The Residency Curriculum

Our residency curriculum is designed to provide all residents throughout the program exposure to general pediatrics, as well as core subspecialty rotations, in order to ensure a well-rounded experience and help serve as a strong foundation for future pediatric practice. In addition, there are over 50 subspecialty and track electives offered, allowing trainees to tailor their individual residency curriculum to his/her career goals and interests.
Based on a resident’s chosen track and career goals, our faculty mentors and program leadership assist each resident in tailoring their schedule to prepare them for the next steps in their career. If a resident is interested in pursuing fellowship, we offer many electives within a subspecialty that they may consider, as well as research electives to help further strengthen their scholarly activity. For those residents interested in general pediatric primary care, we offer electives at various pediatric practices within our community, which allow for a broad exposure of different practice settings, patient populations, and business models.
Our goal is to provide a consistent experience within core essential rotations, while also offering various additional electives to make each resident’s experience truly their own.

Resident Block Schedule

Electives

• Adolescent Medicine
• Allergy & Immunology
• Anesthesiology
• Bone Marrow Transplant
• Cardiology (Advanced)
• Cardiac ICU (CICU)
• Child & Adol Psychiatry
• Dentistry
• Dermatology
• Education/Teaching
• Endocrinology
• ER Elective
• Gastroenterology
• GI Procedures
• Genetics/Metabolism
• Global Health
• Hematology-Oncology
• Hematology-Oncology
   (Advanced 6T)
• Hospitalist
• Infectious Diseases
• Neonatology (NICU)
• Nephrology
• Neurodevelopmental
• Neurology
• Neuro ICU

  

• Neurosurgery
• Newborn Nursery (WKB)
• Nutrition
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Pain Team
• Palliative Care
• Parenting
• Pathology
• Pediatric Care Center (NCH Clinics)
• Pediatric ICU (PICU)
• Pharmacy
• Primary Care (Multiple Sites)
• Procedures
• Pulmonology
• Radiology
• Research
• Rheumatology
• Rural Pediatrics
• Sedation
• Sports Medicine
• Surgery
• Transport
• Urgent Care
• Urology

Curriculum by Year

First Year (PGY-1)

The first year of training provides broad exposure to general pediatrics with supervision by senior residents and attending physicians. The resident performs the initial history and physical examinations, writes the appropriate orders, performs required procedures, presents patients on rounds, and is responsible for conveying information to the patient's parents. The PGY-1 residents' rotations include experience in inpatient pediatrics, newborn nursery, emergency medicine, ambulatory clinic, and an elective rotation. Each academic year consists of 13 blocks with each block being 4 weeks in duration. A typical PGY-1 resident schedule consists of the rotations shown, with inpatient rotations spread out throughout the year.

Second Year (PGY-2)

The residents are provided with progressively increased patient care responsibilities and structured exposure to specialties, including Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics, Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Hematology-Oncology. Individualized, career-focused elective rotations are also incorporated into the second year curriculum. Residents will learn about Quality Improvement (QI) projects through guidance from an attending physician.

Third Year (PGY-3)

Senior residents have additional supervisory responsibilities in both the inpatient and outpatient setting and further integrate the knowledge and skills needed in general pediatric practice. Rotations include Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care, Inpatient Pediatrics – Team Leader (supervision of a team of 5-6 PGY-1 residents), Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Gastroenterology, Ambulatory Clinic, and Procedure Rotation. Individualized, career-focused elective rotations are also incorporated into the third year curriculum.

These are 2.5 block rotations (10 weeks total) spread over the senior year as 1 block of AM shifts, 1 block of PM shifts, and 0.5 block of either AM or PM team leader role. In these rotations, a PGY-3 will act as the supervising senior resident to one of our three inpatient teams during the AM (6AM-6PM) or PM (6PM-6AM) shifts. The senior resident will oversee and lead interns and medical students on the team, see new admissions, structure the rounding schedule, conduct family-centered rounds, and work closely with nursing and clinical staff to ensure the comprehensive care of each patient and their families.

Inpatient Ward Teams

  • 3 North Team: Nephrology, GI, Endocrinology, Adolescent Medicine, and General Pediatrics
  • 5 Tower Team: Neurology and General Pediatrics
  • 3 South Team: Pulmonology, General Pediatrics, 2 North Infant Floor

This is a 1-2 block rotation in our 36-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. During the rotation, residents will have exposure to critically ill pediatric medical and surgical patients, with conditions including, but not limited to, respiratory distress/failure, post-operative care, trauma and ECMO patients. Residents will be supervised by our PICU fellows and PICU attending physicians.

