Curriculum

Educational Conferences

• Safety Huddle: Monday, Wednesday-Friday 8:00AM - 8:15AM
• Morning Report (Resident led didactic sessions): Monday-Friday 7:30AM - 8:00AM
• Noon Conference (Faculty led didactic sessions): Monday-Friday 12:00PM - 1:00PM
• Grand Rounds:  Second and Fourth Tuesdays 12:00PM - 1:00PM
• Journal Club: Scheduled several times throughout the year during Noon Conference or after hours off site M&M: Quarterly

Curriculum -PGY-1

Our PGY-1 expectations are in accordance with the University of Florida. Individuals in the PGY-1 year are closely supervised by senior level residents and/or faculty.

Examples of tasks that are expected of PGY-1 physicians include: performance of a history and physical, order medication and diagnostic tests, collect and analyze test results and communicate those to the other members of the team and faculty, all under the supervision of the faculty or senior residents at the discretion of the responsible faculty member. The resident is expected to exhibit a dedication to the principles of professional preparation that emphasizes primacy of the patient as the focus for care. The first year resident must develop and implement a plan for self-directed learning, reading and researching of selected topics that promote personal and professional growth and be able to demonstrate successful use of the literature in dealing with patients. The resident should be able to communicate with patients and families about the disease process and the plan of care as outlined by the attending. At all levels, the resident is expected to demonstrate an understanding of the socioeconomic, cultural, and managerial factors inherent in providing cost effective care.

Your intern year will be divided into 13 4-week rotations blocks. Your year will include four or five general pediatrics inpatient blocks, four or six weeks of night float divided into two week half blocks, one newborn nursery block, one emergency medicine block, one outpatient pediatric clinic block, one community pediatrics block, and one adolescent medicine block. In addition, you will have 8 to 10 weeks of elective time in your intern year. Nearly every pediatric subspecialty rotation is offered at The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart. By allowing elective time during your intern year, we provide you with the opportunity to experience subspecialties that may be of interest to you and develop relationships with faculty early in your residency, to make educated decisions regarding future career options. 

Our community pediatrics rotation, offered in your first year, is designed to provide you with a strong foundation in your role as a physician and child advocate by teaching you about the community resources available for your patients, which you will utilize for the remainder of your residency.

 In keeping with current ACGME clinical and educational work-hour requirements, our pediatric residency program utilizes a night float system to provide care to our hospitalized patients in the Observation Unit, Heme/Onc Unit, Pediatric Med/Surg Unit, and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit overnight, as well as any new patients that are admitted to the hospital through the Pediatric Emergency Department. Intern night team responsibilities include handling floor issues and assisting in admitting and evaluating new patients under the supervision of your senior residents. Senior residents are responsible for covering the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit under the supervision of the intensivist physician on call, and residents are not responsible for coverage of the Newborn Nursery or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit overnight. Interns are not scheduled for any 24 hour overnight call shifts. Pediatric interns on the inpatient teams either have “golden weekends” each block to allow both Saturday and Sunday off, or have one weekday and one weekend day off each week to allow adequate time for errands, appointments, or simply relaxing and enjoying the beach! 

Curriculum -PGY-2

Our PGY-2 expectations are in accordance with the University of Florida. Individuals in the second post graduate year are expected to perform independently the duties learned in the first year and may supervise routine activities of the first year residents. The PGY-2 should be able to demonstrate continued sophistication in the acquisition of knowledge and skills in pediatrics and further ability to function independently in evaluating patient problems and developing a plan for patient care. The resident at the second year level may respond to consults and learn the elements of an appropriate response to consultation in conjunction with the faculty member. Second year residents may manage critically ill patients including initial trauma care, ventilator management, resuscitation from shock, and antiarrhythmic therapy. Residents at this level can perform procedures and endoscopy under the direct supervision of faculty or senior level residents. The resident should take a leadership role in teaching the PGY-1 and medical students the practical aspects of patient care and be able to explain complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to the patient and family. The resident should be adept at the interpersonal skills needed to handle difficult situations. The PGY-2 should be able to incorporate ethical concepts into patient care and discuss these with the patient, family, and other members of the health care team.

Second-year residents begin the transition to “senior” residents, by serving as supervisors of teams of medical students and interns, rotating through our pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, and have expanded time for elective rotations. This provides you with the opportunity to tailor your experiences to fit your future career goals. Your autonomy in patient care will be gradually increased, and you will oversee all other members of your team, in addition to providing guidance and teaching to interns during these months.

The second year of residency includes one NICU block, one PICU block, one emergency medicine block, one behavioral and developmental medicine block, and one outpatient pediatric clinic block. Second year residents also complete four to eight weeks as a supervising resident on the general inpatient pediatric teams, four to six weeks on the hematology/oncology inpatient service, and four to six weeks of night float divided into two week half blocks. In addition, you will have 12 to 16 weeks of individualized elective time. Second year residents are scheduled for two Saturday 24 hour call shifts each inpatient block, which means a total of two to four 24 hour calls over the entire year. 

When your scholarly activity project receives approval from our Institutional Review Board, you can choose to take a dedicated research elective to begin to gather and analyze data for your project. One of your electives may also be at an outside facility that has a fellowship program in your area of interest.  

Curriculum -PGY-3

Our PGY-3 expectations are in accordance with the University of Florida. In the third year, the resident should be capable of managing patients with virtually any routine or complicated condition and of supervising the PGY-1 and PGY-2 in their daily activities. The resident is responsible for coordinating the care of multiple patients on the team assigned. The PGY-3 can perform progressively more complex procedures under the direct (on-site) supervision of the faculty. It is expected that the third year resident be adept in the use of the literature and routinely demonstrate the ability to research selected topics and present these to the team. At the completion of the third year, the resident should be ready to practice pediatrics independently.

In your third year of residency, you will continue to play a supervisory role in the training and education of junior residents and medical students, as you prepare for independent practice or continued fellowship training. PGY-3 residents currently have the following experiences: one NICU block, one PICU block, one outpatient clinic block, and choice of one emergency medicine or one outpatient acute care clinic block. In addition, third year residents will complete four to eight weeks of inpatient pediatrics, and four to six weeks of night float divided into two week half blocks. You will have a total of 20 to 24 weeks of individualized elective time. Third year residents are scheduled for two Saturday 24 hour call shifts each inpatient block, which means a total of two to four 24 hour calls over the entire year.

Simulation: Residents will participate in regularly scheduled simulations as well as in-situ activities within our ER. These experiences will include hands-on procedures on state-of-the-art mannequins, communication and teamwork training, as well as conflict management. Our simulation training will ensure our residents are prepared for clinical practice.   

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