Rotations

Our program highlights an actively evolving curriculum to meet the needs of all training pediatricians and children. We use a living document curriculum map to keep a bird’s eye view of the experiential and didactic curriculum as we add, modify, and replace topics based on resident needs.

We strive to maintain a challenging, broad, and customizable experience that meets the core experiences required of pediatricians while serving to advance individual interests and career paths.

Sample Schedule

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7
White/Elective Mole CPAAX I PEM Endo Hem/Onc NICU
Block 8 Block 9 Block 10 Block 11 Block 12 Block 13
CC/Elec White NNN Blue Red GI

10 Weeks – General Inpatient Teams (Red and White Teams)

  • Red Team (4 weeks): Inpatient service for general pediatric hospitalist medicine, nephrology, and cardiology
  • White Team (6 weeks): Inpatient service for general pediatric hospitalist medicine, and gastroenterology
  • Both Red and White teams care for children admitted with neurological and infectious disease concerns
  • Medical teams may include fellows on hospitalist medicine, endocrinology, and infectious disease services and nurse practitioners on gastroenterology

4 Weeks – Inpatient Pulmonary and Endocrine Team (Blue Team)

  • Pulmonary and endocrine inpatient service for general and intermediate care patients
  • Care of pulmonary patients of various complexities. Patients are often dependent on various degrees of mechanical ventilation. Diagnoses include, but are not limited to, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis, congenital pulmonary malformations and bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  • Medical team includes fellows

4 Weeks – Hematology/Oncology Team

  • Inpatient management of patients with various malignancies and hematologic conditions
  • Oncologic admissions include new oncologic diagnoses, scheduled chemotherapy, fever with neutropenia and bone marrow transplant
  • Hematologic service provides care for patients with sickle cell anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, hereditary and severe anemias, as well as other hematologic conditions
  • Medical team includes nurse practitioners and fellows

4 Weeks – Endocrinology

  • Subspecialty rotation focused primarily in endocrinology clinic although also involves endocrine consults
  • Evaluation of patients with abnormal growth and puberty, obesity and its complications, diabetes mellitus, adrenal disorders, thyroid disorders, and other endocrinopathies
  • Endocrinology fellow on service with residents

4 Weeks – Inpatient Night Float (Mole) 

  • Nighttime care of all patients admitted to the Red, White and Blue teams
  • Intake and management of new patients admitted to these services overnight
  • Attendings are not in-house, but available by phone as needed

4 Weeks – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) 

  • Management of all levels of NICU infants
  • Admissions include premature and extremely premature infants and their related complications, newborns with acute medical conditions or birth complications, and infants with congenital malformations or genetic conditions and feeders and growers
  • Medical team includes fellows, newborn hospitalists, and nurse practitioners
  • Team located at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital

4 Weeks – Normal Newborn Nursery (NNN) 

  • Management of infants in the newborn nursery
  • Residents provide resuscitation needed during C-section deliveries or higher acuity vaginal births, conduct newborn consultations and performance of circumcisions
  • Team located at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital

4 Weeks – Emergency Medicine (PEM) 

  • Resident works multiple shifts in the pediatric section of the UW Hospital Emergency Department (Level I Trauma Center), alongside emergency medicine residents and faculty who have specialized in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Weekly training in the Simulation Center

4 Weeks – Gastroenterology (GI) 

  • Residents have the opportunity to observe gastroenterology-related procedures, such as endoscopic biopsies and colonoscopies

4 Weeks – CPAAX I

  • CPAX = Community Pediatric Advocacy and Ambulatory eXperience
  • Longitudinal rotation for intern and PL-3 residents with dedicated time to start and develop an advocacy project
  • Includes time at a federally qualified health center (Access Community Health Center Erdmann Clinic)
  • Engagement with various community programs and advocacy services. These include, but are not limited to: Planned Parenthood, legal services for low-income patients, juvenile detention center medical care, observation of lobbying for legislation at the State Capitol, Birth-to-Three, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) programs

4 Weeks – Elective 

  • Resident’s choice of an elective experience

1 Week – Continuity Clinic Intensive (CC) 

  • 1 week devoted to becoming familiar with the resident’s assigned continuity clinic site and staff
  • Example activities include shadowing medical assistants and nurses, participating in phone triage, and administering vaccines

Weekly Continuity Clinic 

  • 1 half-day per week in dedicated continuity clinic
  • Intermittent weekend coverage at the Newborn Follow-Up clinic at Union Corners

