As a Family Practice physician with obstetric privileges at Merced Faculty Associates Medical Group (MFA), you will step into a role where your clinical skills directly address one of the region's most pressing healthcare needs. Merced County, home to approximately 280,000 residents spread across California's agricultural heartland, faces a critical shortage of obstetric providers. The recent departure of four OB/GYN physicians from Golden Valley Health Centers, combined with the imminent retirement of the community's three remaining private obstetricians, all over age 60, has created an urgent gap in prenatal and delivery care. You will help fill this gap, building a practice that serves families who currently have limited access to the care they need.
Your daily work combines the longitudinal relationships of family medicine with the procedural satisfaction of obstetrics. You will manage patients through their pregnancies, deliver their babies at Dignity Health Mercy Medical Center Merced, and often continue caring for the entire family afterward. This continuity, increasingly rare in American medicine, creates a depth of professional fulfillment that fragmented subspecialty practice cannot replicate.
Mercy Medical Center Merced handles approximately 2,400 deliveries annually, making obstetrics the hospital's second-largest service line behind orthopedic surgery. The patient population reflects the region's demographics: approximately 60% Hispanic, with a significant Punjabi/Indian community, and predominantly agricultural working families covered by Medi-Cal. Many of these patients have never had consistent access to prenatal care. You will serve women who previously drove an hour or more for appointments, who delayed care because no providers were available, and who now have the opportunity to receive comprehensive OB services close to home.
The hospital's Level 2 NICU provides support for higher-risk deliveries, while the 24/7 laborist service offers backup coverage when you need time away. A trauma program launching in March 2026, with full Level 3 designation expected by July, signals the hospital's continued investment in expanding capabilities to serve this underserved region.
Your schedule operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with clinic sessions designed to see 12 to 15 patients per half-day. You will be assigned to one or two MFA clinic locations, likely including the MFA G Street clinic, which serves as the primary OB site with 12 to 13 exam rooms. Additional OB ward coverage at the hospital, typically two to three sessions per week in the morning or afternoon, provides exposure to the inpatient obstetric service and builds relationships with nursing staff and colleagues.
MFA holds a Faculty Services Agreement with Dignity Health, meaning you will have opportunities to teach Family Medicine residents if academic medicine interests you. Precepting at the resident outpatient clinic once weekly is available but negotiable based on your preferences. Leadership has emphasized they seek providers committed to building a practice rather than those looking for shift-work arrangements, but the group demonstrates flexibility in structuring schedules that support work-life balance.
You must hold an MD or DO degree with completion of an ACGME-accredited Family Medicine residency that included obstetric training. Board certification or eligibility in Family Medicine is required, along with eligibility for California medical licensure. Spanish language proficiency is valuable given the patient population, and Punjabi language skills would further enhance your ability to connect with community members.
You will report to Dr. James Rabago, President of MFA, and work closely with CEO Becky Shaw, a CPA who has led the organization for 23 years. The flat organizational structure means direct access to leadership and genuine input into practice operations. Partnership opportunity exists for the right candidate, though it requires demonstrated commitment and cultural fit rather than automatic advancement.
This position offers the rare opportunity to build something meaningful in a community that genuinely needs you. You will practice comprehensive medicine, deliver babies, and watch families grow, all while enjoying California's Central Valley lifestyle with easy access to San Francisco, Yosemite, and the state's best agricultural bounty.