Program Overview

Curriculum

Learn the skills you need to make you exactly the kind of well-rounded, skilled, compassionate pediatrician who makes a difference in young patients’ lives.

Continuity clinic

Our continuity clinic, located at the Geisinger Woodbine Lane outpatient facility, features an in-house pharmacy, lab and radiology suite. Medical residents at Woodbine provide services to medically complex children. Residents also partner with our psychology colleagues to provide integrated behavioral healthcare.

Inpatient experience

Our pediatric inpatient experience takes place at the Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. Using a team-based approach to patient care, you can build on their clinical experiences and confidence. Our inpatient teams are divided into two general hospitalist services, a diverse subspecialty service and a hematology/oncology service.

• General inpatient wards: We have two dedicated hospitalist teams that admit and manage a wide variety of pediatric patients, including children co-managed with specialists such as:

• Pulmonologists
• Nephrologists
• Rheumatologists
• Infectious diseases specialists

Residents and interns also teach and mentor our students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

As a second-year resident, you’ll take on a supportive role for interns dedicated to frontline patient care.

And as a third-year resident, you’ll grow your leadership and communication skills as you teach, manage and supervise the inpatient teams.

• Subspecialty inpatient exposure: As a resident, you’ll admit and manage patients for our specialists, including:

• Neurology
• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology
• Cardiology

The resident team consists of an intern and upper-level resident managing patients. Each specialist has daily teaching time.

• Hematology/oncology inpatient ward: In this rotation, you’ll admit and manage hematology/oncology patients. The service is managed by an upper-level resident, intern and one of our pediatric hematology/oncology attending physicians.

• Newborn nursery: Our nursery team is joined by:

• Lactation specialists
• Care managers
• Social workers
• MFM specialists
• Geneticists
• Dedicated nursery nurses

Our nursery admits approximately 1,800 newborns a year. We take care of newborns born greater than 35 weeks, including babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome.

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): You’ll complete NICU rotations in our Level 4 NICU located next door to our labor and delivery suite. Our NICU admits 600 newborns a year, including more than 100 micro-preemies.

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU): Our Level 3 PICU combines a PICU unit with our heart center to take care of seriously ill children, trauma, post-surgical heart and neurosurgery cases. Our critical care and surgical colleagues support the only dedicated Level 3 pediatric trauma center in the region.

Educational opportunities

Choose from a wide variety of educational opportunities to help you grow and thrive in your career.

• Global health experience

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in a global health experience. We work with programs in India, China and Peru.

• Complex care elective rotation

In this rotation, you’ll work with medically complex children and their families to help improve their outcomes.

• Plain populations

Because of our rural location, you’ll have the opportunity to care for patients from Amish and Mennonite communities.

• Camp medicine

For over 20 years, Camp Victory has hosted children and families facing chronic medical conditions for a sleep-away camp experience. Choose from a 1-week or 4-week rotation.

• Launching the Empowerment of Adolescents Program (LEAP)

LEAP provides a group setting for teens with chronic medical conditions. Through participation in peer mentorship, teens can:

• Share their concerns
• Improve coping skills
• Enhance support systems

• Geisinger Education & Medical Simulation (GEMS) Center

At this center, you’ll receive a comprehensive clinical skills education which includes:

• Mock codes
• End-of-life care training
• Difficult patient conversations

• Research courses

You’ll have a variety of research opportunities, including:

• Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI): As part of our curriculum, all residents obtain CITI certification as interns.
• Henry Hood Center for Research Course: A formal 12-session course designed for clinicians with an interest in research.
• Biostatistics Core Lecture Series: Offered to anyone interested in understanding biostatistical methods.

• Board Review Course

This program gives you extra support to prepare for your board exams.

Electives

In addition to your core classes, you can choose from over 30 different specialties, including emergency medicine and NICU.

Personal/professional development

Wellness

Your individual wellness counts as much as your patients’ wellness. In this supportive environment, you’ll find the resources you need to thrive and grow. Learn more here.

Advocacy/community outreach

As a graduate of our program, you have the responsibility to advocate for your patients on a larger platform. That’s why outreach and advocacy are integrated into our daily practice through:

• Updates on hot topics
• Volunteer and awareness opportunities
• Community service
• Promotion of engagement outside the hospital

We partner with the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for Legislative and Advocacy Days.

It’s a good idea to get involved in national and international conferences. Through projects, many of our residents have impacted local child health and well-being, adolescent mental health and child abuse.

Mentorship

Residency is the first step in honing your passions in medicine. Mentors are here to help you meet your goals. Your mentor can help you navigate things like:

• Work-life balance
• Family/life planning
• Stress management
• Board preparation

Interprofessional communication

To provide excellent care for your patients, you need an exceptional team around you. You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with a variety of staff, including:

• Pharmacy
• Nursing
• IV team
• Respiratory therapy
• Child Life
• Lactation
• Care Management
• Insurance liaisons
• Home health
• Community partners

This program allows you explore various care team roles, such as:

• Nurse/resident shadowing experience
• Multidisciplinary QI projects
• Participation in the Family Advisory Board
• Nurse/physician workgroups

Medical education

As a resident, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue a career as a medical educator, if that’s where your interests lie. During your residency, you’ll develop the skills you need to teach to different levels, set expectations and lead teams.

Leadership

Whether your career goal is independent practice or remaining part of a large health system, you’ll be well-prepared to step into a leadership role. Our residents have been active members and leaders in various settings, including:

• Pediatric Residency (Social Committee, Curriculum Committee)
• Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital (Nurse Partnership, Family Advisory Board)
• Geisinger Medical Center (House Staff Committee, Wellness Committee, quality initiatives)
• Federally/nationally (PA-AAP liaisons)