Pediatrics is different from any other rotation that you will do. Children are not just small adults. There is a huge range of ages and developmental stages. This episode will provide you with some general tips and tricks for all clerkships in general and the Pediatrics clerkship specifically, and essential resources that will help you to succeed in your clerkship.

Essential Resources

 Podcasts:

• Clerkship Ready-Pediatrics
• Charting Pediatrics - Weekly podcast with lots of bread-and-butter pediatrics discussed. 
• Pediatrics on Call - The most recent research and the newest policy updates from the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Books:

• Red Book (also an app for AAP members) - the definitive source for pediatric infectious diseases. 
• Harriet Lane Handbook (also an app) - has drug doses, commonly used charts, and algorithms.  

Websites:

• Peditools for bilirubin 
• Uptodate
• CDC website is a great source for vaccine guidelines

Apps:

• PedsScripts App: specifically to work on illness scripts

General Tips and Tricks:

• Be Proactive
• Know what the expectations are. 
• Become familiar with the electronic medical record system. 
• Be Self-sufficient, but ask for help when appropriate. 
• Know when you should come in to round, who to pre-round on, and where to meet.  Pair up with an intern to pre-round.
• Ask for feedback.  

Pediatric-specific Tips and Tricks:

• Pediatrics is different from any other rotation. 
• Huge range of ages and developmental stages.
  • At every age, children act differently - and you need to adjust appropriately.
  • If you can, get as much of the history from the child, but you will likely need to supplement that with history from the parent or guardian. 
  • When you do your physical exam on younger children, have to adjust the order of exam  
  • Vital signs change with age. Look up or ask about what is a normal vital sign in the age you are seeing. 
  • Check weight, length/height and/or head circumference and report both percentiles and trends.
  • If an infant has been born prematurely, correct growth and development for gestational age. 
  • Fluids and medication are dosed per kilogram. 
• Family-centered rounds are a unique, important part of pediatrics. The goal is to get both the team and family up to date on the patient’s diagnosis and overall course, and to formulate a plan for the day together with the family.  
  • Brief summary and plan outside of the patient room. 
  • Invite family to participate. 
  • Conversational language with no medical jargon. 
  • Be concise and clear. 

About the Speakers:

Host: Rachel Moon, MD – Rachel Moon, MD is the Harrison Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at UVA Health Children's. She is an internationally recognized researcher in sudden unexpected infant death and chairs the AAP Task Force on SIDS. She is also the Chief of General Pediatrics at UVA.

Host: Jeremy Middleton, MD – Jeremy Middleton, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatric Gastroenterologist at UVA Health. He serves as the Pediatrics Clerkship Director and has expertise in children with intestinal failure and aerodigestive disorders.

Host: Shakun Gupta, MD – Shakun Gupta, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Clerkship Director at the University of Virginia. She completed her residency at Lurie Children's Hospital/Northwestern and joined UVA in 2014, where she practices general pediatrics and pediatric hospital medicine.

Clerkship Ready: Pediatrics is a podcast aimed at medical students doing their clinical clerkship in Pediatrics. The views expressed are the speakers' own and do not constitute medical advice.