I encounter makes my job both challenging and sometimes downright difficult. However, these varied diagnostic dilemmas are exactly the reason I chose emergency medicine. As I progressed through medical school, I realized that I liked aspects of many different medical disciplines. Emergency Medicine allows me to diagnose and treat these varied conditions. Another aspect that I enjoy about my specialty is the team effort that is required to treat potentially life-threatening conditions. This team effort means that all providers, from nurses to lab techs and unit clerks must work together to provide timely and effective patient care while allowing smooth flow through the department. I see myself not so much as an individual health care provider, but rather as a leader of a team of providers dedicated to treating our patients in the best possible manner. This requires great communication, compassion and devotion to service on the part of all involved.

My Credentials

Medical school	UC Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA
Internship	Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA
Residency	Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA
Board certification	Emergency Medicine, American Board of Emergency Medicine

My Tenure with Kaiser Permanente

I have been with Kaiser Permanente since July 2002.

Why I Like Practicing Medicine at Kaiser Permanente

When I left residency, I wanted to insure that I joined a group that would allow me to practice medicine without financial restrictions on lab or radiological studies that I order. With Kaiser, I have never felt that I couldn’t order a needed test for one of my patients because it was too expensive. I also feel that to be an effective emergency physician, having specialty and sub-specialty consults readily available is an essential part of my practice. Being able to speak with a pediatric neurologist in middle of the night regarding a patient’s care is an example of a situation that in all likelihood would be impossible in other health care systems. By far, I feel that one of Kaiser’s greatest assets is its network of primary providers and outpatient services. This allows me to discharge my emergency patients with the confidence that they will be able to follow up with the physicians and providers that know them best. After all, the best way to treat a medical emergency is often to prevent it from developing in the first place.

My Professional Interests and Affiliations

I am a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians, which is a professional organization that keeps its members abreast of the continuing changes in emergency health care and E.R.-related issues. It also allows me to continually learn about the newest innovations in my specialty. I also serve as volunteer clinical faculty for residents (doctors in training) for the UC Davis Emergency Medicine residency. I find it both fulfilling and educational for myself to work with these newest of E.R. doctors as they develop their own practices.

On a Personal Note…

On days off I enjoy hiking in wilderness areas with my wife. We love to visit new places, but equally enjoy catching up with old friends. I enjoy workouts in the gym as way to keep in shape and relax. Snowboarding in winter is a special treat. I was born in the Philippines and became a citizen when I was just 1 ½ years old. I grew up near Modesto and finished both undergraduate and medical school at UC Davis. I finished my residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield. Since then, my wife and I have decided to make Sacramento our home.

Be sure to visit the New Kaiser Permanente Website for additional information regarding appointments, prescriptions, health education classes and other health-related topics. You can also click on my department link above to receive additional health information.

To choose your own personal physician, click here.

Checklist for New Members

About Your Office Visit

Prevention Information on Your Registration Slip

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

This site may contain links to other web sites outside of www.permanente.net. Kaiser Permanente has no control over the content or the availability of these sites, and is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Web links are provided as an educational tool, and should not be relied upon for personal diagnosis or treatment. A link or reference to a web site should not be construed as an endorsement of the site or its contents. Any medical content that you feel may be important to your health should always be discussed with your Kaiser Permanente physician.