Baylor Pediatric Residency Program

The Pediatric Residency Program at Baylor College of Medicine is a fully accredited program that provides exceptional opportunities to study the health and illnesses of children from infancy through adolescence. BCM has a full-time faculty in the Department of Pediatrics of more than 500 pediatricians and more than 60 other specialty physicians, such as pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, pathologists, and radiologists. Voluntary faculty (private practitioners) also participate actively in house staff education. The range of full-time and voluntary faculty ensures that all subspecialty areas and all clinical services are well represented.

Affiliated Hospitals

The Pediatric Residency Program is administered through the college and is conducted at two major affiliated hospitals, Texas Children's Hospital and Ben Taub General Hospital. The BCM pediatric system has more than 450 pediatric and newborn beds.

Clinical Training

During the three years in the program, pediatric house officers spend approximately two-thirds of their training time at Texas Children's and one-third at Ben Taub. The program provides instruction in well-child care, normal and abnormal growth and development, general pediatrics, and acute and chronic pediatric medical and surgical specialties.

Attending rounds for teaching and for supervision in patient care are conducted at both hospitals on all inpatient units. Departmental Grand Rounds are held weekly, and a variety of other conferences are offered on all inpatient and outpatient units. An important component of the residents¿ preparation is the daily encounter with the physical, emotional, and psychosocial aspects of pediatric care.

The scope, balance, and flexibility of the program prepare the house officers for either general pediatric practice or subspecialty training.

Supervisory Experience

Medical students from BCM also receive their pediatric training at Texas Children's and Ben Taub. These students provide the resident with academic challenges and stimulation, the opportunity to teach, and assistance in the care of patients. The level of supervisory experience increases as residents progress from the PL-I level to the PL-III level.

Special Interest Opportunities

Six months of elective time, distributed in the second and third years, provide residents the opportunity to concentrate on areas of special interest or to pursue areas of individual need. The department has informal arrangements with health facilities in Guatemala and on the Navajo Indian Reservation located in Arizona and New Mexico. Each year, several residents choose to spend elective time in these areas.

Research

Research activities at BCM and its affiliated hospitals add an important facet to the Pediatric Residency Program. BCM has several nationally renowned pediatric research facilities:

• Children's Nutrition Research Center, one of six USDA/ARS human research centers in the country.
• One of the nation's three Pediatric Clinical Research Centers located in children's hospitals.
• One of 14 Child Health Research Centers designated by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to expedite the application of molecular medicine to Pediatrics.

The extensive research conducted in these institutions provides house officers with access to current diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, often before they are generally or commercially available. Faculty members offer strong support for those residents who choose to participate in research projects.