The third year Core Pediatric and Adolescent Clerkship will provide the student with broad exposure to both the inpatient and ambulatory aspects of general pediatric care.  There are four components to the clerkship.

Preparatory Week

We will begin by defining the expectations and reviewing important procedural components and resources that students will be expected to utilize throughout the rotation.  Week one will focus primarily on the Well Child Care, Fluids and Electrolytes, and issues unique to the newborn and adolescent period.  Additional didactic teaching will include orientation to Bronson Children’s Hospital and EPIC, the role of parent and how it effects the doctor/patient relationship in caring for children. 

We will spend time on Thursday developing critical thinking skills and discuss differential diagnosis in the child.

We will utilize CLIPP cases in CBL events and other teaching resources in small group discussions.  

We plan to utilize the Sim Center to practice pediatric technical skills and practice clinical skills with newborn and adolescent cases. 

All students will gather on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon for plenary sessions involving the entire third year class. 

Three weeks of Ambulatory Pediatrics

Placements are in the community or the WMed General Pediatric Clinic.

Main tasks of the rotation are accomplished through observation of doctor patient, doctor family and doctor staff interactions, and when appropriate, patient and family interviewing and physical examination.  Discussion of cases with the medical students may not always occur at the time of patient care in the private practice setting, but students will have an opportunity to learn through teaching that is directed to the patients and their caregivers.

Goals of the ambulatory component are:

Introduce the learner to the basis for well child care (growth, development, nutrition, safety, anticipatory guidance) and how these tasks change throughout maturation

Introduce the learner to common pediatric illness and disease processes

Utilizes COMSEP’s national pediatric third year curriculum

Content is supplemented by CLIPP cases and independent learning

Three weeks of Inpatient Pediatrics

One week of inpatient pediatrics days (7a-6p).

One week of inpatient evenings (2p-midnight).

One weekend inpatient call day (7 am – 6 pm, Saturday or Sunday of inpatient days week).

One week of caring for the newborn – this experience will include the following elements:   

Time spent on the mother baby unit involved in patient care during the daytime (3 days)

Time spent on night call, working with the supervising resident. (2 nights) 
 Goals of the inpatient component are as follow:

Introduce the learner to common conditions and how to recognize when inpatient care is required.

Instruct the learner on the transition from fetus to newborn and normal infant physiology.

Enhance development of differential diagnostic skills.

Improve history taking and physical examination skills.

Familiarize the learner with working as part of a healthcare team.

Provide knowledge of what is required for safe discharge from the inpatient setting.

Utilize COMSEP national pediatric third year curriculum.

Content is supplemented by CLIPP cases and independent learning.

Synthesis and Assessment Week

The week will begin with OSCE assessments on Monday morning.

Consolidation of diagnostic and management skills and relate pediatric clinical content to basic science principles.  Methods may include CLIPP cases, CBL format and/or case reviews focusing on management of common pediatric illnesses.

All students gather on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon for Plenary sessions.

Summative cognitive assessment, NBME Pediatric Shelf Test, on Friday afternoon, beginning at 1 pm.