Curriculum
Clinical training and practice exams
Mayo Clinic's three-year Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Residency includes extensive clinical training, unmatched elective opportunities, and an option for either laboratory-based or clinical research. You follow a curriculum that emphasizes the core skills and knowledge necessary to become a competent general pediatric physician, and you also are given autonomy to customize your learning for a projected subspecialty fellowship.
You’ll receive comprehensive pediatric training in:
- Community ambulatory pediatrics
- Care of hospitalized children and adolescents
- Evaluation and treatment of acute and emergent medical conditions in children and adolescents
- Neonatal and pediatric intensive care
- Delivery room and newborn infant management
- All pediatric subspecialties
In the first year, as a PGY-1 resident, you are introduced to the fundamentals of pediatrics. You develop skills and knowledge necessary to manage common and complex medical conditions encountered in the hospital, delivery room, neonatal intensive care unit, outpatient practice, and receive dedicated procedural training.
You are also assigned a general adviser. As training progresses, you may identify other faculty to serve in a mentoring capacity. Meetings with faculty members and program directors are conducted throughout your residency to discuss how you can achieve your professional goals.
In the second year, as a PGY-2 resident, you expand your skills of independent management of patients and begin to develop supervisory skills necessary to lead a medical team.
In the third year, as a PGY-3 resident, you gain expertise in supervising and directing a medical team. The development of independent decision-making skills is emphasized through leading junior residents and medical students in the hospital, outpatient clinic, intensive care unit and emergency department.
Through nominations by faculty and residents, two residents are selected each year to serve a fourth year as chief residents of the Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Residency program.
Practice examinations
Our Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Residency includes annual American Board of Pediatrics in-training examinations to help assess progress toward board certification.
I have had outstanding mentorship through residency. I had a third-year mentor to guide me through intern year. I’ve also had a faculty adviser, as well as multiple career mentors and advisers that have helped me shape my career goals and guide me for fellowship. Without all of these people sharing advice and perspective, residency and preparing for fellowship would have been a lot harder.
Cree Kachelski, M.D.
2019 program graduate and current dual-fellow at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Child Abuse
Rotation schedule
PGY-1
| Rotation | Blocks (#) | Hours Worked |
|---|---|---|
|
NICU |
2 |
Days |
|
Hospital Service |
3 |
Days (1x 24+call/block) |
|
Night Team |
1 |
Night (5/week) |
|
ED |
1 |
Day/Eve shifts |
|
Heme/Onc |
1 |
Day |
|
Amb. Peds/Newborn |
1 |
Day |
|
Procedures/Resp Therapy |
0.5 |
Day |
|
Electives* |
2.5 |
Days (unless called for jeopardy) |
*1 block as first jeopardy
PGY-2
| Rotation | Blocks (#) | Hours Worked |
|---|---|---|
|
PICU |
2 |
Day/night shifts (2x 24+ call/ block) |
|
NICU |
1 |
Day (5x24+ call/block) |
|
Newborn Nursery |
1 |
Day/night shifts (4x 24+/block) |
|
Hosp Supervisor |
1 |
Day |
|
Heme/Onc Supervisor |
1 |
Day |
|
ED |
1 |
Day/Eve shifts |
|
Adolescent |
1 |
Day |
|
Development |
1 |
Day |
|
Elective* |
4 |
Days (unless called for jeopardy) |
*1 block as first jeopardy
PGY-3
| Rotation | Blocks (#) | Hours Worked |
|---|---|---|
|
PICU Supervisor |
1 |
Day/night shifts (2x 24+ call/block) |
|
Newborn Nursery Supervisor |
1 |
Day/night shifts (4x 24+ call/block) |
|
Hosp Supervisor |
3 |
Day/night shifts |
|
NICU Nights |
.5 |
Night (5/week) |
|
ED Supervisor |
1 |
Day/Eve shift |
|
CPAM 3/Supervisor |
1 |
Day |
|
Elective* |
5.5 |
Days (unless called for jeopardy) |
*1 block as first jeopardy
The program is very thoughtfully designed, preparing residents for careers in a wide array of practice settings (community or academic, general pediatrics, or fellowship training). There are opportunities for clinical, research and personal growth. The program is also incredibly responsive to resident feedback.
Leah Heidenreich, M.D.
Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine resident, class of 2021
The community pediatric and adolescent medicine rotation and the developmental and behavioral pediatrics rotation are call-free. Electives are also call-free. Rarely, certain electives incorporate home pager call.
Call responsibilities by rotation:
- General Pediatric Hospital Service (PGY-1): 12- to 14-hour shifts with every fourth day admitting (one 24-hour call/block)
- Night team (PGY-1): 12- to 14-hour night shifts on Sunday through Thursday nights (five each week)
- General Pediatric Hospital Service supervisor (PGY-2 and PGY-3): 12- to 14-hour day shifts
- Newborn Nursery (PGY-2 and PGY-3): one 24-hour call/week, remainder 12-hour day or night shifts
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PGY-1): 10-hour day shifts (no in-house night call)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PGY-2): five 24-hour calls/rotation
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service: 12-hour day shifts with every other day admitting
- Emergency department: shifts, all day and evening, none overnight
- Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PGY-2 and PGY-3): two 24-hour calls/block (weekends), weekdays covered by 12-hour shifts, one week of nights/block
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science strictly follows the recommendations of the ACGME regarding duty hours.
A backup call (jeopardy) system of residents provides coverage in event of illness or family emergency.
Clinical supervision and resident patients
The Continuity Clinic serves as the backbone of the curriculum and takes place throughout the residency, typically one half-day each week. Each resident serves as the primary care provider for their Continuity Clinic patients with graduated supervision from staff general pediatricians. The Continuity Clinic is fully integrated into the Mayo Clinic Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine primary care practice.
There are no private patients or community private attending physicians at Mayo Clinic. Each hospitalized patient is assigned to a resident physician who is responsible for that patient's care in the hospital and, when appropriate, for follow-up care in the resident's Continuity Clinic.
While on a hospital team, you receive supervision and daily teaching from a faculty member assigned to the team. Subspecialty services also contribute to the teaching experience.
Elective rotations
These pediatric subspecialty electives are available at Mayo Clinic:
- Child abuse
- Pediatric allergy and immunology
- Pediatric cardiology
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Pediatric genetics
- Pediatric hematology/oncology
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Pediatric nephrology
- Pediatric neurology
- Pediatric palliative care
- Pediatric pulmonary
- Pediatric rheumatology
A wide array of electives is available in related medical areas, including:
- AI
- Anesthesia
- Child psychiatry
- CVICU
- Dermatology
- Laboratory medicine
- Nutrition
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics and sports medicine
- Otolaryngology
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Procedure elective (IV team, respiratory therapy)
- Research
- Radiology
- Sleep Medicine
- Surgery
During either the PGY-2 or PGY-3 year, you may choose to pursue an elective rotation at Mayo Clinic's campuses in Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as at other affiliated children’s hospitals throughout the region. Housing and an automobile are provided during these rotations at no charge. Community inpatient and outpatient elective opportunities are also available in our regional health system. Off-site rotations are elective and not required.
You are also encouraged to consider an international elective opportunity to serve the underserved through the Mayo International Health Program.
During recruitment, prior residents mentioned having a flexible and responsive leadership. I didn’t completely appreciate this until coming to Mayo. Life will happen, including ups and downs. It’s wonderful to have leaders who really care about you and want to work with you to help you have the best experience possible.
Paige Partain, M.D.
2017 program graduate, currently on staff in primary care pediatrics at Mayo Clinic
Rotation descriptions
Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Service
Mayo Clinic's community pediatric and adolescent medicine service is an office-based primary care pediatric program serving the region. As a resident, you provide comprehensive health care to the children of Rochester and Olmsted County, Minnesota, and the surrounding region. In addition, during community pediatric rotations, you have an opportunity to attend site visits in the community, including visits to the health department, refugee clinic and local schools.
These community pediatrics rotations also offer an opportunity to provide acute primary pediatric care services at the Salvation Army Good Samaritan Health Clinic, which serves children in the local community who don’t have medical insurance.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located in Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus. During NICU rotations, residents train in a 24-bed neonatal intensive care unit and a 12-bed step-down nursery designated as an intermediate care nursery.
As a resident, you join a team consisting of a neonatologist, neonatal fellows, neonatal nurse practitioners and other residents. As part of learning to manage sick neonates, you perform procedures such as endotracheal intubation, umbilical artery catheter and chest tube placement, and exchange transfusions.
