Prisma Health > Pediatrics Residency-Greenville > Educational Series & Conferences

Educational Series & Conferences

The knowledge needed for pediatric practice and to successfully pass the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Certifying exam can be daunting. Our curriculum divides the ABP test content into organ system groups, allowing our residents to tackle on one content area each period. We repeat this curriculum twice over the course of 3 years, so residents can refresh and reinforce their knowledge as they approach graduation.

During each 4-week didactic block, our educational conferences, boards-style practice test, and simulation center cases all focus on the same organ systems to reinforce learning. Our program created this model in 2007, and since that time 97% of our pediatric residents have passed their boards on the first attempt (national average for all takers 2010-2020 was 85%).

We also reserve the first block, winter holiday block, and last block of each year for important non-clinical topics including child advocacy, global health, ethics, practice management, personal finance, contract negotiation, and residents as teachers.

Educational Series Components:

  • Noon conference
    • High-yield topics covered in interactive lectures by pediatric faculty
    • Protected educational time with minimized interruptions from clinical duties
  • Guided Independent study
    • Monthly pediatric boards-style 50 question practice test focused on that block’s topics
    • Emailed Article-of-the-Week from Pediatrics in Review provided as a study resource
  • Test taking Strategies
    • Monthly Test review session focuses on practice questions missed most by residents
    • Faculty lead discussions on various test taking strategies useful for pediatric boards
  • Simulation Exercises
    • Small group sessions at the Simulation Center reinforcing that month’s topic
    • Procedural practice including intubation, CPR/PALS/NRP, lumbar puncture, circumcision, needle decompression, interosseous access and nexplanon insertion
  • Morning Report
    • Interactive case-based guided discussions of presentation, evaluation and management
    • Students, residents, and faculty participation enhances learning on all level
  • “Full Nelson” and “Half Nelson” Awards
    • Monetary awards by our Pediatric Chair for resident dedication to didactics and test performance

Example monthly schedule:

Additional Integrated Sessions

  • Great Hall
    • Monthly open-forum lunch where residents and program directors meet to discuss any issues affecting the residents and get their feedback, concerns and suggestions.
    • Allows resident-led improvements to happen throughout the year
  • Social Lunch and Wellness activities
    • Monthly noon conference spot reserved for residents to recharge either with planned events like painting ceiling tiles, pumpkin decorating, and ice cream socials, or just a chance to eat together outside in the healing garden
  • Grand Rounds:
    • Visiting speakers and internal experts present on key topics in pediatrics from clinical advances to legislative advocacy as well as professional and personal development
    • Senior residents present each spring with the support of content and public speaking faculty mentors on a topic of their choosing
  • CARE (Compassion and Real Experience) Rounds:
    • Interprofessional panels lead audience in protected, confidential discussion and sharing on topics addressing the good, bad and difficult of healthcare today
    • Resident noon conference time blocked to allow participation in the 6 yearly sessions
  • Multidisciplinary conferences
    • Unique opportunity to learn from faculty in disciplines that overlap with pediatrics
    • Pediatric Surgery-Radiology-Pathology Morning Case Conference
    • Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Grand Rounds
    • Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Morbidity and Mortality Conference
    • Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Morbidity and Mortality Conference
  • Journal Club / Critically Appraised Topic:
    • Intern-led analysis of core pediatric topics with senior resident and faculty mentorship
  • Mortality and Morbidity conference
    • Led by our Vice Chair of Quality and our Pediatric Assistant Program Directors
    • Protected environment to explore the safety and quality of the care we provide
    • Review of individual patient cases as well as system and process improvement
  • Ambulatory Clinic Morning Talks
    • Short resident-led teaching sessions when there is no scheduled morning conference
    • Topics include tough parent discussions like discipline and vaccine refusal as well as social determinants of health, billing and screening, and health maintenance.
  • Resident Retreats
    • Support resident transitions with annual retreat days focused
    • Clinical coverage is provided so that all class members are able to attend.