Dr. Amber HairfieldAmber Hairfield DO
Program Director
Chair, Grad. Med. Ed. Comm.
amhairfi@UTMB.EDU
Rodriguez-LienMonica Huff MD
Associate Program Director
mlhuff@utmb.edu
Christy L Humphry class=Christy L Humphrey
Residency Program Manager
(409) 747-0534
clhumphr@utmb.edu
Blanca Araujo class=Blanca Araujo
Administrative Associate
(409) 772-0192
braraujo@utmb.edu

Curriculum Overview

Our program offers a range of clinical training in various settings, including inpatient and outpatient settings, community-based settings, intensive and acute care, primary care, and sub-specialty care for ages ranging from pre-term infancy through adolescence.

Starting in 2025, we will transition to an X+Y schedule using a 4+2 model. X+Y scheduling has been shown to have several benefits including improved learner experience, reduced inpatient handoffs, improved satisfaction with continuity clinic, and improved learning environments.

In this model, various rotations are scheduled during the “X” block for a 4-week time frame. Traditionally, this is an inpatient block, but in our program will also include some select outpatient blocks. While on inpatient X Blocks, residents will not have clinic obligations. The 2-week “Y” block will have outpatient-based experiences along with continuity clinic and devoted independent learning and wellness time. All residents will continue to have dedicated didactic time on Wednesday afternoon for Academic Half Day.

Depicted below: Each row represents 4 total weeks, X-Blocks are Blue, Y Blocks are Yellow, Longitudinal Experiences are Peach. Elective/I-Blocks available are listed in the second table. 
PGY-1 PGY-2 PGY-3
PHM  – GAL (D/N) PHM - GAL PHM – GAL (D/N)
PHM  – GAL (D/N) PHM – CLC (D/N) PHM – GAL (D/N)
PHM - CLC PICU PHM – CLC (D/N)
NICU NICU (D/N) PICU
NICU NICU (D/N) Infectious Disease
NBN (D) NBN (D/N) Gastroenterology
NBN (N) / Subspecialty General Pediatrics 2 Cardiology
Hematology Oncology  (nn) Child Advocacy I-Block
Adolescent (inpt) Child Abuse / 2-week vacation Pediatric Emergency Medicine
AAID Pediatric Acute Care 2 / QI Pediatric Mental Health
General Pediatrics 1 I-Block I-Block
Pediatric Acute Care 1 I-Block (1-week vacation) I-Block (1-week vacation)
Research/Study/1-wk vac/2-wk vac Development & Behavioral Pediatrics (nn) I-Block / 2-week vacation
Child Abuse   Palliative care (Neo Hospice)+Physician Healer 
Genetics   Neurodev. Disabilities (CSHCN)  Nutrition 
Allergy/Asthma   Pediatric Anesthesia  Board Study 
Cardiology   Pediatric Ophthalmology Research 
Endocrinology   Pediatric Orthopedic surgery  Self-Directed Elective 
Hematology/Oncology   Pediatric Radiology   Child Advocacy
Infectious Disease Pediatric Otolaryngology
Nephrology   Pediatric Surgery   
Neurology   Pediatric Sleep Medicine
Gastroenterology   Sports Medicine  
Advanced Behavioral and Development 2-week Core A experience  (inpt) inpatient weekend coverage 
(nn) nursery weekend coverage 
  • General Pediatrics
    Residents learn general pediatrics through (a) weekly sessions in Continuity Practice taking care of sick and well children of all ages, (b) time spent in Urgent Care clinics, and (c) rotations on the General Inpatient Unit.
  • Subspecialty Pediatrics
    We have subspecialty clinics for children needing specialized care in allergy/immunology, cardiology, diabetes, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, genetics, infectious diseases, neonatology and nephrology. Residents have required and elective subspecialty rotations during the PGY-3 year, organized so that the resident assumes direct care responsibility for subspecialty patients in clinic and on hospital wards, in close consultation with the subspecialty faculty.
  • Individual Tracks
    Six (6) individualized learning units have been organized into tracks. The three (3) track options are community, hospitalist and subspecialty pediatric tracks.
  • Core Curriculum
    All relevant pediatric topics are covered during a recurring 18-month curricular cycle via a wide range of educational experiences, including case-based conferences, didactic lectures and outside readings.
  • Year 1 (Post Graduate Year - PGY1)

    As first year residents, pediatric interns learn the basic principles and practices of pediatric medicine through directly supervised patient care on the inpatient and outpatient clinical services. Interns rotate on the Pedaiatric Hospital Medicine ward teams, the Newborn Nursery and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The Inpatient Pediatric Service exposes residents to a wide variety of acute pediatric problems, as well as, acute and chronic illnesses for chronically ill or disabled children. UTMB delivers over 6,200 infants annually, giving our residents excellent neonatal training in our nursery as well as our Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Residents participate in daily work rounds and teaching conferences with attendings during each of these rotations. 

    Outpatient experiences include rotations through the UTMB Primary Care, Acute Care, as well as Specialty Care Clinics.  The General Pediatrics I rotation is designed for the resident to improve knowledge of normal development and skills for well-child visits and anticipatory guidance. In addition, the Adolescent Medicine rotation exposes residents to multidisciplinary teen care. Throughout all three years of training, residents spend at least one half-day per Y-week caring for continuity patients, which they follow throughout their years of training.

  • Year 2 (Post Graduate Year - PGY2)

    During the PGY-2 year, residents participate in a structured curriculum covering continuity of care, and various other essential elements of primary and secondary pediatric outpatient care. Diverse clinical settings are used for the resident to put education into action, all under the supervision of experienced faculty clinician-educators. Residents also participate in specialized multidisciplinary clinics, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, general pediatric hospital medicine and newborn nursery care. During this year, residents play in important supervisory role in mother/baby, hospital medicine and neonatal intensive care units.

    Our unique School Health and Community Pediatrics Program offers PGY-2 residents additional educational experiences serving as a school consultant and physician liaison with three of our local school districts. This program introduces residents to school and community health issues and demonstrates to them how to consult with community organizations and services that provide child health services (systems-based practice).

    Residents are also introduced to the principles of quality improvement and contribute to a quality improvement project.

    The remainder of the year is devoted to electives, continued participation in continuity care clinics, and the development and implementation of resident scholarly projects.

  • Year 3(Post Graduate Year - PGY3)

    During the third year, the residents’ education program focuses on providing individualized training in preparation of their career path or fellowship training, as well as continuing the role of teaching and supervision of junior residents and medical students. The third-year resident rotates as a supervisor on the hospital medicine service, the emergency department, the intensive care unit and multiple subspecialty services.

    There is considerable time in this year for individualized rotations to tailor the end of their training to reflect areas of interest or future career decisions.

    Resident scholarly projects are completed in the spring of the third year and presented at the Annual Resident Research Forum.

Additional and unique features

  • A Level 4 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a mother/baby transitional and newborn nursery, and a Neonatology Fellowship program
  • A multidisciplinary Children’s Asthma Program and Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Program
  • A School Health Program, with a consultation to Galveston County’s school districts.
  • Community Advocacy through collaboration with the Smart Family Literacy Foundation
  • Summer Camp opportunities for residents to serve as camp physicians and counselors. Childhood Cancer Connection offers a one-week summer camp for pediatric patients with blood dyscrasias or malignancies and their siblings. Other opportunities include camps for children with diabetes and PKU.
  • Video-based well-child encounters with faculty observation and feedback