Educational Series & Conferences

The didactic curriculum for our pediatric residency has been developed into an intensive board review course utilizing Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics encompassing:

• Noon conference
  • Protected educational time without clinical duties and with minimized interruptions
  • Interactive lectures by general and subspecialty faculty
  • Content follows American Board of Pediatric Specifications for that month’s topic
• Guided Independent study
  • Monthly 50-question pediatric boards-style test for open or closed-book practice
  • Emailed Article-of-the-Week from Pediatrics in Reviewprovided as a study resource
• Test taking Strategies
  • Monthly Test review session focuses on 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 and interosseous access
• Morning Report
  • Interactive case-based guided discussions of presentation, evaluation and management
  • Students, residents, and faculty participation enhances learning on all levels
• “Full Nelson” and “Half Nelson” Awards
  • Monetary award by the Chair of Pediatrics recognizing the highest resident attendance and test performance each year

Each 4-week period focuses on one or two organ-systems to promote increasing depth of knowledge. The series repeats every 18 months, so that each pediatric resident will complete the course twice during residency. During study breaks each winter and summer, residents attend lectures covering other important topics such as child advocacy, global health, practice management, ethics, public speaking and resident as teacher.

Example monthly schedule:

Residents assigned to the clinic attend short, focused teaching sessions on outpatient and general pediatrics topics on days when there is no other morning conference scheduled. Topics are selected to help residents gain comfort in common well child visit concerns as well as tough parent discussions like discipline and vaccine refusal.

Each month, there is one Friday lunch dedicated to “Great Hall.” This is an open forum where residents and program leadership discuss any issues affecting the residents and get their feedback, concerns and suggestions. Improvements that have come out of this forum have included changes to the team and call structure on wards. Also based on resident feedback, we have incorporated a “Social Lunch” into each rotation to allow for much needed mental downtime and connecting with fellow residents.

During their intern year, each resident selects a clinical topic of interest to them for their Critically Appraised Topic presentation in Journal club. With assistance from a senior resident and a faculty mentor, interns formulate a clinical question, gain experience with searching and evaluating the literature and present these findings to the faculty and residents. Statistical and Evidence based medicine topics covered in the pediatric boards are also reviewed in these sessions throughout the year.

Led by our Pediatric Assistant Program Directors and the Vice Chair of Quality, the M&M conferences provide a protected environment to explore the safety and quality of the care we provide. In addition to reviewing individual patient cases, system and process improvement topics are selected for discussions and education and have included interprofessional panels, hands-on equipment training, and selected subspecialist speakers.

Medicine is a team sport, and we are excited to offer our residents conferences that incorporate the expertise of our colleagues in disciplines that overlap with pediatrics. These strengthen the knowledge of each group as well as communication between groups. Examples include:

• Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Grand Rounds
• Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Morbidity and Mortality Conference
• Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics Morbidity and Mortality Conference
• Pediatric Surgery-Radiology-Pathology Morning Case Conference

In residency it can feel like as soon as you master one skill set, you are asked to take on a new role. We support our residents through these transitions with annual retreat days focused on the challenges they can expect at the next level. Clinical coverage is provided so that all class members are able to attend.

• Intern Orientation
  • Topics include simulation center procedure/skill bootcamp, introduction to the advocacy curriculum, tours and meet and greets with staff in clinical areas, chief overview of rotations and expectations
• Rising PGY2 Retreat
  • Topics include Advocacy projects, Burnout and Self Care, Residents as Teachers, Communication Scenarios, and Surviving as a 2^ndyear
• Rising PGY3 Retreat
  • Topics include financial planning for boards and licensing and graduation, Employment and Fellowship applications, and Quality Improvement project planning.

The Nurturing Developing Minds Conference is held annually Greenville, South Carolina. This regional continuing professional development conference attracts a wide array of professional participants and provides an interactive learning and networking opportunity for a broad, interconnected workforce. In 2018, the Institute for Child Success began partnering with the Children’s Hospital to sponsor the Early Childhood Research Symposium in conjunction with the conference.