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Pediatric Residency Program
Our Pediatric Training
We are blessed in our program with an amazing faculty of world-renowned clinicians and researchers in both general pediatrics and every pediatric subspecialty, who are also incredibly gifted and dedicated teachers. Faculty and residents have a close and collegial relationship, with less emphasis on the traditional hierarchical structure of academic medicine. Our schedule offers an enormous variety of clinical experiences, including a popular rural rotation during which residents choose a pediatric practice in the mountains or other community outside Denver in which to train for a month.
We are committed to keeping education the main emphasis of all service responsibilities. We are also committed to a balance between residency and outside life; residents in all three years have several months per year free of overnight call, and only 3-4 months per year of q4 call. This schedule allows our residents to spend needed time with family and friends, and to enjoy Colorado.
Yearly Schedules
Teaching Conferences
Combined Programs and Alternative Tracks
Subspecialties
Beyond Clinical Training
Morning Report
Yearly Schedules
UH = University of Colorado Hospital
DH = Denver Health
TCH = The Children's Hospital
First Year
(Weekly Continuity Clinic) |
Second Year
(Weekly Continuity Clinic) |
Third Year
(Weekly Continuity Clinic) |
| DH Ward/PICU |
TCH PICU |
International Elective |
| TCH Ward Night Team (1 Week Vacation) |
Clinic |
UH NICU Supervisor |
| Adolescent Medicine |
Elective |
TCH Ward Night Team Supervisor (1 Week Vacation) |
| Elective (1 Week Vacation) |
DH Well Baby |
Elective |
| TCH Ward Day Team |
Elective (1 Week Vacation) |
DH Ward/PICU Supervisor |
| UH NICU |
Hem-Onc
|
TCH Ward Day Team Supervisor |
| TCH Ward Night Team (1 Week Vacation) |
TCH Ward Night Team Supervisor (1 Week Vacation) |
Elective
(1 Week Vacation) |
| Clinic |
TCH Emergency |
TCH Emergency |
| TCH Ward Day Team |
Rural |
DH Emergency |
| Behavior & Development |
Elective
(1 Week Vacation) |
TCH PICU |
| TCH Ward Day Team |
TCH Ward Day Team Supervisor |
Clinic Supervisor |
| DH Emergency |
TCH PICU |
Elective (1 Week Vacation) |
The above are representative schedules - these may vary.
Teaching Conferences
Several formal conferences each day are presented to optimize residents’ educational experience. In addition, attendings, fellows, and senior residents offer teaching points at the bedside throughout morning rounds. Fellows contribute greatly to resident education while still permitting residents primary responsibility for all patients; they function more as junior attendings than as super-residents. It should be noted that only residents are permitted to write orders.
Morning Report
From 7:30-8:00 am each day, a second- or third-year resident presents an unusual or difficult case to assembled students, residents, and faculty. The differential diagnosis, work-up, and management of the patient are then discussed on a high level by residents and faculty. Morning Report, also known as Supervisor’s Conference, is a long-standing tradition in our program and engenders great enthusiasm and participation from the senior faculty.
Noon Conference
Each day from 12:00-1:00 pm, students and residents gather for a lecture on a core pediatric topic given by a member of the faculty. The talks are broadcast to Denver Health, and residents at University Hospital are expected to hand off their pagers and make the walk across the street to Children’s to attend. This conference also provides the forum for resident lectures, each given one Tuesday per month: Journal Club, presented by our interns; Intern Report, a case presentation; Supervisor Conference, a case-driven topical conference given by senior residents; and Morbidity & Mortality, given by the chief resident. On Fridays from September-May, Noon Conference is replaced by department-wide Grand Rounds.
Combined Programs and Alternative Tracks
Pediatrics/Physical Medicine & Rehab
The American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation offer a joint program whereby physicians interested in specialty certification in Pediatrics and PM&R can qualify for admission to the certification examination of both Boards. The University of Colorado Denver and The Children's Hospital are proud to be one of only seven such programs in the United States. The Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine program offers a broad, comprehensive range of clinical inpatient and ambulatory services for children and adolescents with congenital or acquired disabilities. Research interests include cerebral palsy, neuromuscular diseases, traumatic brain injury, myelodysplasia, amputations, and gait and motion analysis.
Usual completion time for the program is five years. Interested applicants should apply to each program separately; there is one combined slot per year. Please visit the PM&R Residency website for more information.
Child Neurology
The University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and The Children’s Hospital offer a three-year residency in child neurology, which follows two years of pediatric residency or equivalent training. Interested applicants apply to both the pediatric residency program and the child neurology program separately.
Child neurology residents spend their first year working on the adult neurology service, followed by two years of pediatric neurology. These two years are evenly divided between clinical and basic science rotations, and are designed to give residents experience the subspecialties of neuropathology, electroencephalography, neuromuscular disease, neurosurgery, genetics, metabolic disorders, and child development. For more information, please visit the Child Neurology Residency website.
