The University offers multiple conferences and seminars, including many within the Department of Pediatrics. All resident trainees should take advantage of these educational opportunities. While it is recognized that service commitments may preclude attendance, it must be emphasized that attendance requirements are in effect. 

Regularly scheduled conferences and seminars of particular interest to pediatrics are listed in the Weekly Bulletin of the Department of Pediatrics. Notices of other conferences will generally be posted on the bulletin boards in the Residents' Room, or sent to you by mail. Attendance at these learning opportunities will enhance the trainee's breadth of education.

Conference Descriiptions

Morning Report: Held daily except Fridays. Discussion of recently admitted interesting patients to the ward inpatient service. The "admitting" ward pediatric resident (usually a PL-1) is responsible for briefly presenting all patients admitted since the preceding Morning Report. In addition, the admitting resident is also required to fully present one educationally informative patient for interactive discussion by all present. The ward PL-3 "chief" resident is responsible for ensuring that the patient-appropriate Faculty is present at Morning Report to discuss the selected patient. The ward PL-3 "chief" or in his absence, one of the Chief Residents is encouraged to take the lead in facilitating the discussion among the attendees.

Resident attendance is expected for all pediatric residents and is monitored via an honors-based, sign-in binder. A software program has been developed to record and store attendance data. Except while rotating through the intensive care units, the newborn nursery, in the Emergency department, at distant (³ 20 miles one way) satellite clinics or during the non-Continuity Care Clinic portion of the PL-2 Outpatient Clinic Block, a 60 % attendance is mandated.

Grand Rounds: Department-wide weekly conference presented by faculty or visiting faculty. All residents rotating through pediatrics are encouraged to submit CME-type evaluations of all Grand Rounds' presentations, as applicable. Pediatric residents are also encouraged to participate in the presentation of patient case-based Grand Rounds. 

Resident attendance is expected for all pediatric residents and is monitored via an honors-based, sign-in binder. A software program has been developed to record and store attendance data. Except while rotating through the intensive care units, the newborn nursery, in the Emergency department or at away rotations, such as distant (³ 20 miles one way) satellite outpatient clinics, a 50 % attendance is mandated.

Core Curriculum: Core lectures presented daily by faculty in a recurring 18 month cycle at Noon Conferences except on Thursdays and Fridays. Each PL-3 resident, on a rotating basis, is required to present and fully discuss a patient case report to the rest of the resident house staff at Noon Conference once during their third year of training.

Resident attendance is expected for all pediatric residents and is monitored via an honors-based, sign-in binder. A software program has been developed to record and store attendance data. Except while rotating through away rotations, including all distant satellite clinics, or after Night shifts in either the ISCU or the Emergency department, a 60 % attendance is mandated.

Tuesday Afternoon Teaching Conferences are presented weekly by the General Pediatrics Outpatient Faculty to PL-2 residents on the Primary Care Block rotation. Attendance to the conferences by the Primary Care Block PL-2 residents is expected and is monitored by the Teaching General Pediatrics Outpatient Faculty. 

Journal Club: Journal Club will be held bi-monthly during the training year (or one per PGY-1). All residents are expected to attend, except, when held at noon, residents will be excused as for Core Curriculum Noon Conferences. All teaching faculty are invited to attend. 

Articles will be critically reviewed and analyzed and the following format will be used: Two residents from Med/Peds and Pediatrics (one lower level PL-1, MP-1, plus one upper level PL-2, PL-3, MP-3, MP-4) are assigned to each article presented at JC. All lower level residents will participate once yearly on a pre-established schedule.

The lower level resident will select the upper level resident to assist him/her. Jointly, the upper and lower level residents will select the source articles and the applicable Senior Staff reviewer. 

Sign-Out Rounds: Held nightly on the ward and the ICU services to review hospitalized patients for the on-call team.

Ward Rounds: Held daily on the ward for ward patient care team and Faculty attendings to discuss hospitalized patients and their care. All residents rotating through the Pediatrics Inpatient service are required to actively participate in these inpatients care rounds and are evaluated thereon. Each resident is responsible for presenting each of the patients for whose care they are responsible and to update the ward's Faculty Attending on their ongoing management plan and their therapeutic response thereto.

Resident attendance is expected for all pediatric residents rotating through the inpatient ward service. It is monitored via the attending staff's resident evaluation at the end of the rotation.

In addition to the core pediatric topics covered within the above listed teaching conferences, other pediatrics-relevant subjects are discussed in separate didactic or small group sessions throughout the training years. These include:

1. Risk Management -- a required course on this topic is offered in the fall of each year. Attendance by all new residents to UTMB is mandatory.
   

2. Health Care Financing -- topics in this component of systems-based practice competency are covered in didactic conferences and small group interactive sessions throughout the year, including, informally during inpatient work rounds and as a formal managed care curriculum within the year 2 outpatient clinic block. In addition, a required UTMB-wide workshop is also offered to all residents once yearly.
   

3. Ethics -- medical ethics is covered during weekly, multispecialty conferences held during the Blue Team Inpatient ward rotation and monthly small group interactive discussions offered as part of the noon core curriculum. In addition, specific ethics conferences are also incorporated into the Grand Rounds schedule.
   

4. Resident as Teacher -- a mandatory one-day workshop for PGY-1s and PGY-2s is offered by the Department each year in June to prepare residents for supervising interns and medical students. In addition, Education Grand Rounds are offered the fifth Friday of each month, where applicable, and Didactic Core Curriculum Conferences are offered on a regularly scheduled basis at noon.
   

5. Research Design and Biostatistics -- the development and implementation of scholarly/research projects is taught via Didactic Core Curriculum Conferences are offered on a regularly scheduled basis at noon. A Resident research Forum is held yearly in the spring and serves as the venue for the upper level residents to present the results of their program-required scholarly projects.
   

6. Communication Skills -- interpersonal and communication skills are taught on an ongoing basis during work rounds in the various inpatient services as well as, extensively, during the outpatient block in the year two residency curriculum.
   

7. Critical Thinking and Literature Review -- this topic is covered during the monthly journal clubs and the clinical pathologic and morbidity and mortality conferences on Fridays.
   

8. Quality Assurance -- quality management is covered during the monthly clinical pathologic and morbidity and mortality conferences on Fridays. 
   

9. Resident Problem Based Learning Groups -- these are held every other week on Thursdays from noon to 1:00 p.m. Resident groups meet with their faculty facilitators to discuss cases dealing with a pre-assigned, relevant monthly topic. Attendance at the study groups is required for all residents, unless permitted to opt out, and will be monitored.