Program structure
First Year
The goals of first year are to acquire basic medical skills in pediatrics by developing clinical efficiency in patient care and learning essential interviewing and physical exam techniques. During that time, residents also perfect their abilities to work as members of a care team in a collegial environment.
First year residents rotate through all the major inpatient services at Children's Memorial, the normal newborn nursery at Prentice Women's Hospital and the neonatal intensive care units at Evanston Hospital and Prentice. Several months of outpatient primary care and emergency department experiences (without overnight call responsibilities) round out the first year experience. See the first year schedule.
Each first-year resident has a faculty member advisor who serves as a mentor to help guide that resident based on his/her interests. We recognize that the first year of residency can be emotionally difficult, and the program facilitates communication seminars to discuss ethical conflicts and difficult scenarios that residents encounter. In February of the first year, all the PL-1 residents have an intern retreat in Lake Geneva where they can take a break from the wards and play in the snow.
Second Year
The second year provides beginning supervisory and leadership experience, continuing experience in general pediatrics and acquiring more intensive experience in subspecialty electives. During the second year, residents gain greater independence and responsibility as they transition into leadership roles with first-year residents and medical students.
Experiences in the second year include assignments in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, supervisory roles on the subspecialty services, elective time in various areas, and rotations outside the hospital including behavior & development, child advocacy, and community pediatrics. See the second year schedule.
The second year is critical to the academic maturation of the resident and links the core curriculum of the first year with the supervisory leadership role of the third year. A one-day retreat at a resort/spa is used to help this transition by teaching qualities of being a good leader.
Third Year
The third year is the key leadership year when residents spend approximately six months supervising the major services at Children's Memorial. The third-year supervisory resident "runs the show" in the manner of a true "resident-run" environment. The remaining six months of the year are spent on electives, three to four of which are free of night call. See the third year schedule.
The elective time in the third year is designed to meet individual goals, whether spent in subspecialty training, research or private practice with a preceptor. Some 3rd year residents do international electives, including several recent residents who have worked at a hospital in Tanzania (above).
As the third year comes to an end, residents spend time maximizing proficiency as they prepare for their careers. This includes career preparation skills such as learning billing, administration, and practice management. In the Spring of the 3rd year, residents culminate the work on their senior research projects by presenting to the housestaff and pediatric faculty during Grand Rounds.