Rotations and Curriculum

Clinical Training Sites

Nationwide Children's Hospital — Toledo

Nationwide Children's Hospital — Toledo serves as the primary site for pediatric inpatient and critical care training. The facility includes:

• 16-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) with long-term seizure monitoring
• 30-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with a perinatal center
• 26-bed general pediatric unit

The Level III NICU is the highest designation awarded by the Ohio Department of Health for hospitals providing care to high-risk newborns.

Mercy Health — St. Vincent Medical Center

Mercy Health — St. Vincent Medical Center is a tertiary care medical center with a Level I Trauma Center for adults and a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center. The medical center provides residents with exposure to a broad range of pediatric and adult subspecialty services and serves as an important clinical and educational resource for the residency program.

St. Vincent is also home to Life Flight air ambulances and comprehensive specialty services, including orthopedics, cardiology, neuroscience, and stroke care.

Nationwide Children's Hospital — Columbus

Residents complete a core Adolescent Medicine rotation at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, providing exposure to the comprehensive medical, behavioral, and psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults.

Core Clinical Rotations

Residents progress through a broad range of inpatient, critical care, neonatal, emergency medicine, ambulatory, and other clinical experiences throughout residency, with increasing responsibility and autonomy at each level of training.

Additional clinical and elective experiences are incorporated throughout each academic year, including 4–6 weeks of ambulatory medicine with advocacy components, pediatric subspecialty rotations, individualized electives, and required subspecialty outpatient experiences.

Note: The exact timing of rotations within each academic year may vary.

Core Subspecialty Rotations

Residents complete required pediatric subspecialty experiences as part of their clinical education.

Two-Week Rotations

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Pediatric Nephrology
• Pediatric Neurology
• Pediatric Pulmonology

Four-Week Rotations

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

Additional Elective Opportunities

Depending on resident interests and scheduling availability, elective opportunities may include:

• Anesthesiology
• Board Review (PGY-3)
• Child Abuse Pediatrics
• Dermatology
• Genetics
• Hospice and Palliative Care
• Otolaryngology
• Parenting Rotation
• Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery
• Pediatric Rheumatology
• Pediatric Urology
• Procedure Rotation
• Research
• Sports Medicine

Longitudinal Continuity Clinic

Residents participate in a longitudinal continuity clinic at Franklin Avenue Primary Care Center, providing ongoing care to patients and families throughout residency. Residents develop skills in preventive care, acute outpatient management, chronic disease management, and continuity of care.

Ambulatory Rotations

Residents complete ambulatory rotations at a variety of clinical sites, including Franklin Avenue Primary Care Center, Franklin Park Pediatrics, and other Nationwide Children's Hospital – Toledo locations. These experiences provide exposure to diverse outpatient settings and pediatric patient populations.

Didactic Curriculum

The residency program provides a structured didactic curriculum designed to complement clinical training. Wednesday afternoons are protected for five hours of didactic education, allowing residents to participate in educational activities without competing clinical responsibilities.

Didactic sessions include:

Core Didactics

Core pediatric topics are presented through a combination of faculty lectures, resident presentations, case-based learning, guest speakers, and interactive discussions.

Board Review

Board preparation is incorporated throughout the curriculum through attending- and resident-led review sessions and dedicated Board Review Workshops. Board Review Workshops are typically held once monthly and use PREP questions to reinforce clinical reasoning, test-taking strategies, and high-yield pediatric concepts.

Morning Report

Morning Report is held twice monthly. Each resident leads two sessions per academic year, developing skills in clinical reasoning, case presentation, and evidence-based decision-making.

Journal Club

Residents participate in Journal Club sessions throughout the academic year, developing skills in critical appraisal of medical literature and applying evidence to clinical practice with faculty guidance.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Each PGY-2 resident leads one Clinical Practice Guideline discussion during the academic year. Residents learn to apply current guidelines to patient care and identify reliable resources for evidence-based practice.

Morbidity & Mortality Conference

Morbidity & Mortality Conference is held monthly, except in July and December. Residents participate in M&M presentations during residency. These conferences help residents develop skills in case analysis, systems-based practice, quality improvement, and patient safety.

Grand Rounds

Residents participate in Grand Rounds held on the first Tuesday of each month.

Simulation Lab

Simulation training is incorporated into the protected didactic curriculum at least once monthly and focuses on clinical scenarios, procedures, communication, and team-based care. Residents have the opportunity to practice skills in a supportive, risk-free environment and demonstrate competency before performing procedures in the clinical setting.

Simulation Lab Small Group

Simulation Lab Small Group sessions are held on the first Tuesday and third Thursday of each month. These faculty-guided small-group sessions provide residents with additional opportunities to practice clinical skills and procedures in a focused learning environment.

Resident Wellness

When a month includes five Wednesdays, the fifth Wednesday is designated as a Resident Wellness Day in place of the regular didactic session.