Pediatric Clerkship
The object of the clerkship is to provide the fundamentals of the care of neonates, infants, children and adolescents.
Clerkship Structure
The clerkship consists of experiences and in both the inpatient setting (general pediatrics, subspecialty, and in the normal newborn nursery with urgent care shifts) and in ambulatory pediatrics (locations in Chicagoland area).
Third year medical students are an integral part of the medical team and are encouraged to take ownership of their patients. In addition to learning well child care and pathologic states in infants and children, students learn to write orders and perform and write admission history and physical examinations, including their own assessment and plan. Students are expected to take part in all aspects of their patients’ care and to read daily about their patients’ problems.
Didactic Component
The didactic curriculum includes a series of sessions given by attending physicians. Students also have interactive case sessions with the Clerkship Directors, ethics sessions, and simulation sessions. Students are also invited to attend Morning Report, Resident noon conferences, Grand Rounds and FIRM conferences.
Program Objectives (Competencies)
Clerkship Goals & Objectives
Download the complete Goals and Objectives document.
Assessment & EPAs
Clerkship Assessment & Grading Policy
Students are responsible for being aware of the following assessment policies:
Section I: Components of the Grade
Grades are determined by CPA evaluations from Inpatient & Outpatient (40%), Newborn (2.5%), Urgent Care (7.5%), your professionalism & timely assignment completion (5%), your scores on the OSCE (15%), clinical reasoning assessment (7.5%), written notes (7.5%), and the Shelf Exam (15%). CPA forms are not as likely to come from your subspecialty service unless you really were very involved for several days and worked closely with at least one senior resident or attending. Please note that professionalism points may be gained or lost from any of these sites. Once grades are published, they are final. Your grades are not based on comparison with other students in the group (they are not curved). Inquiries about grades may be made by appointment only. If you wish to schedule a meeting with the directors to discuss your grade, you may contact Quiana Smothers with 3-4 dates/times that you are available to meet.
A. CLINICAL PERFORMANCE Breakdown: (50 points)
Your score will be determined by a weighted average of all your different CPA forms from your clinical experiences:
Inpatient (20%)
Outpatient (20%)
Newborn Nursery (2.5%)
Urgent Care (7.5%)
B. FINAL EXAM: (15 points)
The final examination for pediatrics is the National Board Subject Examination. This is a multiple-choice exam comprised of 100 questions and accounts for 15% of your grade. Full points (15/15) will be awarded if a student passes the exam. The passing score for clerkship purposes is a subject NBME test score that meets the annual 10th percentile nationally for the prior academic year. If a student fails the final examination he/she may repeat the exam provided his/her cumulative point total for the clerkship is in the passing range (> 62 points). If a student passes the repeat examination, a “PASS” will be awarded for the final clerkship grade.
C. OSCE: (15 points)
At the conclusion of the rotation you will participate in an OSCE. This OSCE will assess your history-taking, communication, knowledge, and clinical reasoning skills – this is very similar to your experience in your first and second year CSA. It will take place in the CEC of the Olson Building. You will receive more information about the OSCE as we near the end of the rotation.
B. CLINICAL REASONING ASSESSMENT: (7.5 points)
A 30-minute online assessment will be administered on Mid-Clerkship Day through Canvas. Material is based on the content of the Clinical Reasoning Workshop and the 10 required CLIPP Cases.
C. WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION: (7.5 points)
Our Note Assessment Director will 1 submitted full written H&P of your choice, and one progress note chosen at random from your time on inpatient wards, using the electronic medical record. Validated templates will be used and you will receive timely feedback on your documentation.
D. PROFESSIONALISM: (5 points)
Examples of a lack of professionalism include: inappropriate behavior, unexcused absences or tardiness, inappropriate dress, responding poorly to feedback, use of inappropriate language, and failure to complete assignments by the designated deadlines.
Honors
Honors-level students receive outstanding evaluations from faculty and residents and are viewed as exceptional learners and teachers! They are typically thought of as the primary caregiver to their patients, practice evidence-based medicine, bring in primary literature that is pertinent to their patients, and are able to formulate excellent assessments and plans. In addition, they complete all required assignments, pursue varied resources for additional study, and actively participate in all mandatory and optional clerkship activities. They are viewed as indispensable to their teams and are highly engaged, professional, and courteous in all clinical settings. They achieve at least 86 total points in the clerkship.
High-Pass
Students receiving “High Pass” receive excellent evaluations from faculty and residents and are viewed as very important members of the medical team. They are clinically astute, able to formulate solid assessments and plans, are hardworking and thorough. They complete all required assignments related to the clerkship, pursue varied resources for additional study, and actively participate in all mandatory and optional clerkship activities. They are highly engaged, professional, and courteous in all clinical settings. They achieve at least 77 total points in the clerkship.
Pass
Passing students receive good evaluations from faculty and senior residents. They are able to perform a comprehensive history and physical exam on pediatric patients and develop a sound assessment and plan. There are no concerns about their performance, either clinically or professionally. They complete all required assignments related to the clerkship and attend all mandatory activities. They are highly engaged, professional, and courteous in all clinical settings. Passing students must demonstrate minimum proficiency in the clerkship with at least 62/100 total points and the passing score for clerkship purposes is a subject NBME test score that meets the annual 10th percentile nationally for the prior academic year.
Fail
Failing students exhibit performance that is below expectations for a similar student at their level of training. Faculty and resident evaluations may indicate significant concerns about their performance (either clinical or professional) as demonstrated by scores of less than an average of 2 on clinical evaluations. Failing students receive a cumulative point score of less than 62/100. If a student receives a failing grade on the National Board Subject Examination (final examination) he/she may repeat the examination once for a grade of “PASS.” If the student fails the re-take he/she will fail the clerkship and be required to repeat the clerkship. A student’s grade may be lowered or a student may fail the rotation for egregious professional behavior despite academic success.
Required Clerkship Clinical Experiences (Clerklog) & Tools
- Download the Clerkship Clerklog
- Access the Clerklog Online (requires NetID)
Students will be provided with a list of articles which cover general pediatric topics. All students my borrow a hard copy of Nelson’s Essentials of Pediatrics textbook while rotating on the Clerkship. Other numerous textbooks students have found helpful include Schwartz's Handbook of Pediatrics and Bernstein's Pediatrics for Medical Students. The AQUIFER are also a wonderful tool to assist with your studying. A great resource for the outpatient portion of the rotation is Bright Futures. This website goes through each well child care visit and questions that you should consider asking at each visit. We also provide a booklet to general pediatric articles which you should find very useful.
Policies & Procedures
For Faculty & Residents
- Safe and Healthy Learning Environment
- Medical Student Supervision and Level of Responsibility Policy
- Duty Hours Policy
- Assessment and Health Providers Policy
- Non-Discrimination Statement
- Non-Retaliation Policy
- Assessment Policy for Clerkships & Electives (Phases 2 and 3)
- Visiting Resident Policy
- Phases 2 and 3 Attendance Policy and Procedure
- Patient Caregiver Preferences and Refusal of Care by Caregivers Policy
- Performing Sensitive Physical Exams Policy
- Needle Stick and Other Blood-Borne, Body Fluid and or Respiratory Pathogen Exposure Policy
Contacts
Mailing Address
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
225 East Chicago Avenue
Box 18
Chicago, IL 60611