For Global Health Track Participants: 2 weeks Global Health Fundamentals (elective slots)

  • Multidisciplinary teaching and simulation of various topics pertinent to global health. Examples include case reviews, cultural sensitivity training, legal and ethical considerations, infectious disease, etc.
  • Project development with a local non-governmental organization serving the local-global community

Sample Schedule

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7
Adol Elec PICU B&D Flex/Swing BUC SS Blue Sr
Block 8 Block 9 Block 10 Block 11 Block 12 Block 13
PICU SS NICU Elec Hem/Onc Sr PEM

10 Weeks – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) 

  • Inpatient care of patients with a variety of high-acuity pediatric conditions
  • Two team system:
    • Team A: General critical care conditions
    • Team B: Post-op cardiac surgery patients and patients with congenital heart disease
  • 8 weeks of PICU and 2 weeks of PICU Flex
  • Medical team includes fellows and nurse practitioners

4 Weeks – Hematology/Oncology Service 

  • Supervision of one to two interns
  • Oncologic admissions include new oncologic diagnoses, scheduled chemotherapy, fever with neutropenia, and bone marrow transplant
  • Hematologic service provides care for patients with sickle cell anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, hereditary and severe anemias, and other hematologic conditions
  • Medical team includes nurse practitioners and fellows

4 Weeks – Inpatient Pulmonary and Endocrine Team (Blue Team) 

  • Supervision of one to two interns
  • Pulmonary and endocrine inpatient service for general and intermediate care patients
  • Care of pulmonary patients of various complexities. Patients are often dependent on various degrees of mechanical ventilation. Diagnoses include, but are not limited to, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis, congenital pulmonary malformations and bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  • Medical team includes nurse practitioner and fellows

4 Weeks – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 

  • Management of all levels of NICU infants
  • Admissions include premature and extremely premature infants and their related complications, newborns with acute medical conditions or birth complications, and infants with congenital malformations or genetic conditions, and feeders and growers
  • Residents may have the opportunity to work at the Surgical NICU at the American Family Children’s Hospital
  • The rotation is comprised of 2 weeks of days and 2 weeks of nights
  • Medical team includes fellows, newborn hospitalists, and nurse practitioners
  • Team located at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital

2 Weeks – Individualized Learning Time 

  • Time for resident to choose individualized experiences based on interests and specific educational needs and goals
  • Examples of experiences include: working additional continuity clinics, observing cardiac surgeries/procedures, practicing simulation, attending subspecialty clinics/conferences and working on academic projects

4 Weeks – Adolescent Medicine (Adol) 

4 Weeks – Behavior and Development (B&D) 

  • Residents evaluate patients at UW Waisman Center clinics, which are dedicated to issues related to pediatric development, behavior, and disability
  • Clinics include Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Developmental Neuromotor Clinic and Developmental Consultation Clinic/NICU Follow-Up Clinic
  • Residents also spend time at the ADHD Clinic at UW Health Union Corners Clinic
  • Residents complete an evidenced-based medicine presentation as part of this rotation

8 Weeks – Subspecialty Team (SS) 

  • Two 4-week rotations of subspecialty rotations (Cardiology, Infectious Disease, Neurology/Genetics, or Nephrology). Residents will complete each of the subspecialties at some point during their residency training to ensure a broad-based educational experience
  • Residents participate in outpatient clinics, inpatient consult, subspecialty teaching rounds and conferences

8 Weeks – Elective 

  • Resident’s choice of elective experience

4 Weeks – Emergency Medicine (PEM) 

  • Resident works multiple shifts in the pediatric section of the UW Hospital Emergency Department (Level I Trauma Center), alongside emergency medicine residents and faculty who have specialized in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Weekly training in the Simulation Center

2 Weeks – Swing Backup (Swing BUC)

  • Combination of afternoon swing shifts on inpatient services and backup call
  • Individualized time for additional clinical experiences, scholarly project work, and teaching

Weekly Continuity Clinic 

  • One half-day per week in designated continuity clinic

Nights/Call 

  • Residents work weekend nights on both the general pediatric services as well as the NICU
  • Residents are “on call” approximately one to two times per week during elective and subspecialty months to cover any required patient care shifts if a colleague is ill (“sick call”).

