OUR DIDACTICS

Morning Report:

Monday thru Thursday 7:30 - 8:00

Chief resident led case-based discussion in which upper level residents present interesting clinical cases and medical conundrums for the program to review and discuss.  The purpose of this conference is to enhance critical thinking and promote collegial discussions regarding diagnostic clues, evaluation, and novel treatment approaches.   It also highlights the incredibly diverse patient population and pathology that we see at our institution.

Morning Conference Series:

Friday Mornings 7:30 - 8:00

In addition to the case-based morning report, there are several additional series that work better in the early morning time slot.  These typically occur on Friday mornings, but we remain flexible to the needs of the program.   Below is a list of the series that occur in this time slot.

• Behavioral Health Update:  Led by our amazing pediatric psychology team, this lecture series focuses on common behavioral disturbances and anticipatory guidance.  As a pediatrician, our residents develop expertise to help guide families through difficult transitions and provide advice on common scenarios.  In the past this series was referred to as the “mommy talks” because some of the components hit on common questions such as potty training, discipline, sleep, social skills and development.

• Difficult Case Debrief: Led by our palliative care and ICU staff physicians, this conference series provides a forum for residents to debrief in a group setting.  Discussions range from complicated codes, difficult conversations, prolonged suffering, ethical dilemmas, or patient loss.   This is in addition to individual debriefs that occur in real time at the bedside or shortly thereafter emotionally charged events. 

• Board Review/Subject based boot camp: Resident led systematic review of core subject content with faculty support and facilitation.  This resident led didactic not only prepares our residents to do well on the boards but also allows resident to hone there teaching style in a group setting.

Intake Rounds

Daily 8:00 - 9:00

This is a unique conference in which the inpatient residents and staff dedicate an hour to reviewing all admissions to the children’s hospital over the last 24 hours.  This interactive conference allows for multispecialty discussion, consultation, and external review.  The conference is led by the most senior resident (Floor Chief) with attending facilitation and added pearls.   The residents relate the key salient points on presentation, review radiologic studies, and interpret lab results.   Residents and faculty collaborate to develop pointed differentials and review next steps in evaluation.  

Noon Conference:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (12:30 - 1:30)

This core didactic lecture series occurs daily for one hour and is focused on board relevant general topics that aid in the preparation for clinical practice as well as reinforce high yield topics commonly seen on the American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam.   The content is guided by ABP guidelines, internal in-service results, and resident feedback.   There is a rolling curriculum that is reevaluated yearly with the goal to ensure adequate content exposure for all residents over the course of their training.  Presentations are done by faculty with expertise in the area of focus.

• Acute Care Kick Off Series: Each academic year is kicked off with a lecture series geared toward common emergent/urgent issues that residents will likely encounter independently, enhancing resident familiarity and ensuring confidence with triage and initial management. 

• General Subject Focused Lectures: In depth presentations from key clinical faculty that blend clinical experience with evidence-based guidelines to ensure the highest quality of care of patients. 

• Resident as Teachers Workshops:   This series of lectures are focused on building the skills necessary to be an excellent medical educator.  We want to ensure that our residents have the skill to assist in the training of our medical students as well as develop into talented medical educators.  The lecture series is geared to toward resident staff but applicable to all levels of educators. 

• Ethics Curriculum Series:   Dedicated series led by Bioethics and ICU faculty focused on ethical issues in medicine, with a focus on the nuances and application in pediatric care.

• Palliative Care Series:  Series focused on symptom relief and quality of life discussions.  

• Wellness Initiatives:  Chief resident run series that concentrates on resident well-being, exposing residents to a variety of tools meant to allow for personal development and fulfillment.

• Simulation/Mock Codes:   Preparation is the key to success in emergency, emotionally charged clinical scenarios.  This series is designed to prepare the resident teams to manage a variety of emergent and/or life threatening events in a safe, controlled, and educational environment.

• Evidence Based Medicine/Journal Club: This monthly event includes a formal curriculum with designated faculty moderators. Residents work in teams to present and critically appraise current literature that impacts their practice, from systemic reviews to primary groundbreaking research.  

Grand Rounds:

Tuesday 12:30 - 1:30

Grand Rounds is a series of scheduled educational events for attending physicians, residents, medical students, and healthcare professionals that provides a forum to explore new developments in pediatric medicine.  The objective is to improve the care of children through evidence-based education.  The content of Grand Rounds will improve clinical competence in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood illness as well as promote childhood wellness.  The scope of topics are well rounded and include, but are not limited to clinical care (both general and subspecialty pediatric care) and medical education as well as clinical, basic science and translational research.  Emphasis is placed on multidisciplinary collaboration and individual content typically stimulates extensive scholarly discussions.

Morbidity and Mortality Conference: 

This series occurs every other month as part of the Pediatric Grand Round series.  Residents have become integral in the analysis and review of adverse events within the Pediatric Department.  In partnership with department leadership, quality officers, and faculty members, the M&M committee breaks down all aspects of the case in question.   Each case is presented in detail with an overview of pertinent literature, appropriate analysis (fishbone diagram), engaged audience discussion and development of plans for improvement.  All residents are given the opportunity to participate in an analysis at least once during the second year of training.  Those residents who are motivated to stay involved are encouraged to be part of the M&M committee and are part of the departmental presentations.  

Rotation Based Lecture Series: 

Our faculty enjoys teaching in both formal and informal settings.  Some individual core rotations have an embedded lecture series within the rotation to ensure a consistent exposure and comprehensive education.  These include but are not limited to the following:

• Continuity Lecture series

• Acute Care Lecture Series

• Newborn Nursery Coffee Talks

• ICU focused lectures (NICU and PICU)

• Afternoon sessions with Peds ID