Pediatric Residency Program Facts

Pediatric Inpatient Teams at Le Bonheur

All non-surgical admissions are assigned to an inpatient pediatric team. There are four pediatric teams. There are 3 teams covering general pediatric patients and 1 team of subspecialty patients. The residents manage all patients. Each team is composed of a faculty attending, 2 senior residents, 4-5 interns, a Junior Intern (fourth year student), and several medical students. Each team admits patients every night. Approximately one-fourth of the patients are admitted to community pediatricians, one-fourth to faculty sub-specialists, and the rest to the Le Bonheur pediatricians and hospitalists. All inpatient services have family centered bedside walk rounds daily with the supervising residents acting as rounding leaders.

Call Policies and Call Rooms

While on inpatient rotations, interns work an average of six night shifts of fourteen hours.

Upper level residents are on call every fifth night at Le Bonheur and every fourth night at the New Born Center. These calls are in-house.

There are call rooms at each training location. Call rooms are private with bathrooms, and each is equipped with a telephone and desk. Laptop computers are available for use in the call rooms. At Le Bonheur, the residents have access to the housestaff lounge, which includes several computers, sofas, and a big screen television. We also have a workout room, study room, kitchen and computer rooms.

Days Off

Residents are required to have one 24-hour period off every seven days. Some rotations, of course, have more days off. Days off are not post-call days, post-night shift days or days of Continuity Clinic.

Continuity Clinic

Residents are assigned to the general pediatric continuity clinic at Le Bonheur or to a community private clinic one half day each week.

This clinic is supervised by physicians who are actively involved in general pediatrics. Residents are expected to evaluate and treat newborns through adolescents. A typical day in clinic will consist of several well child exams, hospital follow-up evaluations, and the management of acutely ill patients. Over the course of three years, most residents develop close working relationships with their patients.

Over the course of three years, the residents will review a general pediatric curriculum. The residents are expected to review a short article before clinic and come prepared for a discussion with the continuity clinic preceptor. This curriculum reviews fundamental topics in general pediatrics and encourages self-directed learning as well as going over board type review questions with each article. It challenges residents to practice evidence-based medicine in a general pediatric environment.

Chief Residents

There are two pediatric Chief Residents. They have completed at least three years of residency training in pediatrics or four years in pediatrics and internal medicine. The Chief Residents are selected each year for his or her recognized excellence in patient management, teaching expertise, administrative skills, and leadership abilities. The Chief residents serve as mentors to the housestaff and resident liaisons for all administrative discussions about the residency program. The Chief Residents are responsible for morning reports, daily intake rounds, and patient review conferences with the medical students. The Chief Residents serve as ward attendings for two months of the academic year.

Student Teaching by Residents

At the University Of Tennessee College Of Medicine, student education is an integral part of the pediatrics program. While assigned to inpatient services PL-1s serve as mentors to third and fourth year medical students. While the PL-I plays an important role, ultimately the attending physician and the senior resident are responsible for the supervision and coordination of the patient care activities of the students. Each month there is an extra supervising resident on inpatient who is responsible for structured teaching in addition to team teaching.

Special Educational Opportunities

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) - The American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics developed a two day course and is taught by Le Bonheur faculty covering the basics of pediatric advanced life support. The course is given three times each year for residents, nurses and other hospital personnel. All residents take the course as part of orientation, and are strongly encouraged to repeat the course every two years.

Intern School – During the first two months of residency interns attend conferences designed to teach patient care basics.

Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) - Similar to PALS above, but for the neonate. This course is conducted prior to the beginning of the NICU month.

Boot Camp – At the end of the PGY-1 year, residents attend a boot camp designed to increase their comfort level with scenarios that occur within more acute rotations.

Etteldorf Symposium - A distinguished pediatrician is invited to Le Bonheur each spring to be the keynote speaker for a symposium on general pediatrics. Pediatricians from throughout the region attend this two day gathering.

Social Activities

Numerous social activities are organized throughout the year. These include:

Chief Resident's party for all residents to welcome PL-1s
Program Director's Party for faculty / residents to welcome PL-1s
Committee on Resident Education Luncheon for new PL-1s
Fall Intern Retreat for PL-1s and their families
"Duck Dinner" and Etteldorf Alumni Reunion
Spring Graduation and Awards Banquet
PL-2 "Residents As Teachers" retreat
Housestaff Christmas party – Everyone is excused from duties for the party!
Monthly lunches with Inpatient attendings
Quarterly lunches for each resident year (PL-1, 2, 3-4) with the Department Chair
LeBonheur Resident Appreciation Week Party (February)
Monthly Resident Social

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Contact Us

University of Tennessee
Pediatric Residency Program
Box 57, 50 N. Dunlap St.
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 901-287-6756

Resident Coordinator

Karen Ariemma
Phone: 901-287-6210
Toll Free: 800-733-6371
Email: kariemma@uthsc.edu