Residency Elective

The primary goal of the pediatric GI elective is to make residents confident and comfortable in providing care to children with common GI and liver diseases. Residents will also gain exposure to children with more complex GI and liver issues in the outpatient and inpatient setting. Residents will work one-on-one with the GI and hepatology attendings during a variety of general GI and liver clinics as well as subspecialty IBD, celiac and aero-digestive clinics. In addition, residents will have the option to participate in clinics at our satellite offices in Greenwich, Trumbull and Norwalk. Residents will work closely with the GI fellow and the attending on service during their rotation to participate in the care of inpatients with GI issues.

Residents will be able to expand their knowledge on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal and liver disorders to utilize in their general practice. Residents may also use this time to develop a research or quality improvement project with one or more faculty members.

Academic lectures are held every Monday afternoon. Lectures include case conferences, morbidity and mortality conference, didactic lectures, radiology and pathology conferences. Residents are expected to present at one of the case conferences on a patient they cared for in the outpatient or inpatient setting.

1. At the end of the rotation a resident:
   1. Should be competent in treating common gastrointestinal conditions often seen by general pediatricians
   2. Gain exposure to management of patients with complex GI and liver diseases
   3. Understand when a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist is warranted
   4. Understand the indication of common radiologic tests ordered by pediatric gastroenterologists
   5. Gain exposure to common GI procedures such as upper endoscopies and colonoscopies.
   
   
2. An important goal of this rotation is for residents to gain a first-hand experience of what a career in pediatric GI entails. We will mentor residents based on their individual interests/goals and also foster the interest of residents considering a career in pediatric GI.

The overall objectives are based on the ACGME core competencies of medical knowledge, practice based learning, system based practice and patient care.

1. Gain knowledge on common pediatric gastrointestinal conditions in the outpatient and inpatient setting. Residents will be able to read articles on common GI/liver diseases. Residents will be expected to attend GI and liver clinics and participate in inpatient rounds. They will assist the GI fellow in performing consultations on inpatients. A list of GI/liver topics that the resident should be well versed with are as follows:
   
   1. Outpatient GI
      
      1. Celiac disease
         
      2. Chronic recurrent abdominal pain
         
      3. Constipation
         
      4. Cow's milk protein allergy
      5. Diarrhea
         
      6. Eosinophilic esophagitis
         
      7. Failure to Thrive
         
      8. Gastroesophageal Reflux
         
      9. GI bleeding
         
      10. IBD basics in the outpatient setting
      11. Nutrition
          
      12. Pancreatitis
      13. Short Bowel Syndrome
          
      14. Vomiting
          
   2. Outpatient Hepatology
      
      1. Hepatomegaly
         
      2. Hyperbilirubinemia
         
         1. Conjugated
            
         2. Unconjugated
            
      3. Hepatitis
         
2. To understand describe the utility of common GI procedures
   
   1. Common GI procedures
      
      1. Endoscopy: upper and lower
         
      2. Upper GI series
         
      3. Barium swallow
         
      4. Abdominal sono
         
      5. MRE
         
      6. Capsule endoscopy
         
      7. PEG/GT placement
         
      8. Liver biopsy
         
3. Residents should define their individual goals and make these known to the fellow and attendings. All residents should consider participating in a QI or research project in GI/liver.
   
4. Residents will present interesting GI cases during Monday afternoons during GI didactics.
   

For additional questions or if you are interested in the elective, please contact: