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Department of Pediatrics Department of Pediatrics
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  3. Pediatric Residency Training Program
  4. Curriculum
  5. Rotations

Rotations Year-by-Year

The PGY1 resident is expected to take full initiative in the workup and management of patients under the guidance of a supervising resident and attending staff physician. Interns gain extensive exposure to both ill children and those with normal growth and development. During the first year, inpatient pediatrics training is conducted at Rady Children's Hospital.

The PGY2 year builds on the experiences of the first year, with a focus on patient management and the triage of ill children. The PGY2 resident rotates through the inpatient wards at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, gaining increased independence and decision-making responsibilities. They play an active role in the program’s unique triage curriculum, learning to quickly assess clinical status, stabilize sick patients, and lead the multidisciplinary inpatient team.

The PGY3 year allows residents to further enhance their skills and knowledge across a broad range of pediatric areas. In close consultation with attending physicians, PGY3 residents oversee the care of clinic patients and provide guidance and expertise in general pediatrics. They also have the opportunity to spend a month learning adolescent medicine, both in the eating disorder unit at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and at the Navy Point Loma Adolescent Clinic.

Chief residents serve as instructors in the Department of Pediatrics and act as representatives for the residents to the Department Chairman. They provide general pediatric consultation to both residents and other services and work as attending pediatricians at the North Park Family Health Centers Pediatrics Clinic.

 

PGY-1

General Wards – Days (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • During intern year, 2 interns are paired with a senior resident to create a wards team. Each wards team cares for a combination of pediatric hospital medicine patients and subspecialty patients. Interns rotate on the following teams: Blue Team (Hospital Medicine and Pulmonary), Green Team (Hospital Medicine and Gastroenterology), and Red Team (Hospital Medicine, Neurology, and Endocrinology).
  • Intern cap is 10 patients. This is a hard cap, not a rolling cap. (e.g. If you start with 8 patients, you can only admit a max of 2 more patients that day even if you discharge all 8 of your patients.)

General Wards – Nights (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • During each block of nights at Rady Children’s Hospital, interns work with supervising senior residents to admit and manage patients. Patients are admitted from the Emergency Department as well as from hospitals and physician’s offices across the region.
  • Intern cap is 6 patients

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center)

  • UCSD Jacobs Medical Center is a Level III NICU where interns will learn how to stabilize and care for critically ill neonates. Interns attend deliveries for resuscitation experience, manage the ICU, and participate in the NICU educational curriculum along with NICU fellows.

Newborn Nursery (at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center)

  • Interns will learn basic newborn care during this month-long rotation at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center. They will be exposed to common newborn problems that the general pediatrician can expect to see in practice.

Ambulatory Medicine (at Rady Children’s Primary Care Clinic and Family Health Centers North Park)

  • With rotations at both an academic and community clinic, interns will meet and care for children coming from all over San Diego, a culturally diverse city. Faculty and staff at both UCSD Pediatrics and Family Health Centers (a large FQHC network) are dedicated teachers, making these rotations a time of growth and excellent learning!

Cardiology (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • All interns complete a one-week rotation in the outpatient Cardiology clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital to have early exposure to common diagnoses referred to and managed by outpatient cardiologists.

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (at Rady Children’s Hospital and Kaiser Permanente)

  • Interns will work with board-certified Developmental-Behavioral pediatricians at the UCSD and Kaiser Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics clinics. They will also work with health professionals involved in the multi-disciplinary care of children with developmental-behavioral needs, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and audiologists.

Community Pediatrics (across San Diego and beyond!)

  • On this rotation, interns learn about advocacy at the local and national level, learn and gain exposure to school-based health centers, and work with community and state organizations dedicated to pediatric care. This is a great opportunity to participate in and learn more about the resources available in our community!

Pediatric Emergency Medicine (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Department is a Level 1 Trauma Center and the only pediatric emergency department in San Diego County. Residents work closely with board-certified Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians and strengthen their clinical and procedural skills.

Electives

  • Interns can participate in a wide variety of Pediatric electives!

Vacation

  • Residents receive 2 two week blocks of vacation. In addition, residents receive 4 days off over the winter holidays.

