During the clinical clerkship the student develops understanding of health maintenance and disease processes specific to infants, children, and adolescents. Students will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of Pediatrics through patient interviews, physical examination, review of imaging and laboratory studies, development of assessments and plans, and a variety of other educational experiences. This clerkship will expose students to management of general pediatric subspecialty patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings including Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics. Prerequisite: Medical Basic Sciences.

This selective is an extension of the basic pediatric clerkship. It is designed to permit senior medical students to take increasing responsibility of patient care under close supervision of the faculty. Students will learn skills in patient management by active participation in the daily activities expected of a first-year resident. This selective is entirely clinical. The student will work on the pediatric inpatient unit at The University of Kansas Health System or at Children’s Mercy Hospital. Student performance will be evaluated by the faculty based on factual knowledge, practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and personal behavior and values. On the first day of the rotation, students will report to the inpatient attending assigned to the pediatric floor. Prerequisite: PED 900 or equivalent.

This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of children and their families. Students will learn about normal and atypical child development, behavioral and emotional problems commonly seen in Pediatrics (e.g., ADHD, depression, anxiety, oppositional behavior), and helping children cope with acute and chronic illnesses. Students will observe/participate in outpatient clinics in the Developmental Disabilities Center and Behavioral Pediatrics section (e.g., autism assessment, developmental medicine, telemedicine, feeding team, and behavioral pediatrics clinic), as well as in medical inpatient consultations. Within the curriculum there is ample opportunity to pursue individual interests related to children with developmental and behavioral problems. Expected to be offered in most Modules. Prerequisite: PED 900 and permission of instructor.

Students will work on research programs arranged between them and the instructor. Students are responsible for initiating all arrangements > 90 days in advance of their elective in order to complete any necessary paperwork and certification before their first day in the course. They will also need to identify the faculty with whom they will work on research. The instructor may be able to help with this. The purpose of the elective is to provide the student an opportunity to become familiar with clinical research involving children and pediatric problems, and to learn about research protocols and methods. Available areas of research are dependent on the arrangement that the student makes with faculty. Department permission is required for this course. Initial contact can be made with Dr. Kourtney Bettinger (kbettinger@kumc.edu). This course is student-driven and the student must find a faculty member at least 90 days in advance. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor must be obtained prior to applying for this course.

The student will be actively involved in the care and management of high-risk and acutely ill neonates. Through clinical participation, tutorial sessions, and assigned readings, emphasis will be placed on modern neonatal intensive care techniques and developmental physiology and biochemistry. Students may elect additional consecutive four-week periods to pursue aspects of neonatology in more detail, engage in investigative projects or acquire first-hand experience in the operation of a regionalized program for care of high-risk or acutely ill neonates in the state. Interested students should contact the Pediatric Department.

Principles of ongoing assessment and management of critically-ill children with single and multiple organ failure will be presented. The teaching format will be formal and informal rounds at the bedside in the KUMC Pediatric ICU by faculty members of the Pediatric Critical Care Division. Integration of history-taking, physical examination skills, and laboratory and radiological assessment with pathophysiology will be emphasized.