Pediatrics at Oakland

Pediatrics Resident Curriculum

Education is the core of the Kaiser Oakland program. The Chief Resident does twice weekly morning reports and attendings or residents do twice weekly morning outpatient conferences. There is also a daily noon conference, weekly radiology rounds, weekly grand rounds, monthly mock codes, and a monthly journal club. The chief resident runs a monthly board review session as well. There are also frequent impromptu talks by ward attendings and senior residents. The residents have an opportunity to teach 3rd year medical students from UCSF School of Medicine who do their core clerkship at Kaiser. We also have 4th year sub-interns on the ward, in the clinic, and in the NICU who come from all over the country. The focus of our teaching at Kaiser is on practical, evidence-based clinically useful information.

Inpatient Training

Our inpatient training is at the Kaiser Oakland Medical Center on a busy 24-bed pediatric ward. The pediatric ward has an excellent mix of general pediatrics, subspecialty pediatrics, hematology-oncology, general surgery, orthopedics, ENT, neurosurgery, and urology. Each Intern typically cares for an average of six to eight patients on a daily basis. The pediatric residents have primary responsibility for the care of all of the general and subspecialty pediatric patients, in addition to some surgical patients.

The residents manage the patients on the ward under the guidance of a pediatric ward attending. Residents also work closely with the various pediatric subspecialists, including pulmonary, hematology/oncology, neurology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, nephrology, infectious diseases, and cardiology, among others. The ward residents also act as a consult service for interesting pediatric cases in the emergency room and decide which patients need admission.

Outpatient Training

A major strength of our program is our outpatient clinic experience in the Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics Department.

Residents have once-weekly continuity clinics at Kaiser Oakland with their own panels of patients drawn from the large, diverse Northern California Kaiser population. Many residents pick up newborn patients from the NICU or well baby nursery and follow them for the entire 3 years of training. There is an attending preceptor, but residents are given independence and have responsibility for their own patients.

There are also six months of general pediatric clinic during the three years, including a one month rotation at Kaiser Richmond in which third year residents act as a staff pediatrician. This is invaluable experience for practicing in the real world.

Community Medicine

Residents have the opportunity to spend time in the community outside of Kaiser during their residency training. In the third year, each resident spends a month on a community medicine rotation. During this month, residents have the opportunity to work in community-based clinics serving underserved populations. They also have the chance to participate in a community-based project and spend time learning more about community resources including WIC, The Regional Center of the East Bay, hospice centers, and the Alameda County Lead Prevention Program. In addition, residents spend time in outside clinics and community centers during their adolescent and developmental/behavioral pediatric rotations.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Rotation

Our NICU is a 29 bed level III NICU. Kaiser Oakland is a high risk obstetric referral center with a large volume of deliveries, providing residents with the opportunity to develop excellent skills in neonatal resuscitation. Residents have primary responsibility for the care of premature and critically ill babies as well as ample opportunities to perform various procedures.

 

Well Baby Rotation

The well baby rotation is an opportunity for residents to care for a large number of healthy newborns from a diverse patient population and background. Residents perform circumcisions, gain experience in breastfeeding counseling, and see newborns in the early discharge clinic.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Rotation

Kaiser residents spend two months in the PICU during their training. In their second year, they are assigned to Children's Hospital Oakland for a Pediatric Intensive Care rotation. The Children's Hospital Oakland PICU is a 23 bed unit 10 minutes from Kaiser Oakland. Kaiser residents are part of a team which includes an intensivist, an ICU fellow and Oakland Children's residents. In their third year, they spend a month in the PICU at Kaiser Oakland. Our PICU is a ten bed unit with a mix of medical and surgical patients. It is staffed by two pediatric intensivists and provides ICU training in a smaller, more intimate setting.

Pediatric Emergency Room Rotation

The pediatric emergency room experience during the PGY-2 year takes place at the Children's Hospital Oakland Emergency Room. Children's Hospital offers an excellent pediatric ER experience that includes trauma, suturing, splinting, and general pediatric care. The second ER month is at the Kaiser Oakland ER during the PGY-3 year. Here, residents get the opportunity to do a large number and variety of procedures in the minor injury clinic. Our residents also cover Kaiser Oakland's ER as pediatric consultants throughout their three years of training.

Electives

Our residents have 8 months of elective time over their three years of training. Resident elective opportunities include (but are not limited to): Pulmonology; Hematology/Oncology; Dermatology; Gastroenterology; Pediatric Surgery; Neurology; Nephrology; Cardiology; Endocrinology; Allergy; Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Ophthalmology; Podiatry; Anesthesia; Head and Neck Surgery; and Radiology.

Residents may also choose to do clinical rotations at other facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Past electives have included research electives, alternative medicine, and international electives. We strongly encourage our residents to use their elective time to gain the subspecialty experience they need to become excellent general or subspecialty pediatricians, and to be able to pursue areas of particular interest to their future career goals.

Research Opportunities

Though it is not a required component of our residency training at Kaiser Oakland, research opportunities are available for the residents. Approximately 15 to 20% of our residents are involved with research projects, and many of our faculty members have ongoing projects as well. Kaiser Permanente Northern California is home to our Division of Research. The DOR was founded in 1961, and today its staff of over 400 is actively involved with over 220 active research projects. The DOR and our residency programs have an established relationship, and residents who require access to patient databases, statistics, and other analytical services can contact the DOR for assistance in project planning, data collection and processing. More information about the DOR can be found at www.dor.kaiser.org.