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Department of Pediatrics

UI Health is UIC’s academic health enterprise
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Pediatric Residency Curriculum

Residency Curriculum consists of a combination of rotations and electives, some of which are customizable. The focus is on both inpatient and outpatient experience.

Inpatient Curriculum Heading link

Rotations and experiences specific to inpatient care.

During the inpatient wards rotation, residents admit general pediatric patients as well as subspecialty patients from a variety of services with varying levels of complexity. We care for common pediatric illnesses such as dehydration, asthma, bronchiolitis, and appendicitis. We also care for complex patients that follow with many of our subspecialists including endocrinology, genetics, and allergy/immunology. Family-centered rounds occur daily at the bedside with the wards attending. Senior residents function as general pediatric consultants for the pediatric surgery and other subspecialty surgical patients. Weekly inpatient teaching occurs both informally on rounds and formally through a structured inpatient wards curriculum.

Residents on the inpatient wards rotation also care for patients with hematologic, oncologic, neurologic and renal disorders. Family-centered teaching rounds occur daily with the fellows and attendings from our various subspecialties, including hematology/oncology, child neurology, nephrology, cardiology, infectious disease, rheumatology, and endocrinology.

Our neonatal intensive care unit consists of 55 beds, which includes intensive care, intermediate care, and observation areas. While rotating through the NICU residents become experienced with resuscitation of both premature and term infants. Under the guidance of our neonatal attendings and fellows, they manage the care for premature infants with their associated complications as well as full-term infants with a spectrum of genetic syndromes.

Interns will first experience PICU at the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County. Senior residents will then rotate through the PICU at both UI Health and at Stroger Hospital. At UI Health, residents are exposed to critically-ill children with a spectrum of pediatric medical and surgical illnesses. At Stroger, interns care for critically-ill children, many of whom have suffered burns and trauma-related injuries. Residents work under the supervision of pediatric critical care faculty at both sites, caring for patients throughout their PICU course.

Residents provide overnight coverage during their rotations on NICU, PICU, and Wards. The Wards teams is comprised of one senior resident and one intern, while one senior resident covers the PICU and NICU. The overnight teams conduct night rounds for each of their patients–speaking with families and consulting with their nursing staff or attending as necessary for patient care. Residents use an inpatient night curriculum to facilitate their education of core inpatient pediatric topics while working at night.

Each resident spends 1-2 months in the Newborn Nursery. During this rotation, they attend deliveries requiring pediatric support and learn the fundamentals of evaluation and resuscitation in the immediate post-partum period. Residents work closely with our general pediatricians to master the well newborn exam and learn to discuss routine newborn care with new mothers. Interns attend Newborn Clinic during their Y blocks, providing excellent continuity for families from the nursery to the Child and Youth Center at UI Health as they transition home.

Outpatient Curriculum Heading link

Rotations and experiences specific to outpatient care.

During the PGY2 year, residents rotate with our pediatric adolescent medicine specialists. They learn to care for patients with complex adolescent issues including eating disorders, gynecologic needs, mental health concerns, and weight management. They also care for youth at the community-based Job Corps clinic, at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, and at the Adolescent and Young Adult HIV clinic at the Core Center.

PGY2 residents spend one month with our development/behavioral pediatrics specialists, Dr. Shah, Dr. Acharya and Dr. Saulsberry and Dr. Bauer. They learn to care for children with complex developmental and behavioral concerns in the developmental/behavioral pediatrics clinic, and they work with experts at the Chicago Lighthouse, the UIC Division of Specialized Care for Children and at Easter Seals.

Interns spend one month learning about community pediatrics and advocacy with Dr. Vidya Govind. They meet with community partners from El Valor, the UIC Children’s Center, Journey Care Hospice, Almost Home Kids, the Fussy Baby Network, the UI Health Food Pantry, Marillac House, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and more to learn about the numerous resources available to support our patients and families in their communities. They complete an advocacy project in which they identify and research a child health issue, then write a letter to the editor of a local paper and a letter to their elected representative advocating on behalf of children.

