8 weeks
Clerkship Director
John Szymusiak, MD, MS, FAAP
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
szymusiakja@upmc.edu
Clerkship Director
Vildan Tas, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
tasv@upmc.edu
Clerkship Co-Director
Katharina Hayes, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
hayeskr2@upmc.edu
Course Description
This 8-week clerkship exposes students to ambulatory and inpatient pediatrics. The 4-week inpatient experience is comprised of 3-weeks with an inpatient Pediatric Hospital Medicine (generalist) team and 1-week on a sub-specialty team. The 4-week ambulatory experience provides exposure to primary, acute, complex, adolescent, and newborn care and pediatric behavioral health. Students also spend a week in the Pediatric Emergency Room as part of their outpatient week.
Students participate in all aspects of patient care and management, including performing histories and physical examinations; presenting patients in a family- and patient-centered manner; providing organized assessments and plans; and communicating in a professional manner with other members of the inter-professional staff, the clinical team, consultants, families, and patients. Students read the current literature and standard pediatric textbooks and complete on-line modules to understand childhood growth and development and major pediatric disease processes and therapies.
In addition, students attend conferences, didactic sessions, and participate in rounding with the clinical team. Students also present an evidence-based case conference to their peers.
Course Objectives
- Develop communication skills that will facilitate developmentally appropriate histories and effective clinical interactions with patients and families.
- Perform age and developmentally appropriate physical examinations in a child centered approach.
- Integrate clinical information from histories, physical examinations, and other available data, including basic science knowledge, to develop assessments and plans for pediatric patients with common acute and chronic medical conditions.
- Engage effectively and professionally with members of the health care team in the provision of patient care and recognize the role of the health care team in advocating for the health, well-being, and safety of children.
- Recognize the roles of culture, values, beliefs, and the social determinants of health in influencing health and wellness in children while demonstrating respect for the contribution of caregivers and interacting with families and patients in a professional manner.
- Obtain a developmentally appropriate history pertinent to the needs of patients and families, including a focused review of relevant portions of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Interview an adolescent patient using a standard structured interview technique to address sensitive issues that affect health and safety
- Be able to orally present information in a succinct, organized, and patient/family-centered manner
- Perform a comprehensive newborn physical exam
- Compare and contrast signs and symptoms of an acutely ill child requiring emergent care versus a stable child, based on history and physical exam findings
- Assess the behavioral and developmental level of a pediatric patient
- Identify that there are different nutritional needs based on age and health status
- Demonstrate knowledge necessary for the diagnosis and initial management of common pediatric concerns
- List characteristics of the history and physical examination that should trigger concern for possible adverse childhood experiences, including physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and neglect
- Recognize the role of the health care team in advocating for the health, well-being, and safety of children, including principles of prevention
- Recognize the role of culture, values, beliefs, and social determinants of health in influencing health and illness
- Engage effectively with children across the age and developmental spectrum
- Demonstrate respect for the contribution of caregivers
- Demonstrate an understanding of pediatric health care ethics
- Recognize and efficiently utilize community resources for children and their families
- Document accurately and efficiently the patients’ clinical course and status and provide a suggested plan of care for the patient that day in the form of a history and physical or daily progress note
- Describe therapeutic options and participate in the care of pediatric patients with common problems in the primary care and inpatient settings
- Develop the knowledge and exhibit the skills necessary to assist in the management of chronic diseases in the primary care and inpatient settings.
- Demonstrate commitment to life-long learning
Pediatric Clerkship - Clinical Conditions
- Fever
- Asthma
- Abdominal pain
- Health promotion and disease preventions
- Developmental concerns/abnormalities
- Cognitive impairment
- Infectious diseases
- Nutrition concerns/abnormalities
- Cough
- Obesity
- Electrolyte abnormality
- Rash
Evaluation
Evaluation of the clerkship is based quality of clinical work as determined by faculty and residents (65%), an NBME subject exam (30%), and administrative professionalism (5%).
Grading: The clerkship is graded Honors, High Satisfactory, Satisfactory, Low Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory.