Thank you for your interest in our pediatrics residency program. We believe that residency is ultimately about learning how to best make decisions that affect patients’ health and welfare. The goal of the UTMB-Galveston
Pediatric Residency is to develop competent and compassionate pediatricians with the skills needed for the practice of general pediatrics or for further subspecialty training and research. As a pediatric resident in our program you will receive high
quality personal training focused on the unique and demanding health needs of children. We stress thoroughness in the gathering of information, examination of the patient, effective use of consultations, laboratory investigations and reading. Our Housestaff are taught by pediatric
faculty, volunteer community faculty, a 4th year Chief Resident and Fellows in Neonatology and Allergy/Immunology. Our graduates have pursued careers in private practice, academic medicine, public health and community medicine, and have achieved leadership
positions in state and national organizations. Since the 1990’s approximately 70% of our residents have chosen primary care careers.
Our program offers four areas of strength:
Broad clinical exposure: Pediatric residents provide primary care to the children of Galveston and surrounding counties. Patients treated both on the island and the mainland represent the full range of diagnostic and socioeconomic conditions. Pediatric
residents provide tertiary care to children with complex conditions receive exposure to subspecialty care services, thus preparing them to appropriately refer and collaborate.
Conscientious faculty supervision: Our entire faculty participates in teaching and is well known for its enthusiasm and commitment to resident and student education. Faculty members serve as superb role models. Although residents are given ample opportunity
for independent thinking and growth, faculty are readily available when needed.
Progressive levels of responsibility: Our program is designed to gradually increase each resident’s independence in the care of patients. By postgraduate year three (PGY-3), residents are ready to take on considerable responsibility for independent
patient care and for the teaching and supervision of lower level residents and students.
Special projects in critical thinking: At all levels of training, pediatric residents are encouraged to apply critical thinking to their medical decision-making process and are encouraged to collaborate with members of the faculty. All residents complete
a scholarly project in one of the following ways: by performing hypothesis-driven research, writing and submitting a patient case report, a significant quality improvement project, developing an educational tool. All of our residents also participate
in quality improvement projects throughout their residency. Several of our residents have published peer-reviewed articles and presented papers and posters at professional regional and national meetings.
These strengths combine to make our Pediatric Residency Program a richly rewarding experience to anyone interested in the practice of medicine treating children and adolescents of all ages.
Joan Richardson MD
Professor and Chair
Department of Pediatrics