Continuity Clinics

Average one half-day of clinic per week

Vacation/Time Off

Three weeks total taken during Elective, NICU/Community Pediatrics and Primary Care/ Injury Prevention-Child Advocacy Months.

Holiday Comp Week- 1 week unscheduled per year during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s & 1 week unscheduled at end of year.

For more information about nights and call click below for a PDF of the sample block schedule.

Continuity Clinics

Average one half-day of clinic per week

Vacation/Time Off

Three weeks total taken during Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Elective Months.

Holiday Comp Week- 1 week unscheduled per year during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s.

For more information about nights and call click below for a PDF of the sample block schedule.

Continuity Clinics

Average one half-day of clinic per week

Vacation/Time Off

Three weeks total taken during Subspecialty Clinic and Elective Months.

Holiday Comp Week- 1 week unscheduled per year during Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s.

For more information about nights and call click below for a PDF of the sample block schedule.

Inpatient teams are resident-led teams, even when rounding with a fellow. Residents lead family-centered rounds and develop and implement plans for patient care. Attending physicians are present each day on rounds for supervision, guidance, and education. On inpatient services with fellows, fellows assist in the supervision and teaching of residents and students.

Additional educational opportunities each weekday include Morning Report at 8 a.m. and Noon Conference or Pediatric Medical Grand Rounds at 12 p.m.

Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) teams provide care for about 1/3 of the inpatient admissions at Children's of Alabama. Because Children's of Alabama is both the local children's hospital for the greater Birmingham area and the referral center for all of Alabama and parts of neighboring states, the PHM service cares for a diverse patient population with a wide range of diagnoses.

• Attendings are members of the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and are leaders in education, quality improvement, and advocacy at UAB and nationally.

• Each PHM team consists of an attending, three pediatric residents and one to three medical students.

• Each team is also assigned a social worker, case manager, and pharmacist to assist with follow-up appointments, patient teaching, working with DHR, coordinating prescriptions, along with many other services.

• Each team has a cap of 16 patients (intern cap of eight patients), with a max of eight patients admitted on a call day.

• Patients are admitted to PHM teams using a “drip system” until 3 p.m. during the week and 12 p.m. on holidays and weekends. After this time, the call team (short call every fourth day) admits all patients until 5p.m. This allows each team to get new patients daily. Overflow patients are admitted by a separate attending hospitalist team.

• A separate night float team is in house at 5 p.m. to perform cross-cover and admissions.

• Each PHM resident presents about one patient from whom they learned the most during our Stagno Morning Report while on service.

• Ward teams participate in monthly simulation cases to enhance their learning. 

Residents in their first year of training spend one month caring for infants in the Mother-Baby Unit of UAB's Women and Infants Center. Goals of this rotation include developing skills in the evaluation and care of healthy newborns. Residents gain expertise in newborn physical exam and circumcision skills and learn about a variety of topics including neonatal jaundice, sepsis, feeding difficulty, breastfeeding, evaluation of heart murmurs, and anticipatory guidance.

A total of three and a half months during residency is spent in the 120 bed, level III+ Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (RNICU), also located at UAB’s Women and Infants Center. As one of the largest and busiest NICU’s in the nation, residents can expect to see a wide range of patients ranging from extremely low birth weight premature infants to critically ill full-term neonates. Residents attend all high risk or otherwise complicated deliveries and thus become proficient at resuscitating newborns on this rotation. Additionally, residents have the opportunity to perform numerous procedures including intubations, umbilical line placement, and lumbar punctures. Residents are also exposed to the management and care of neonates with cardiac lesions while in the NICU. 

While in the NICU, interns work on a night float system with an average of five to seven overnight shifts during the rotation and the remainder of shifts occurring during the day. Upper level residents work on a hybrid scheduling system with night float coverage Monday through Thursday and 24-hour calls Friday through Sunday.

Second-year pediatric residents spend two months in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s of Alabama. This 24-bed unit provides state-of-the-art, critical care for the sickest children in the state and region. Residents gain in-depth experience in the identification and management of respiratory and cardiac failure, treatment of sepsis, management of severe trauma, post-operative complications, and a wide range of other disorders. This experience provides confidence to manage sick patients for the remainder of our residents' careers. Residents also hone their procedural skills with intubations, line placement, and other diagnostic procedures during these rotations. 

While in the PICU, care is supervised by pediatric critical care trained faculty and fellows. Residents work on a night float system with one week of nights during their month and the remaining shifts occurring during the daytime.

Like most urban children’s hospitals, the Children’s of Alabama emergency department (ED) cares for a wide array of problems ranging from routine pediatric concerns to acute, life-threatening trauma, and illnesses. With an average 75,000 annual patient visits and 400 traumas (of which >25% are Level I) managed in 54 single patient rooms and four state-of-the-art trauma bays, the Children’s of Alabama ED allows our residents significant hands-on experience managing every level of acuity. During the Pediatric Emergency Medicine rotation, residents provide initial contact and care with supervision from fellowship-trained Pediatric Emergency Medicine specialists. Resident shifts range from 8-10 hours and vary between daytime, afternoon/evening, and an average five to seven overnight shifts throughout each month of service.

The UAB Pediatric Residency Program offers subspecialty exposure to the full array of pediatric experiences. Subspecialty rotations include allergy/immunology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, hematology-oncology, infectious disease, nephrology, neurology, pulmonology, rheumatology. In each subspecialty, residents have the opportunity to work with fellowship trained faculty, many of whom are renown in their respective field. Subspecialty rotations are spread throughout the three years of training and include a mix of inpatient service, consult, and outpatient care experiences for residents.

