All three years of the curriculum have balanced inpatient and outpatient exposure in a variety of care environments. The individualized curriculum is designed by the resident themselves with significant guidance from program leadership to help create a residency experience that best prepares our graduates for the next step of their pediatric career.
We utilize a modified 2 + 2 + 2 +2 schedule without weekly continuity clinics during inpatient months
In 2018, our program adopted a protected academic half day for resident learning in the inpatient setting after a successful launch of this teaching format in the outpatient setting in 2017. Residents now sign out their patient lists so they can focus on learning without interruption. Our protected half days, described below, also offer opportunities for resident reflection on what it means to be a pediatrician and support of resident wellbeing.
On Thursday afternoons residents gather as seniors or interns on an every-other-week basis for dedicated, protected learning time. Our academic half-days include lectures by faculty experts, case-based discussions, hands-on procedural practice and the chance to discuss the joys and challenges of residency. The separation of interns from senior residents allows for learner level-specific teaching including dedicated support of seniors as team leaders.
While on outpatient blocks, residents also have one half day per week on Wednesdays, free from patient care duties in order to engage in dedicated didactic learning. Under the supervision and guidance of faculty preceptors, residents learn to assess and manage common problems in ambulatory care using the case-based Yale Primary Care Pediatrics Curriculum. Outpatient Academic Half Day also is home to our Medical Legal Partnership Project Series on Social Determinants of Health. These presentations, led by attorneys from our Medical-Legal Partnership Project, address legal issues affecting children's health. Outpatient Academic Half-Day is also home to a dedicated mental and behavioral health curriculum
During lunch, the chief residents and program leadership have designed a curricular framework to promote interaction and critical thinking. Residents will learn through a variety of experiences, including ethics conferences, case-based presentations, clinical reasoning exercises, global health topics, as well as rotating quality improvement and medical education sessions. The goal of our noon-time sessions is to engage residents with the many varied topics that will affect their long-term leadership trajectory in pediatrics. Each senior resident also has the opportunity to lead one noon conference on a topic of their choosing, helping to develop their skills as medical educators as well.
Our residents participate in regular simulations that are inter-professional (MD, RN, techs), and in-situ (in the clinical environment). Our trained, expert core simulation faculty work with SYNAPSE (our state-of the-art simulation center) to create a realistic and safe learning environment that focuses on both experiential and reflective learning. Debriefings involve reflecting on performance and discussions of teamwork, communication and clinical decision-making demonstrated during the case. Additionally targeted sessions are conducted with a focus on procedural skills training.