Clinical Education Program Training Goals

The residency training program has two major educational goals:

To prepare physicians for the independent practice of pediatrics in today's health care environment. We are committed to train highly competent pediatric generalists who are capable of handling more than 90% of problems encountered in practice settings.

To prepare physicians for careers as life long self-learners. This reflects our commitment to develop physicians who are comfortable with evidence-based clinical care, a practice paradigm that integrates principles of clinical epidemiology with skills in medical informatics to permit more valid and reliable decision-making at the bedside.

The training program emphasizes progressive responsibility both for the maintenance of the health of children and the direct care of patients with medical, psychiatric, or surgical illnesses in a structured, supervised, and intellectually stimulating milieu. The program also recognizes the importance of acquiring a working knowledge of modern computer-based information technology in order to develop the skills of critical appraisal of medical information requisite for the effective practice of evidence-based clinical care.

The program focuses its teaching efforts on interactive instruction at the bedside and in the classroom in order to maximize the potential of each trainee to achieve individualized career goals. Because providing care for patients with rare or complex diseases often requires input from multiple health care professionals with different levels of expertise, the program stresses the importance of collegial interaction and an interdisciplinary approach to both education and patient care.