Educational Activities

We are fortunate to have incredibly talented and dedicated faculty in our department, many of whom are nationally recognized for their educational expertise.  Although nothing can replace the importance of clinical experience, we feel that well-prepared didactics and team-based learning experiences have their place in potentiating education and training.  We therefore place a significant emphasis on formal educational opportunities as listed below.  Our teaching sessions are a hybrid model of in-person and learning to allow flexibility for residents and faculty.

Pediatric Intern Orientation

Following hospital-wide GME orientation, pediatric residents participate in program specific orientation activities designed to prepare interns for their new physician role.  Interns participate in learning sessions surrounding hand-offs, rounding, and other basic skills.  Orientation includes an “Intern Boot Camp” during which interns work in teams to manage simulated cases and practice procedural skills to prepare for their first days on the wards and in clinics.

Pediatric Professor Rounds

Professor Rounds consists of an interactive case presentation, followed by a brief didactic session. These are presented by the faculty, chief resident, residents, or senior medical students and are attended by house staff, medical students, and faculty. Audience participation is encouraged. Each case is related to topics on the ABP General Pediatrics Content outline and ends with a Board-style question.

Pediatric Resident Educational Conference Series

This is a comprehensive lecture series designed as a rotating curriculum with sessions led by a wide variety of faculty, including local community pediatricians and pediatric surgical subspecialists, to provide residents with a wide-ranging education around pediatric topics.

Pediatric Board Review

In addition to the Pediatric Professor Rounds described above, we have weekly board review sessions with one of our faculty members.  This series is optional but is well attended and is greatly appreciated by residents.

Pediatric Primary Care Curriculum

These conferences take place in resident continuity clinics, attended by each continuity clinic preceptor and resident team. Topics are drawn from a three-year rotating curriculum covering the many aspects of pediatric primary care.

Pediatric Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds includes a variety of topics presented by our own faculty as well as by many visiting speakers from the national and international pediatric community. They are attended by medical students, house staff, faculty, and many other members of our pediatric community.

Integrated Mental Health Curriculum

Pediatricians often manage mental and behavioral health of patients and families in a variety of settings.  Our goal is to train pediatric providers who are able to aptly provide initial management steps for common mental and behavioral health conditions.  Each clinical rotation is required to incorporate mental health into resident learning opportunities.  In the Mind Body Buddy program, pediatric residents are paired with fellows from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry program to learn from each other by sharing knowledge and experiences.

Evidence Based Medicine Journal Club

With guidance from faculty members, residents present and discuss current articles from the literature, focusing on study design and statistical methods with an emphasis on studying and adopting evidence-based medicine.

Procedures and Skills Sessions

Residents are given the opportunity to practice hands-on procedural skills in simulated opportunities throughout the year led by faculty from the pediatric, emergency medicine, and surgical departments. Examples of training topics in these sessions include central line placement, thoracentesis, ultrasound usage, and airway management.

Pediatric Mock Codes

These sessions are prepared and led by faculty within the divisions of Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care. Each block residents participate in a mock code session in the Emergency Department.  During their NICU rotations, residents also partake in simulation to practice code situations.  Quarterly, small groups of residents practice simulated cases with PICU faculty in dedicated afternoon sessions. 

Perinatology Conference

Attended by NICU team, High-Risk Obstetrics team, and Pediatric Pathologist, this conference features Obstetric and NICU presentations of recent deliveries with focus on pathophysiology.  Residents are welcome to attend all neonatal fellowship didactics as well.

Residents as Teachers

Pediatric residents at the UVM Children’s Hospital are also Clinical Instructors at the University of Vermont Robert J. Larner College of Medicine and are an indispensable part of the teaching of medical students.  Sessions on medical education are held during teaching sessions throughout the year.  Residents are welcome to participate in the “Residents and Students as Teachers” week-long elective course which occurs twice yearly.  Residents interested in medical education are eligible to participate in the Teaching Academy to build their teaching portfolio.

TalkVermont

All pediatric residents complete training sessions hosted by TalkVermont.  These multi-disciplinary conferences focus on communication techniques around serious illness and goals of care.  Residents are allowed the opportunity to practice conversational skills in these areas in small groups with standardized patients.