Curriculum

Transport

Due to our large catchment area, senior residents often take “Transport” call during PICU or consult rotations. You will lead a multidisciplinary team to transport critically ill patients from community hospitals via ambulance or helicopter for admission to our PICU or ward floors. Transport call provides you varied learning opportunities:

• View community hospital resources and the management of ill patients
• Triage a patient’s needs
• Foster independence in managing critically ill patients in a multidisciplinary team (with RT and RN support)

International Rotations

Our third year residents attended the delivery of twins in Malamulo Adventist Hospital in Malawi

Senior residents travel to Loma Linda University Health’s international partner sites in Malawi and Guam. There, you’ll use your unique skills and talents to help patients in resource-poor countries. Residents are not only exposed to another culture, but also gain knowledge of different health systems and unique diseases. Further, you’ll learn to provide care with limited resources available. 

Many residents partake in these international rotations each year and return with enriched clinical skills and a new perspective on their clinical practice.

Mental Health Rotation

The Mental Health rotation provides interns the opportunity to build foundational skills in recognizing, evaluating, and managing common pediatric behavioral and mental health concerns, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Interns learn to use common mental health screening tools, develop initial management plans, and recognize when patients require urgent psychiatric evaluation or additional support.

Throughout the rotation, interns work alongside multidisciplinary teams, including social workers, child life specialists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, while gaining exposure to community-based mental health programs, family support services, and early intervention resources. They also participate in ride-alongs with local law enforcement to better understand community mental health crisis response and the important relationship between healthcare, first responders, and the communities we serve.

The rotation emphasizes family-centered communication, mental health advocacy, and understanding the social and community factors that influence the emotional well-being of children and families.

Mentorship

We understand that the transition from medical school to residency can often be challenging. Interns are paired with chief residents and third year seniors to smooth this progression. Resident mentors serve as resources to answer any questions, provide assistance with navigating new rotations. Mentors also act as a social conduit to establish collegiality between residents. 

Additionally, you’ll be paired with a faculty mentor to facilitate professional development. Faculty mentors serve as teaching resources and provide role models for our fledgling pediatricians.

Didactics and Educational Activities

Residents learn in a wide variety of formats — from clinical exposure to more structured conferences. 

Conferences are “protected time” from clinical duties in order to facilitate your learning. Examples of such conferences include: 

Morning Report: Case-based presentation with pertinent learning points presented by inpatient ward teams. In the clinic, morning report consists of evidence-based teaching by a senior resident answering a clinical question pertinent to outpatient pediatrics.
Noon conference: Faculty give presentations on their areas of expertise, covering nearly the entirety of the ABP Content specifications over an 18 month cycle. Lectures will be interactive, and include monthly Mock Codes as well.
Journal Club: Monthly series highlighting key components of evidence-based medicine relevant to subspecialty and general pediatrics.
Super Tuesday: Resident-led conferences where interesting cases are presented, leading to a dynamic discussion between residents and attending physicians. 
Grand Rounds: Presentations for the entire children's hospital, led by invited speakers, attending physicians, fellows or senior residents. Presentations cover varied topics, such as ground-breaking research to an in-depth case discussion. 

Wellness activities, such as Thankful Thursdays, are integrated into the noon conference schedule. You have the opportunity to provide feedback and ideas for program improvement during monthly house staff meetings led by Chief Residents. 

Sample Curriculum                                            

*Two months of outpatient clinic will consist of two weeks of ward night float each month (averages to about one month of ward night float during intern year)

** The 2 months of flex can be used as additional outpatient exposure or inpatient or 50/50.

*** An average of 5 nights of NICU night float within the months indicated (three months during intern year and three months during PL2/PL3 years)