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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

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 and are led by the senior resident. Senior residents function as general pediatric consultants for the pediatric surgery and other subspecialty surgical patients. Inpatient teaching occurs both informally on rounds and formally through a structured inpatient wards curriculum.

Residents on the inpatient wards rotation manage the Hematology-Oncology service under the guidance of a Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist. Teaching occurs 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 extreme premature, premature and term neonates. Under the guidance of our neonatal attendings and fellows, they manage the care for premature neonates with their associated complications as well as neonates with a spectrum of genetic syndromes and anatomic abnormalities.

Senior residents will rotate through the PICU at UI Health with the option to rotate at the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County PICU, Advocate Children’s – Park Ridge Hospital PICU and the Advocate Children’s Hospital – Oak Lawn CVICU as electives. At UI Health, residents are exposed to critically-ill children with a spectrum of pediatric medical and surgical illnesses. Residents work under the supervision of pediatric critical care faculty, caring for patients throughout their PICU course.

Residents provide overnight coverage during their rotations on NICU, PICU, and General Pediatric Wards. The Night Wards Team comprises one senior resident and one intern. One senior resident covers the PICU. Another resident covers NICU with the assistance of an in-house fellow, attending and hospitalist. 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.

On this rotation, residents attend any deliveries requiring pediatric support and learn the fundamentals of evaluation and resuscitation in the immediate postpartum period. Residents work closely with our general pediatric attendings to master the well newborn exam and discussion of routine newborn care with new mothers. Interns staff 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

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 and Sports Medicine Clinic.

During  their first year, residents spend one month with our Development-Behavioral Pediatrics specialists, Dr. Shah, Dr. Acharya, 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. Soon they will be joined by Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellows from the UIC DBP Fellowship starting July 2027.

Interns spend two weeks learning about community pediatrics and advocacy with one of our General Pediatric attending, 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. They 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 4-5 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 3-4 weeks per year rotating in the Acute Care Clinic at the busy Child and Youth Center at UI Health, caring for children with acute illnesses under the supervision of our academic general pediatric attendings. They learning how to do common outpatient pediatric procedures. As senior residents, they serve as the Ambulatory Senior Resident: 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 Sub-fellowship have the opportunity to train to do outpatient circumcisions, and they meet with our office staff and faculty to learn key aspects of outpatient practice management.

Conferences

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

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.

Additionally, each year residents have the opportunity to choose from subspecailty and clinical, scholarly, and/or other experiences electives, Prior to graduating residents will have completed more than 40 weeks of elective experiences. Residents have longitudinal electives during their Y blocks during which they also have specialized electives or track experiences based on their career goals.

Available Elective Rotations

  • Allergy/Immunology
  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Genetics
  • Hematology/Oncology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Pulmonology
  • Rheumatology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Breastfeeding Medicine
  • Child Psychiatry
  • International/Global Health
  • Ophthalmology
  • Parenting
  • Research
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Sports Medicine
  • Gastroenterology

Sub-fellowship Electives

During their third 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

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 individualized course.

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, and academic half days). Residents are assigned back- up call and weekends during their electives.

PGY1 Rotations

  • Inpatient Pediatrics Wards (UIC and, Lurie’s Childrens)
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Acute Care Clinic
  • Newborn Nursery
  • Community Pediatrics and Advocacy
  • Development
  • Electives
  • Subspecialty Outpatient Rotation

There is a day and night system implemented for the interns during their pediatrics ward rotations.

PGY2 Rotations

  • PICU
  • NICU
  • Inpatient Pediatric Wards
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Newborn Nursery
  • Adolescent Medicine
  • Electives

Residents will work in a day and night team on their NICU and PICU rotations.

PGY3 Rotations

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

Residents will work in a day and night team on their PICU, and wards rotations.