This is a 1-2 block rotation in our 36-bed, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During the rotation, residents will have exposure to premature and critically ill neonates with conditions including, but not limited to, respiratory distress/failure, NEC, sepsis, congenital anomalies, and more. They will also gain experience in neonatal resuscitation, ventilation management, neonatal nutrition and anticipatory care. Residents will be supervised by NICU attending physicians.

This is a 1 block rotation in our hospital-based Pediatric Care Center during which time senior residents will lead the clinic team in providing well-child primary care, as well as walk-in acute illness visits, in a general pediatric ambulatory clinic setting. This rotation provides the PGY-3 resident with increasing autonomy through the supervision of junior residents’ patient care and the opportunity to assist in the operational management of the clinic, including the distribution of patients, review of patient labs and disposition of plans of care. Our PCC attending physicians will oversee the senior residents in this role.

This is a 1 block rotation in our Level III Pediatric Emergency Room and Trauma Center. Residents will be supervised by PEM fellows and PEM attendings while having exposure to acute care, emergent care, and trauma cases. Residents will also have exposure to common pediatric ER procedures such as suturing, lumbar punctures, wound care, obtaining cultures, and assisting in codes among other skills.

This is a 1 block rotation in our Gastroenterology Department. Residents will have exposure to inpatient and outpatient pathology including, but not limited to, IBD, pancreatitis, liver failure, GERD, feeding disorders, motility disorders, obesity clinic as well as endoscopies and colonoscopies. Residents will be supervised by GI attending physicians.

This is a 1 block rotation in our Infectious Diseases Department. Residents will have exposure to inpatient and outpatient pathology including, but not limited to, viral, bacterial and fungal acute and chronic illnesses, appropriate laboratory testing and interpretation, as well as adequate use and stewardship of antimicrobials. Residents will be supervised by ID attending physicians.

This is a 1/2 block (2 week) rotation for all PGY-3 residents designed to give additional opportunities to practice and refine a myriad of pediatric procedures. Residents rotate through our ER, PICU, ORs, Simulation Lab, and Pediatric Care Center to gain further exposure and hands-on skill training on live and/or simulated patients. Learn more about our Pediatric Human Patient Simulation Program.

Each PGY-3 resident will have 3.5 blocks of individualized elective time which may be split into two 2-week half-blocks of different subspecialty rotations or 1 block (4 weeks total) of a single subspecialty. The PGY-3 resident will also have senior floor calls distributed throughout their elective rotation schedule during which time they supervise the on-call PGY1, see floor admissions, run codes and rapid response teams, and sign out to the incoming Team Leader.

See listing of available electives on the Resident Block Schedule shown above.

This is an ACGME-required, longitudinal experience in general pediatrics which occurs throughout the three years of training. Based on a resident’s specific schedule, he/she will have 3-4 half day sessions per block aimed at providing the resident with a continuous outpatient pediatric exposure. Clinic sites include our on-campus PCC, as well as community pediatric practices affiliated with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, which are all supervised by board certified general pediatricians.

Vacation constitutes 1 block per academic year which may be split into two 2-week half-blocks or 1 block (4 weeks total). In addition, there is also a mini-holiday break consisting of 4 days off during either the Christmas or New Year’s holiday.

Tracks

There are three Elective tracks a resident may choose from based on personal and professional interests after training. Each track contains a list of suggested electives to assist residents in choosing rotations relevant to their career goals with the guidance of their mentor(s) and PD/APDs. If you have yet to decide on your post-graduate path or your plans change during residency, you may tailor your training to your preference by choosing from any of our electives. You can also change into a different track if your post-graduate goals change.

  • General Pediatrics Track: For residents interested in general pediatric primary care, developmental pediatrics, or urgent care pediatrics
  • Acute Care Track: For residents interested in pursuing a pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric critical care, or neonatal critical care fellowships
  • Fellowship Track: For residents interested in pursuing any subspecialty fellowships, other than those in acute care, such as Allergy-Immunology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Genetics, Gastroenterology, Hematology-Oncology, Hospital Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Pulmonology, Nephrology, Neurology, Rheumatology, etc.