For Global Health Track Participants: 2 weeks Global Health Fundamentals (elective slots)

  • Multidisciplinary teaching and simulation of various topics pertinent to global health. Examples include case reviews, cultural sensitivity training, legal and ethical considerations, infectious disease, etc.
  • Project development with a local non-governmental organization serving the local-global community

Sample Schedule

Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4 Block 5 Block 6 Block 7
Elec SS Flex
Night Hawk
Elec White Sr SS NICU
Block 8 Block 9 Block 10 Block 11 Block 12 Block 13
CPAAX II Mole Sr Elec
Night Hawk
Red Sr PEM SS

1-2 Weeks – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Nights (Flex) 

  • Inpatient care of patients with a variety of high acuity pediatric conditions, including post-operative cardiac surgery patients and patients with congenital heart disease
  • Medical team includes fellows

8 Weeks – Inpatient Teams (Red and White Teams) 

  • Senior resident leading teams of two interns and medical students including acting interns
  • Red Team (4 weeks): Inpatient service for general pediatric hospitalist medicine, nephrology, and cardiology
  • White Team (4 weeks): Inpatient service for general pediatric hospitalist medicine, and gastroenterology
  • Both Red and White teams care for children admitted with neurological and infectious disease concerns 
  • Medical teams may include fellows on hospitalist medicine, endocrinology, and infectious disease services and nurse practitioners on gastroenterology

4 Weeks – Inpatient Night Float (Mole) 

  • Overnight care of all patients admitted to the Red, White, and Blue teams
  •  Senior residents supervising 1-2 interns and medical students including acting interns
  •  Intake and management of new patients admitted overnight
  • Attendings are not in-house, but they are available by phone as needed

4 Weeks – Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) 

  • Management of all levels of NICU infants
  • Admissions include premature and extremely premature infants and their related complications, newborns with acute medical conditions or birth complications, infants with congenital malformations or genetic conditions, and feeders and growers
  • Residents may have the opportunity to work at the Surgical NICU at the American Family Children’s Hospital
  • The rotation is comprised of 2 weeks of days and 2 weeks of nights
  • Medical team includes fellows, NICU hospitalists, and nurse practitioners
  • Team located at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital

4 Weeks – Emergency Medicine (PEM) 

  • Resident works multiple shifts in the pediatric section of the UW Hospital Emergency Department (Level I Trauma Center), alongside emergency medicine residents and faculty who have specialized in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Weekly training in the Simulation Center

4 weeks – CPAAX II

  • Second half of CPAAX = Community Pediatric Advocacy and Ambulatory eXperience
  • Improve general pediatric clinical skills through continuity clinic sessions, urgent care shifts, exposure to outpatient therapy and behavioral health services, and learning modules/activities targeted toward key outpatient pediatric knowledge and skills
  • Work with the behavioral psychologist embedded in the 20 S. Park Pediatric clinic, to gain exposure to this practice model and to learn brief intervention techniques for common behavioral and mental health issues
  • Billing and coding module
  • Sessions on clinical reasoning: cognitive biases and comfort with diagnostic uncertainty

2-4 Weeks – Hematology/Oncology Service Nights (Night Hawk) 

  • Overnight management of patients admitted to the hematology/oncology service. 
  • Medical team may include on-call fellows. 
  • Fellows and attendings are not in-house, but are available by phone if needed. 
  • Triage and manage overnight outpatient GPAM phone calls. 

12 Weeks – Subspecialty Team (SS) 

  • Three 4-week rotations of subspecialty areas (Cardiology, Infectious Disease, Neurology/Genetics, or Nephrology). Residents will complete each of the subspecialties at some point during their residency training to ensure a broad-based educational experience
  • Residents participate in outpatient clinics, inpatient consult, subspecialty teaching rounds and conferences

10-12 Weeks – Elective Time 

  • Resident’s choice of elective experience

Weekly Continuity Clinic 

  • One half-day per week in designated continuity clinic

Nights/Call 

  • Residents work weekend nights on both the general pediatric services as well as the NICU
  • Residents are “on call” approximately one to two times per week during elective and subspecialty months to cover any required patient care shifts if a colleague is ill (“sick call”).

For Global Health Track Participants: 2 weeks Global Health Fundamentals (elective slots)

  • Multidisciplinary teaching and simulation of various topics pertinent to global health. Examples include case reviews, cultural sensitivity training, legal and ethical considerations, infectious disease, etc.
  • Project development with a local non-governmental organization serving the local-global community