You also learn ventilator management under the guidance of the neonatologists and pediatric respiratory therapists. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) opportunities are available in the cardiac ICU.
Newborn Nursery
You’ll spend three months on rotations in the Newborn Nursery at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Methodist Campus. During these rotations, you attend high-risk deliveries and are responsible for the immediate stabilization and care of all newborns requiring assistance.
You also provide care for and manage all babies in the Newborn Nursery and offer discharge advice to families. You’re supervised by neonatologists in the delivery room and by general pediatricians from our Division of Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine for general newborn care.
Finally, during the months in the Newborn Nursery, you provide phone advice to parents of patients in our community pediatric practice.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is located in Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus. The PICU provides intensive care for critically ill patients from pediatric cardiology, pediatric neurology, the general pediatric hospital service and several surgical services, such as pediatric surgery, neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, otorhinolaryngology, orthopedics and urology.
Pediatric and adolescent medicine residents join a team led by fellowship-trained pediatric critical care faculty and pediatric emergency medicine residents, as well as nursing, transport, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, nutrition and social work staff.
General Pediatric Hospital Service
The General Pediatric Hospital Service is located in Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. When taking rotations on the General Pediatric Hospital Service, you’re part of a team consisting of residents from all years of training in conjunction with residents from psychiatry and family medicine.
Two-day teams are formed that consist of two first-year residents and an upper level resident who serves as the supervising resident during the day. The night team consists of two third-year pediatric residents who serve as senior night supervisors along with residents from the first class. All teams are led by a pediatric faculty consultant, who is readily available and approachable.
Junior pediatric and adolescent medicine residents discuss diagnoses, treatment plans, psychosocial issues and general patient welfare on family-centered rounds. Together, the team makes decisions about the diagnosis and treatment of patients on the service from around the community, region, nation and world. Residents serve as the primary physician for hospitalized patients, with consultation from pediatric subspecialists and surgical teams.
Emergency medicine
The Mayo Clinic Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus, sees more than 15,000 visits a year by children and is a Level 1 Trauma Center. More than 2,000 children are admitted to Mayo Eugenio Litta Children's Hospital from the Emergency Department each year.
Working directly with a pediatric emergency physician consultant, you manage common acute pediatric illnesses, such as asthma and dehydration, learn to suture lacerations, evaluate musculoskeletal injuries and perform trauma evaluations.
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service
The pediatric hematology/oncology service is an inpatient service located at Mayo Eugenio Litta Hospital at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus. A junior and supervising senior resident work directly with the pediatric hematology/oncology faculty consultants and fellows in evaluating and providing care for children hospitalized for hematologic/oncologic problems.
When not on day call or in Continuity Clinic, you may spend afternoons evaluating hematology/oncology patients in the outpatient setting.
Adolescent medicine
During this block month, you evaluate adolescent patients in the ambulatory setting, provide inpatient consultations, and rotate at Children’s MN. Training in adolescent gynecology, mental health, and sports medicine are all a focus during this rotation.
Developmental and behavioral pediatrics
During the block month rotation in developmental and behavioral pediatrics, you evaluate children and adolescents with the full spectrum of developmental and behavioral issues encountered in primary care, ranging from common behavioral concerns, learning problems and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to mental retardation, autism and cerebral palsy.
You’re supervised by fellowship-trained developmental and behavioral pediatric faculty, and also have an opportunity to work with child psychiatrists and psychologists, speech-language pathologists, medical social workers, and both occupational and physical therapists. This rotation also includes community site visits to local preschool programs and to a behavioral treatment center for children with autism.
Responsibilities and evaluation
To ensure that you acquire adequate knowledge and develop technical skills, your performance is monitored carefully during the course of the program training. You are evaluated formally by your supervising faculty members after each clinical rotation and meet with your faculty advisers and program leadership to review these evaluations.
You will also learn how to give verbal and written feedback to junior residents and medical students through Residents as Teachers curriculum and mentored evaluations.
In addition, you regularly evaluate the faculty to ensure that your educational needs are being met. This program has integrated the ACGME outcome project ("competencies" and "milestones") measures as a routine part of the evaluation process.