General Pediatrics Educational Pathway
We offer a specialized curriculum designed to provide comprehensive education and career guidance in general pediatric health maintenance and promotion, and to facilitate interest in careers in general pediatrics and pediatric advocacy. This pathway is not exclusive, and residents are allowed to start at any time during their three years. The program offers specialized mentoring, research opportunities, a second half day per week of clinic during electives, and special rotations in order to create leaders in general pediatrics.
American Board of Pediatrics Special Alternative Pathway
The American Board of Pediatrics offers a special pathway that allows a limited number of residents to enter subspecialty training after completion of the PL-2 year. Before the start of the PL-2 year, the resident, along with the Department Chair or Program Director, must petition the ABP to enter the special alternative pathway. The Department of Pediatrics is committed to supporting residents who wish to apply for this special pathway, and we will work with the resident to plan the subspecialty training and to petition the ABP.
American Board of Pediatrics Integrated Research Pathway
Individuals may apply for this pathway before entering residency or during the first nine months of the PL-1 year. This pathway is open to individuals with the PhD degree or others who demonstrate equivalent prior research experience. The training in most instances will include 24 months of pediatric clinical rotations and up to 12 months of integrated research time. This pathway is designed to attract physician-scientists.
American Board of Pediatrics Accelerated Research Pathway
This program is designed to accommodate candidates committed to an academic career as a physician-scientist. Candidates must apply no later than nine months into the PL-1 year. This pathway includes two years of pediatric training followed by four years of subspecialty training. There is no requirement for prior research training.
Subspecialties
For residents interested in subspecialty practice, our program offers the opportunity to spend a half day per week working in a specialty clinic or on a research project during elective months in the second and third years. Please visit our subspecialty websites for more information about each discipline’s clinical training, research focus, and faculty.
Adolescent Medicine
Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology
Cardiology
Child Abuse and Neglect
Child Neurology
Clinical Genetics and Metabolism
Community Pediatrics
Critical Care Medicine
Dermatology
Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
Emergency Medicine
Endocrinology
Epidemiology
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
General Academic Pediatrics
Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation
Infectious Diseases
Neonatology
Nephrology
Nutrition
Pulmonology
Beyond Clinical Training
Research
Opportunities for Resident Research (ORR) is our program of clinical and laboratory investigation by residents. Each resident is expected to participate in a scholarly project during the three years of residency training. This can include a basic or clinical research project, or another educational endeavor as approved by the Program Director. The program helps residents to identify a research mentor, who then assists the resident with project design. Residents are allowed to use a portion of their elective time, and/or use a half day per week during electives, to work on their research. Most residents who pursue a research opportunity are able to submit a manuscript and/or present at a national meeting, and the program funds resident travel for this purpose. For more information, visit the Opportunities in Resident Research web page.
Advocacy
Child advocacy is a key component of the mission of The Children's Hospital. There are two electives that focus on advocacy. Legislative Advocacy provides an overview of Children’s involvement in pediatric legislative efforts. This elective is offered each year during the four-month session of the Colorado State Legislature, and residents are encouraged to participate actively in the legislative process. In addition, the Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention elective allows residents to become part of Children’s Child Protection Team, part of the nationally-known Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. Finally, a new advocacy curriculum, designed by residents, has been integrated into the Behavior and Development rotation. Through this curriculum, residents learn more about the pediatrician’s role as an advocate, and design and complete an advocacy initiative.
Teaching
Among the many roles and responsibilities that may be new to interns is the expectation to teach students, colleagues, and patients. Beyond providing excellent faculty role models, formal training in teaching is given to residents in the form of a half-day retreat as well as an available teaching elective. Dr. Jenny Soep, Pediatric Clerkship Director and Dr. Robin Deterding, Associate Dean for Clinical Core Curriculum, work directly with residents who are especially interested in education as it relates to a future career.
International Health
Because we believe that international experiences are extremely valuable to residents’ clinical training, we offer the International Child Health Elective, a one-month rotation in Peru, Ecuador, or Guatemala. Residents travel together in groups of two or three to an established site, and train with residents in the hosting country. They have the opportunity to be immersed in another culture and experience medical practice in an entirely different environment. Opportunities to visit many other countries are also available through faculty contacts.
 
Medical Spanish
Our program runs a weekly course in medical Spanish throughout the summer, taught by bilingual residents. The course is designed to help all residents develop basic language skills, become more culturally aware, and become skilled in using interpreter services. While one cannot become proficient in a new language in this time, residents learn how to negotiate language and cultural barriers. Many residents do find that they are proficient in basic medical and conversational Spanish by the end of the training program.
Retreats
Each class has four half-day retreats each year, addressing such topics as cultural competency, teaching, practice management, and fellowship/job applications. In addition, the intern class has a retreat in Breckenridge every September, during which the new class is able to continue to bond, discuss their experiences so far, and enjoy the mountains. Finally, the PL-2 class goes on an outdoor retreat each year just prior to becoming PL-3s to prepare for their year of supervising, discuss questions and aspirations for the year with the new chiefs, and spend a day off together.
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