Goals & Objectives

During the third year pediatrics core clerkship the student will be exposed to children of all ages in various states of health. The breadth of knowledge required for pediatric health maintenance and disease management can seem overwhelming to the third year student. As such, the emphasis of the clerkship is on general pediatric principals that will provide a solid foundation for further learning. At the completion of the clerkship, students should have a clear understanding of growth and development, health maintenance and the management of common pediatric illnesses. Specific goals and objectives are listed below.

Goals

1. To be able to recognize the unique aspects of the developing child physically, emotionally and cognitively
2. To be able to perform a complete, age appropriate history and physical exam and develop a brief assessment and system based oriented plan
3. Acquire skills in interviewing a child and family
4. Develop counseling skills for both children of all ages and their families
5. Observe and when appropriate perform relevant procedures
6. Understand perinatal issues and diseases unique to newborns
7. Learn the importance of preventative pediatrics including accident prevention, immunizations, nutrition and anticipatory guidance 

Objectives

1. Know the major developmental milestones in children
2. Appreciate the significance of vaccine-preventable illnesses and the current use of immunizations in pediatric practice
3. Learn the basic workup of fever in infants and older children
4. Be able to calculate daily fluid requirements for hospitalized children
5. Recognize the signs and symptoms of child abuse
6. Learn the nutritional options available to parents of newborn infants and the importance of breastfeeding
7. Learn the basics of neonatal and pediatric resuscitation
8. Learn the rational behind basic antibiotic use in pediatrics
9. Appreciate the use of diagnostics (laboratory evaluation, imaging, specialty testing) in hospitalized children
10. Develop familiarity with common clinical illnesses of children

Pediatric disease states that the student is likely to encounter and therefore should have a working knowledge of include:

Newborn Disease
 Prematurity/Respiratory Distress Syndrome
 Birth injury
 Apnea
 Hyperbilirubinemia
 Perinatal infections

Cardiovascular Disease
 Cyanotic congenital heart disease
 Acyanotic congenital heart disease
 Supraventricular tachycardia
 Myocarditis

Renal Disease
 Acute glomerulonephritis
 Renal tubular acidosis
 Hemolytic uremic syndrome
 Pediatric hypertension

Hematologic and Oncologic Disease
 Anemia
 Sickle cell disease
 Bleeding disorders
 Hypercoaguable disorders
 Immune thrombocytopenia
 Childhood leukemia and lymphoma
 Childhood solid tumors

Infectious Disease
 Congenitally acquired infections
 The febrile infant
 Meningitis/encephalitis
 Sepsis
 Pneumonia/empyema
 Gastroenteritis
 Soft tissue infections
 Airway infections (pharyngitis, tonsillitis, retropharyngeal abscess)
 Immunodeficiency 

Respiratory Disease
 Asthma
 Bronchiolitis
 Bronchomalacia
 Croup
 Cystic fibrosis
 Pneumonia

Gastrointestinal Disease
 Pyloric stenosis
 Intussusception
 Gastroesophageal reflux
 Inflammatory bowel disease

Endocrine Disease
 Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
 Disorders of growth and development
 Diabetes mellitus in children
 Thyroid disorders in children

Neurologic Disease
 Neural tube defects
 Cerebral palsy
 Seizure disorders in childhood
 Neurocutaneous syndromes
 Traumatic brain injury
 Muscular dystrophies
 Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Infectious agents of particular importance to the pediatric patient
  Streptococci (Group A, B, pneumococcus)
  Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin sensitive  and resistant)
  Bordetella pertussis
  Clostridium botulinum
  Neisseria meningitidis
  Respiratory syncytial virus
  Herpes simplex virus
  Rotavirus