Pediatric residents at UI Hospitals and Clinics participate in primary care activities throughout their three years of residency training. These activities include:

• Inpatient
• Outpatient
• Elective Opportunities
• Didactic Teaching Sessions

A. Inpatient Experience

1. General Pediatrics Inpatient Service
   Residents participate in the management of a broad range of general pediatric problems requiring inpatient care, during a block month as PL-1s, as the senior in-house as PL-2s, and in a supervisory role as PL-3s.
2. Newborn Nursery
   The newborn nursery provides residents an opportunity to become familiar with the perinatal homeostasis of the normal newborn and the provision of participatory guidance to families. Residents gain experience working with pediatric nurse practitioners in this setting.
3. Medica- and third-year residents provide general pediatric consultation to other inpatient medical services at UI Hospitals and Clinics.

B. Outpatient Experience

1. Child Health Clinic
   Child Health clinic is the cornerstone of the primary care program. All residents participate in a continuity clinic one-half day a week for the duration of the training program; three rotations have two half-days a week. Special attention is given to anticipatory guidance and developmental behavioral issues. Approximately 16,500 patients are served annually in the clinic.
2. General Pediatrics Clinic/Acute Care Clinic
   Residents participate in the general diagnostic clinic, growth clinic, travel clinic, and encopresis clinic, as well as manage acutely ill pediatric walk-in patients of all ages.
3. Emergency Treatment Center
   Third year residents have a block rotation in the Emergency Treatment Center at UI Hospitals and Clinics and second year residents provide consultative care to pediatric and young adult patients during night call. Common acute problems managed include minor and major trauma, lacerations, respiratory infections, asthmatic attacks, seizures, and dehydration.
4. Emergency Room at Blank Children's Hospital
   Second year residents have a block rotation in a busy pediatric emergency room located in Des Moines, Iowa.
5. Adolescent Medicine Rotation
   Third year residents provide medical care to adolescents with a wide variety of problems including sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, depression, eating disorders, common dermatologic disorders, and common orthopedic diseases and injuries. In addition to experiences in the Adolescent Psychosocial and Primary Care Clinic, residents participate in an Eating Disorders Clinic, a Sports Medicine Clinic, a school-based clinic at an alternative high school and at the University of Iowa Student Health Clinic which serves college students.
6. Child Health Specialty Clinics
   Operating in conjunction with the Iowa State Department of Health, these clinics provide residents with the opportunity to participate in the care of children with special needs at clinics located throughout the state.
7. Other Outpatient Rotations
   Other clinics provide residents with the opportunity to increase their medical knowledge and enhance their proficiency in managing problems such as asthma, diabetes, seizures and behavioral problems which constitute a large portion of the children and adolescents seen in an ambulatory care setting. Time is devoted to the adjustment problems of adolescents with chronic diseases, such as renal failure, cancer, hemophilia, and cystic fibrosis.
8. Telephone Consultation
   Second and third year residents respond to telephone calls from parents. These calls are all triaged by nurses before the resident is contacted.
9. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
   Second year residents participate in structured experiences jointly directed by faculty in the divisions of Developmental Disabilities, General Pediatrics, and Psychology. Experiences include management of children with attention deficit disorders, psychosomatic diseases, behavior and school management problems, and learning disabilities. Exposure to children with more severe physical and mental disabilities occurs in the Myelodysplasia Clinic, the Metabolic Genetics Clinic and the Child Development Clinic.
10. Community Pediatrics Rotations
    Residents participate in required rotations in the community during their second and third years of residency to gain exposure to the practice of general pediatrics in a private setting.

C. Elective Opportunities in Primary Care
Residents at the first, second and third years of training have a number of months available for elective opportunities. Those who are oriented towards primary care are encouraged to explore electives in dermatology, ophthalmology, sports medicine, and otolaryngology, as well as additional exposure in the areas of pediatric psychology and developmental and behavioral medicine. Additional experiences in community pediatrics can be arranged as well.

D. Didactic Teaching Sessions
Throughout the year, a series of didactic lectures covers a core curriculum developed by the residency program. Many of the topics in this series are oriented towards general pediatrics and adolescent medicine.

At the conclusion of the three year residency in the Department of Pediatrics, residents have seen a sufficient volume and variety of patients to manage the common problems of pediatrics while recognizing those more rare or complex cases which require consultation or referral.

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