Pediatric Primary Care Track

Three Year Schedule

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Primary Care Track of the Pediatric Residency Program provides a rigorous three-year training schedule that involves inpatient and inpatient experiences as follows:

The First Year

The primary care track emphasizes a range of pediatric experiences. The first year of the Primary Care Track at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center emphasizes a broad range of pediatric experience in both outpatient and inpatient settings. PL-I’s are responsible for the care of patients admitted to them and takes an active role in developing diagnostic and treatment plans. While on call for the five months of inpatient wards and one month of newborn, interns are the first to evaluate and initiate therapy in patients admitted to their service. Senior residents are in-house and readily available to provide back-up and to answer questions.

The outpatient experience during the first year is largely spent in a community private pediatric practice (two months), one of which is the continuity clinic site. During the block month at the continuity site, the resident spends two half days per week in the Child Psychology Department and the remaining eight half days seeing patients in the continuity clinic. During the month at the continuity site, the resident takes every 4th night call on a general pediatric inpatient team. The block month at a private practice location is night call free.

Throughout the first year, the resident spends one afternoon per week at the continuity site. In addition, the intern has rotations in the Emergency Department and the acute care, pediatric walk-in clinic. A two-week rotation in child advocacy offers the intern the opportunity to plan and implement a child advocacy project which will continue as a part of the continuity clinic experience over the three years of the program.

The Second Year

During the second year of the Primary Care Track at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, emphasis is placed on continued development of clinical skills in both primary care areas and specialty areas. A full month is spent at the Continuity Clinic site with some night call as well as one afternoon per week throughout the year. Residents also spend a second afternoon per week at their continuity site during some rotations.

During the block month at the continuity site, four half days are spent each week at four specialty clinics (chronic care, child abuse, neurology, and asthma/allergy) and six half days seeing patients in the continuity clinic. Residents may have limited night call and/or jeopardy call during the month.

Other outpatient rotations include specialty clinics, Emergency Department, developmental/behavioral pediatrics or adolescent medicine, and electives. Inpatient rotations include GI, PICU, NICU, night float, patient consult team, and two senioring months.

The Third Year

During the third year of the Pediatric Primary Care Track at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, residents assume an active leadership role. During the two senioring months, third year residents are directly responsible for supervising patient care and providing education for interns and medical students. Inpatient rotations include the pediatric and newborn intensive care units, community newborn nursery, and two months of senioring (one inpatient and one outpatient).

Continued emphasis is placed on outpatient medicine with one afternoon per week at the continuity site and a one-month block at the Continuity Clinic site, including up to four specialty clinics of the resident’s choice per week, similar to the second year. As in the second year, during some rotations, a second afternoon per week is spent in the continuity clinic.

Other outpatient rotations include adolescent medicine or developmental pediatrics, the Emergency Department, senior OPA, and specialty clinics as electives. In addition, programs are presented during the third year of residency which assist with career planning, office management, and administrative skills.