FAQ

Some of the unique aspects of our program include the X+Y schedule, our new outpatient center where residents have their continuity clinic, and several tracks including Global Health, Advocacy, Mental Health, Research, Med-Ed, that allow residents to nurture their passions. PGY2s rotate on Silver Jr, a general pediatric service that does not have a senior resident and fosters resident autonomy, critical thinking and close interaction with the attendings. Additionally, a host of retreats including individual class retreats as well as an all-resident retreat occur on a yearly basis and allow residents to come together to share ideas, enhance wellness, and interact in a setting outside of the hospital.

We offer 27 categorical pediatric positions each year.

Our residents come from all over the country and Canada. For more information, visit our resident section.

Our residents have pursued a variety of careers including fellowship training, primary care and hospitalist careers. We are situated in large academic institution with a strong presence of both subspecialized and general practitioners, and our residents make important contributions in a variety of career paths be they subspecialty, general, academic or private practice. View a list of our recent grads’ career choices.

Our continuity clinic is located in the newly built state-of-the-art UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children in Midtown Cleveland, located approximately 10 minutes from the hospital and accessible by car and by public transportation. This is an exciting initiative on the part of the hospital to make vital primary care services more accessible to our underserved patients.  As part of our X+Y system, residents have continuity clinics over a two-week period occurring every eight weeks throughout the academic year.  

The inpatient ward teams utilize a day team/night team system, and sign out between the respective teams occurs at the same time each morning and evening. A recent innovation in our program was to diversify the Night Team intern duties: on some nights the intern will care for already admitted patients, while on others nights the intern’s designated role is to admit new patients to a variety of teams with close support from their seniors residents.

Our PICU and Junior Silver teams operate on a 24-hour call schedule.

Scheduled days off vary based on the rotation. Every resident is guaranteed four days off in a four-week period per Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements. We work hard to accommodate individual schedule requests and preferences.

Each resident has four weeks of vacation divided into one- and two-week blocks.  Vacation requests are taken before the start of each academic year and most requests are fulfilled, especially for significant life events (weddings, family vacations, etc.). Additionally, all graduating interns have a fifth week of vacation in the last week of June, before they start their junior year. During this additional week of vacation, many intern classes take a vacation together to various tropical destinations (e.g., Florida, Dominican Republic, and Cancun).

All residents complete a scholarly activity, including research as part of their residency.  Our residents regularly present their work at regional and national meetings.  At our institution there are a multitude of resources for research and great enthusiasm on the part of faculty for providing residents with meaningful research projects and support.  Elective time may be dedicated to pursuing research interests as well.

Quality improvement (QI) and patient safety are both heavily emphasized at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Residents receive QI education longitudinally and learn the basic principles of the model for improvement and how to design a QI project during the first two years of residency so as to prepare them to complete a QI project by the end of their residency. This project may also serve as a scholarly activity. Additional rotations or elective in QI and safety cab be pursued and are encouraged.

We believe that child advocacy is integral to being a pediatric physician. Advocacy is incorporated into the regular resident curriculum, and all residents participate in additional educational activities centered around advocacy, which can include participation in the following:

• Advocacy projects
• Attending meetings
• Community organizations
• Lobbying the state house
• Teaching opportunities

We offer an additional longitudinal advocacy track in which residents may participate.

The Pediatrics department has a multitude of global health opportunities. We fully support the use of elective time to participate in global health programs. Funding for clinical electives abroad can be obtained by participating in the certificate in Global Child Health program. Our current residents and recent grads have done clinical rotations in Thailand, Laos, Haiti, Uganda and India, among others. We have also worked on research projects and public health interventions treating and preventing rheumatic heart disease in Uganda, where University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University have been heavily involved for several decades.

Many of our residents live in University Circle or in the Cleveland Heights, University Heights and Shaker Heights neighborhoods, which are about a 10-minute drive from the hospital and have many great restaurants and bars. Others prefer to live downtown, about a 15- to 20-minute drive. There are also options to live on the west side of the city, which have fun, vibrant neighborhoods and are a little further away from the hospital. Learn more at our Life in Cleveland section.

Many resident activities involve gathering at someone's house or out at a local bar or restaurant after work. There are also numerous festivals and activities residents attend, including:

• Bike rides through the national park
• Cleveland Museum of Art's first Friday of the month mixer
• Indians games
• Larchmere Porch Festival
• Outdoor watch parties during the NBA or MLB playoffs
• Taste of Tremont
• Trips to the lake

There are also tons of great concerts both downtown and at Blossom, a beautiful outdoor concert venue. Learn more at our Life in Cleveland section.