Primary Care Experiences for Pediatric Residents
Continuity Care Experiences
Residents’ most important primary care experiences are in their Continuity Clinics, where they develop a panel of families for whom they provide care over the three years of their residency training. This is the setting where residents learn about the practice of biopsychosocial care in the context of providing well-child care, developmental screening, child safety education, disease prevention, and long-term management of children with chronic diseases. They also practice the basic skills of the primary care pediatrician, such as interviewing and building rapport with parents and patients, providing anticipatory guidance, conducting efficient histories and physical exams, and monitoring immunizations. In Continuity Clinic, they learn to work closely with a whole team of primary care providers: general pediatricians, nurse practitioners, social workers and psychologists, physical therapists, and other providers who help to manage the health of children. Each continuity clinic session begins with a resident-led teaching session on a topic derived from the Yale Pediatric Primary Care curriculum. Over the course of the year, this curriculum covers many aspects of both well and acute pediatric care.
Illness Clinic Rotations
Residents also learn general pediatrics in the Illness Clinic, where they see children who have current symptoms requiring same-day care or who need follow-up for illness or injury. This experience helps residents learn about a wide variety of childhood diseases, evaluate undiagnosed children with active illness, make referral decisions, and practice how to provide efficient care in a high acuity, high volume setting. During the Illness Clinic rotation, residents and students participate in twice-weekly morning educational conferences. During these sessions, trainees cover a set curriculum of general pediatric complaints and have the opportunity to discuss recent patient presentations and management.
Inpatient Experiences
General pediatricians also take care of children in the hospital, and in this setting, we engage both residents and medical students in teaching by example during bedside rounding, where we model patient-centered medical care by including families in the learning process.
Other Primary Care Learning Opportunities
The residency curriculum offers teaching sessions through the year on important clinical topics in pediatrics, including primary care. All residents are expected to attend a daily noon conferences that cover all of the American Board of Pediatric content specifications, as well as case-based morning reports and weekly evidence based medicine conferences.
For more information on the curriculum, go to: Pediatrics Residency Program
Pediatric Links with the Community (PLC)
The Pediatric Links with the Community Program (PLC), founded in 1996 by Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski in the Division of General Pediatrics, is a partnership between the University of Rochester Medical Center and over 50 community-based agencies that serve children and their families. The PLC aims to “inspire and enable health care professionals to participate in community-based partnerships, evidence-based programs, and advocacy to improve the health of children and families.” Residents and students learn first-hand about critical community factors affecting child health, while interacting with medical and non-medical providers. The Pediatric Links with the Community/Child Advocacy Resident Education Program sponsors the PLC-CARE track, which gives pediatric residents intensive experiences in community advocacy projects in the Greater Rochester Area, as well as extra time providing continuity care to ambulatory pediatric patients.
Primary Care Track
Residents who plan to specialize in the delivery of pediatric primary care often choose to enter the Primary Care Track, a popular track in the training program since the 1970s. The resident chooses to work with a primary care preceptor for ½ day per week over two years, in addition to their required ½ day in continuity clinic. These residents build a panel of patients and develop experience through direct patient care for well and ill children, including children with acute, chronic, and recurrent illnesses. Residents can round with a primary care preceptor on inpatients and newborns, cover telephone calls for the office practice, and through these experiences learn about office management and practitioners' roles in the community.