The Pediatric Clerkship at UNMC is organized in two parallel tracks. One is conducted at UNMC and Children's Hospital and Medical Center, called University Pediatrics. The other is accomplished at sites throughout Nebraska for 4 weeks with 4 weeks in Omaha, called Community Pediatrics.
Students will be randomly assigned to clerkship sites. Please note all available Community Track positions will be filled first followed by the University Track positions. Once assignments are made, students will have the opportunity to switch within their clerkship group if they so choose. However, final approval of the switch is made by the Pediatric Clerkship administration.
What is it?
This is a clerkship in Pediatrics designed to provide an exposure to the breadth of Pediatric Medicine, as practiced at a University Hospital. It is designed with an outpatient emphasis. This is limited to 10 slots per rotation group.
Overview of the structure of the clerkship:
A typical student on the clerkship will have a schedule that includes 3 weeks on inpatient service, 2 weeks of selectives (specialty clinics), 2 week of general pediatrics clinics, and 1 week in the Newborn Nursery.
What is it?
Community Pediatrics is the name of an alternative Pediatrics clerkship that has been in effect since 1994. This clerkship is intended to provide students with an experience in Pediatrics that reflects primary care Pediatrics as it is currently practiced in communities across Nebraska. Currently students may do this rotation in Fremont, Lincoln, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, North Platte, or Scottsbluff. Most sites take one student per rotation for Community Pediatrics. Some sites are not available for certain clerkships due to scheduling conflicts.
Overview of the structure of the clerkship:
Approximately 4 weeks will be spent in a clinic setting in Greater Nebraska. As part of this month long experience, students may see patients in the hospital as well as newborns along with being in the ambulatory clinic. The other 4 weeks are spent in Omaha where students will spend 2 weeks on an inpatient service, 1 week in the newborn nursery, and 1 week of a selective (specialty clinic).
Comparisons to University Pediatrics:
Students who do Community Pediatrics perform comparably on both the end of clerkship oral exam and the National Board of Medical Examiners subject exam when compared to students of similar background who do University Pediatrics. The two groups perform similarly in terms of their final average final grades. Students from both backgrounds appear to have similar success in matching for Pediatric residency programs. Students report less inpatient exposure, and greater outpatient exposure. Student satisfaction with the rotation has been good.
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