Each resident has the opportunity to follow their own panel of patients over the 3 years of pediatric training at UIC. Residents have 4 half days of continuity clinic during their Y week and will see up to 9 patients per half day by their 3rd year of residency. Residents provide all of the primary care services to their patients, including preventative well child care, immunizations, and follow-up for chronic pediatric problems such as asthma and obesity.

Residents spend time each Y week rotating at the busy Child and Youth Center at UI Health, caring for children with acute illnesses under the supervision of our academic general pediatricians and learning how to do common outpatient pediatric procedures. As senior residents, they serve as the Ambulatory Chief, supervising patient flow in the clinic, working with the nursing staff on acute issues, and teaching our medical students. Residents who choose to do the Ambulatory Subfellowship have the opportunity to train to do circumcisions, and they meet with our office staff to learn key aspects of outpatient practice management.

Conferences Heading link

We have regularly scheduled educational activities, didactic as well as case-based, in which all residents participate. The goal of our educational curriculum is to teach our residents strong clinical and problem-solving skills. The curriculum is designed to improve the knowledge base of the residents as they prepare for the American Board of Pediatrics Certifying Examination.

Electives and Sub-Fellowships Heading link

At UIC, we utilize the individualized curriculum (IC) to assist residents in meeting their education and career goals during their pediatric residency. As part of each resident’s IC, they have the opportunity to select at least 6 educational experiences that will aid in their learning and career goals. Selection of electives and development of the IC is done via guidance from the resident’s advisor as well as during semi-annual meetings with the program directors.

Each year residents have the opportunity to choose from both core and non-core electives, Prior to graduating residents will have completed 8-10 elective experiences. PGY2-3 residents have longitudinal electives during their Y blocks during which they also have specialized electives or track experiences based on their career goals.

Core

  • Allergy/Immunology
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Genetics
  • Hematology/Oncology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Pulmonology
  • Rheumatology

Non-core

  • Anesthesiology
  • Breastfeeding Medicine
  • Child Psychiatry
  • International/Global Health
  • Ophthalmology
  • Parenting
  • Research
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Sports Medicine

Sub-fellowship Electives

During the PGY3 year, residents can choose to participate in a sub-fellowship elective. This month allows the resident to serve in a more fellow or attending level position in the field of their choosing as a career specific elective. Residents identify personal goals and areas of interest in addition to clinical and educational sessions. Examples of sub-fellowship electives residents have completed:

  • Allergy/Immunology
  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • General Pediatrics
  • Gastroenterology
  • Hematology/Oncology
  • NICU
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • PICU
  • Pulmonology

Resident Schedule Heading link

At UIC, it is our goal that upon completion of their training, our residents have the tools necessary to care for pediatric patients in the acute setting with a wide range of pathology. To achieve this goal, our residents gradually assume more supervisory responsibility as they progress through their training. We believe it is important to offer electives throughout residency, starting in their first year, allowing enough time for our residents to think about career choices. Residents are able to utilize an individualized curriculum including self-designed electives.

We have adopted X+Y scheduling with a 3 + 1 model, this means that residents have 3 weeks of an X rotation (which is either an inpatient rotation, ED, Adolescent Medicine, Development or Elective time) and 1 week of a Y rotation (This week includes continuity clinics, newborn clinics, longitudinal experiences, acute care clinics and academic half days).

PGY1 Rotations

  • Inpatient Pediatrics Wards (UIC and Advocate Lutheran, Lurie’s Childrens)
  • Stroger PICU
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Acute Care Clinic
  • Normal Newborn Nursery
  • Community Pediatrics and Advocacy
  • Electives

There is a day and night system implemented for the interns during their pediatrics ward rotations. First year residents are assigned back- up call during their electives.

PGY2 Rotations

  • PICU (UIC)
  • NICU
  • Inpatient Pediatric Wards at Stroger
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Normal Newborn Nursery
  • Adolescent Medicine
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Electives

Residents will work in a day and night team on their NICU and PICU rotations. Second years are assigned back- up call during their elective rotations.

PGY3 Rotations

  • Inpatient Pediatrics Wards (UIC, Stroger, and Lurie’s Childrens)
  • PICU (UIC & Stroger)
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Acute Care Clinic
  • Electives

Residents will work in a day and night team on their NICU, PICU, and wards rotations. Third years are assigned back- up call during their elective rotations.