PGY-2

General Wards – Days (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • Two residents are paired together to create a second-year wards team. Each wards team cares for a combination of pediatric hospital medicine patients and subspecialty patients. The subspecialty concentrations during the second year include Nephrology, Kawasaki Disease, and Cardiology.
  • The resident cap is 10 patients

General Wards – Nights (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The role of the second-year resident on nights is to admit patients to RCHSD and manage them overnight. In the second year, residents have increased independence and have the support of a senior resident.
  • The resident cap is 8 patients

General Wards – Day Triage (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • Second-year residents manage the admission pager and are responsible for triaging, stabilizing, and initiating management for newly admitted patients to RCHSD.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (at UCSD Jacobs Medical Center)

  • The second-year resident is the senior resident at UCSD Jacobs NICU and plays an important role in supervising and teaching the interns. They continue to attend deliveries and resuscitations and participate in the day-to-day management of patients. 

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • During a resident’s rotation in the PICU at RCHSD, they can expect to care for critically ill children. We are an international transfer center and care for patients from Guam, Saipan, and Japan. Residents have ample opportunity to complete procedures ranging from lumbar punctures to central line placement. Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport team (CHET) invites PICU residents to join them on ground and air transport of critically ill children. 

Hematology Oncology (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • Our Hematology-Oncology division at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego serves patients from all over Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. Second-year residents spend one month in inpatient/outpatient cancer and hematology care, which includes leukemia/lymphoma, solid tumor, and hematology services. There is also the opportunity to manage bone marrow transplant patients and recipients of immunotherapy such as CAR-T cell therapy.

Ambulatory Medicine (at Rady Children’s Primary Care Clinic)

  • This rotation is located at our academic general pediatric clinic at UCSD Pediatrics.
  • The second year will supervise interns in the clinic and participate in telephone triage. 

Resident Academic Project

  • This rotation provides residents with protected time to work on their academic project and to meet with their mentors. 

Pediatric Emergency Medicine (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Department is a Level 1 Trauma Center and the only pediatric emergency department in San Diego County. Residents work closely with board-certified Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians and strengthen their clinical and procedural skills.

Electives

  • Second-year residents have 3 months available for a variety of electives.

Vacation

  • Residents receive 2 two week blocks of vacation. In addition, residents receive 4 days off over the winter holidays.

PGY-3

General Wards – Days (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The third-year resident serves as the senior for the wards team. They are responsible for supervising interns, managing care for complex patients, teaching medical students, and leading the entire team.

General Wards – Nights Admissions (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • As the senior resident on nights, the third-year resident communicates with the hospitalists and sub-specialists on call to manage and triage admissions overnight. The senior resident supervises the admit team (interns and second year) overnight to help with management and work-up.

General Wards – “Mole” Night Coverage of Admitted Patients (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • During this rotation, the senior resident will care for patients already admitted to Rady Children’s Hospital. They are responsible for triage and acute care overnight.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • During a resident’s rotation in the PICU at RCHSD, they can expect to care for critically ill children. We are an international transfer center and care for patients from Guam, Saipan, and Japan. Residents have ample opportunity to complete procedures ranging from lumbar punctures to central line placement. Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Transport team (CHET) invites PICU residents to join them on ground and air transport of critically ill children. 

Kaiser Outpatient Clinic (at Kaiser Otay Mesa)

  • This rotation allows residents to work as an attending general pediatricians. While Kaiser pediatricians are always available if needed, this rotation offers the opportunity to grow and prepare for life as a general pediatrician after residency.

Adolescent Medicine (at Rady Children’s Hospital and Balboa Naval Hospital)

  • Residents spend this rotation working with and learning from board-certified Adolescent Medicine Pediatricians across San Diego County. They rotate through a variety of outpatient clinics including the Navy Adolescent Outpatient Clinic and UCSD Adolescent Medicine subspecialty clinics. In addition, residents rotate through the inpatient Medical Behavioral Unit at Rady Children’s where they learn to care for critically ill patients with eating disorders and comorbid conditions.

Pediatric Urgent Care (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The Urgent Care rotation takes residents to Rady Urgent Care facilities located throughout San Diego County.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine (at Rady Children’s Hospital)

  • The Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Department is a Level 1 Trauma Center and the only pediatric emergency department in San Diego County. Residents work closely with board-certified Pediatric Emergency Medicine physicians and strengthen their clinical and procedural skills.

Electives

  • Third-year residents have 3-4 months available for a variety of elective rotations.

Vacation

  • Residents receive 2 two week blocks of vacation. In addition, residents receive 4 days off over the winter holidays.