Year three

The pediatric clerkship offers a mandatory six-week pediatric rotation consisting of three weeks on the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU), two weeks in the Emergency Department and one week in newborn care. Learning on the clerkship rotation is complemented by a variety of teaching sessions. An academic half-day is provided every Wednesday where a variety of core pediatric topics are taught by the faculty. Students are also expected to attend Problem Assisted Learning (PAL) sessions, where each student is given the opportunity to teach their peers using case-based problems.

Students also attend teaching shifts, simulation sessions and procedural skills sessions during the Pediatric Emergency portion of their clerkship rotation. The Computerized Learning in Pediatrics Project (CLIPP) system is provided to every student on rotation, giving them the opportunity to utilize case-based learning modules to complement the learning materials on this rotation.

All third-year medical students have an additional two-week pediatric placement during their mandatory selective rotation which can be completed in either pediatric surgery or pediatric medicine subspecialties.

Year four

Fourth-year UGME students are able to participate in pediatric electives to enhance their clinical skills.

In addition, the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) Part 1 preparatory course (Back to Basics) provided to all  fourth-year students includes 12 hours of pediatric course material to assist them in preparing for this exam.

The Department of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) offers electives in a wide range of pediatric subspecialties. Opportunities are available for the University of Ottawa pre-clerkship and clerkship students as well as visiting medical students.

Observational pre-clerkship electives

**Not available for Visiting Medical Students**

In years one and two (pre-clerkship), UGME students have the opportunity to schedule 10-hour observational electives with the Department of Pediatrics.

In addition, second-year students have the opportunity to schedule their 20-hour mandatory elective week in the Department of Pediatrics. The purpose of this elective is to provide students with an opportunity to enhance clinical skills or explore clinical areas to facilitate decision making regarding future postgraduate training.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer observational (non-clinical) placements to Visiting Medical Students (VMS) and Canadian students enrolled in medical schools abroad  (CSA).

Clinical clerkship electives

The Department of Pediatrics offers a wide range of clinical placements for electives at CHEO. All electives are coordinated through the Faculty of Medicine. Further information is available on UGME Pediatrics Electives Website.

UGME students, VMS and CSA students must not contact the department or the hospital administration directly to inquire or reserve a time for an elective. Non-Canadian medical students enrolled in a medical school abroad (outside of Canada) need to refer to the electives website for current information.

The student-lead Pediatrics Specialty Interest Group (PedSIG) strives to introduce medical students to the field of pediatrics, its sub-specialties, the matching requirements for the residency program and pre-clerkship elective opportunities.

Physician-led talks and panel discussions are organized throughout the year. Students are invited to participate in interactive events where they can meet faculty members and residents as well as patients and their families.

An initiative for this year is to provide students with relevant information for unique research and volunteer opportunities that will enhance their understanding of the field of pediatrics. We hope to share our enthusiasm for this fascinating specialty!

The pediatrics curriculum is integrated into the systems-based curriculum of the first two years of study at the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine. Each block of the curriculum will have specific pediatric content as a part of the didactic sessions as well as the case-based learning modules. At the end of second year, the integration block has several weeks of pediatric content.

In addition, the students take part in the Physician Skills Development (PSD) course throughout their first two years of study. In second year, all students have sessions on Pediatric Clinical Skills which serve as an introduction to the pediatric history and physical examination with the emphasis being placed on those aspects unique to pediatrics. 

Handbooks/Pocketbooks

• Hospital for Sick Children Handbook (11^th ed, 2010)
• Harriet Lane Handbook (1999):  John Hopkins Hospital, Department of Pediatrics
• Pediatrics on Call
• Pediatric Drug Dosing – Pharmacy Resources on CHEOnet in Quick Links Section (Lexi, Micromedex & CPS Online 

Texts 

• Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics (4^th ed):  Behrman R.E. and R.M. Kliegman
• Rudolph’s Fundamentals of Pediatrics (3^rd ed, 2002):  Rudolph, A.M. et al
• LANGE Current Pediatric Diagnosis and Treatment (16^th ed, 2002):  Hay, W.W., A.R. Hayward et al
• Pediatrics:  A Primary Care Approach (2^nd ed) – STARS Series:  Carol D. Berkowitz          

Clinical skills

• Pediatric Clinical Skills (3^rd ed):  Richard A. Goldbloom 

Journals (Accessible in CHEOnet library)

• Visit CHEO Library Services (Under Tools & References on CHEOnet) Go to Clinical Requests  -- Database of current publications for CTU questions as they arise
• Pediatrics in Review – a monthly publication by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), consisting of review articles and cases presentations

Useful websites

• Canadian Paediatric Society
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics
• Computer-assisted Learning in Pediatrics Project – MedU CLIPP Cases
• Canadian Undergraduate Curriculum in Paediatrics (CANUC)