Curriculum

The first year is designed to give our residents broad exposure to general pediatric and specialty service patient experiences. This is accomplished through a balance of in- and outpatient rotations. As an intern, you will learn by taking on direct patient care responsibilities while still under the supervision of senior residents and attending physicians committed to your resident education. During this year, residents begin caring for patients as part of a continuity clinic team where they gain experience in primary care pediatrics.

During your intern year, you participate in one elective rotation that you can use to tailor your individualized curriculum. If you are interested in global health or advocacy this is when you will have the opportunity to apply for those tracks.

In addition to clinical responsibilities, first-year residents participate in academic, educational, and career development experiences. These include daily case conferences, the intern academic half-day curriculum, the selection of a faculty mentor, and an introduction to research and quality-improvement opportunities.

Second-year residents have more responsibility. They are team leaders on the floors. They cover deliveries while on their NICU rotation at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, taking every fourth-night call (on average).

They also gain additional critical care experience in the PICU with every fourth-night call. During their neurology rotation, our second-year residents often function in a consultative role in addition to being a part of the neurology team. One month on night team rounds out the inpatient rotations for the second-year residents.

Outpatient rotations in the second year provide additional experience in our Danis Pediatrics Center (primary care/ambulatory) and emergency department. Second-year residents complete our Quality Improvement/Patient Safety curriculum during the ambulatory rotation. Three subspecialty electives during the second year allow residents to explore career options more deeply.

Third-year residents also have an additional month of Level 3 NICU at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital (every fourth-night call) to further hone their neonatal resuscitation and neonatal skills. They will have a third month of emergency medicine and two months of inpatient medicine as floor supervisors. The floor supervisor is a unique role that allows our third-year residents to take on an advanced teaching role and become proficient at managing new admissions to the various floor teams while having a greater level of independence in taking care of patients.

The last month of inpatient is chosen by the program director for each resident (with their input) based on that resident's educational needs and career plans. The rotations for this inpatient rotation might be the advanced newborn nursery, advanced NICU, advanced PICU, team leader, hospitalist team, floor supervisor or night team.