Residents spend an average of one ½ day per week in our continuity clinic at the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic (PCC). The PCC is located in the Park Place building directly adjacent to the hospital. Residents serve as the general pediatricians for children from the surrounding community and are each assigned a patient panel of approximately 100 patients, ranging from newborns to 18-year-olds with a variety of medical conditions and complexities. Residents also enjoy working with the same PCC pediatrician as their attending throughout the three years of residency to establish further continuity and mentorship.

As part of the outpatient pediatric education, residents also rotate through various outpatient clinics including Adolescent Medicine, Sparks Center at UAB, subspecialty clinics at Children’s of Alabama, Jefferson County Health Department community care clinics, and a number of community private pediatric offices. Residents also practice taking after-hours calls for the resident PCC during two weeks of their second year.

All residents complete a one month experience in adolescent medicine. This rotation provides the basis for evaluation and care of this special pediatric population. Training locations include the inpatient and outpatient facilities of the Children’s of Alabama as well as focused instruction in eating disorders clinic, juvenile detention centers, weight management clinics, adolescent HIV clinics, adolescent gynecology clinics, and a teen transition clinic.

An understanding of typical and atypical behavior and development are key foundations of training in pediatrics, as such every resident experiences one month of developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP). Working alongside fellowship trained DBP-faculty, residents will enjoy experiences in DBP Clinic, Autism Clinic, Trisomy 21 Clinic, Muscular Dystrophy Clinic, Newborn Follow-up Clinic for former premature infants, Spina Bifida Clinic and sessions with occupational and physical therapy.

Individualized curriculum is important for career development. In addition to rotating on services relevant to desired career paths, residents also receive four electives during which they can craft their own learning experiences ranging from inpatient or consult services to outpatient, general to subspecialty exposure, personal development or research, and everything in between. Program directors and chief residents support residents in developing electives in line with their goals. Use the Elective Catalog link below to view some of the historically popular elective rotation experiences.

Elective Catalog

Pediatric Residents Interested in Medical Education (PRIME) Scholars is a longitudinal learning experience designed to provide pediatric residents with skills and knowledge to become excellent medical educators. Components of the program include: 1) monthly group discussions, 2) direct observation of resident teaching, and 3) scholarly projects.

Pediatrics PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents and Med-Peds PGY-2 through PGY-4 residents are eligble for the program. The application and selection process takes place in the Spring. Two to three residents per year will be selected for the program.

Goals

To provide opportunities for residents with a particular interest in medical education (e.g. those that wish to pursue a career in academics with focus on medical education or perhaps incorporate medical education into their clinical practice if not in academics) to:

• gain exposure to foundational principles of medical education (including adult learning theory)

• increase knowledge and skills related to common practices in medical education (e.g. feedback delivery)

• gain perspective on/learn about different career tracks in medical education

• gain a basic appreciation for research in medical education

Faculty Leaders

Will Sasser, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Assistant Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Michele Nichols, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Nancy Tofil, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Senior Associate Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Christina Cochran, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Assistant Program Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program

Anna Hurst, M.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Genetics
Assistant Program Director, Combined Pediatric-Genetics Residency Program

Annalise Sorrentino, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine

The aim of the Health Equity Scholars Program is to train pediatric and medicine-pediatric residents to lead advances in child health equity through a two-year longitudinal and experiential curriculum.

The program will give priority to Pediatrics and MedPeds PGY-1 residents since it is a two-year curriculum but is open to upper level residents if there are spots available. The application and selection process takes place in the Spring. Three residents will be selected for the program each application cycle.

Goals

The goal is for Health Equity Scholars to:

• Become pediatricians with outstanding clinical skills who also understand the full range of determinants of health and systemic barriers that lead to inequities in health care.

• Develop a foundational knowledge of resources available to overcome systemic barriers in health care to ensure exceptional, equitable care is provided to vulnerable and underserved populations.

• Develop leadership, communication, scholarship and advocacy skills to advance health equity.

• Learn to design, implement, and evaluate interventions through quality improvement initiatives to improve child health equity.

• Become familiar with implicit biases and recognize the impact biases have on promoting health inequities.

• Develop a framework for addressing implicit biases in an effort to improve health equity for vulnerable and underserved populations.

Curriculum Overview

• Monthly didactic and experiential learning sessions.

• Group QI Project

• Two weekend long immersive experiences in regions of Alabama per year (Fall and Spring).

Faculty Leaders

Morissa Ladinsky, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Academic General Pediatrics

Chrystal Rutledge, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Critical Care

Tina Simpson, M.D.
Professor, Division of Adolescent Medicine

The Pediatric Underserved and Global Health (PUGH) Scholars Program is a unique opportunity for pediatric residents to gain experience and focused education in global health during the 3 years of residency training. We are looking for residents with a passion for practicing medicine in underserved communities to reduce healthcare disparities and a desire to experience global health both here in the U.S. and abroad. Residents will gain an understanding of the general principles related to health in developing countries and providing culturally sensitive and competent care in a limited resource setting. 

The program will give priority to Pediatrics and MedPeds PGY-1 residents but is open to upper level residents if there are spots available. The application and selection process takes place in the Spring. Three residents will be selected for the program each application cycle. 

Goals

• To provide structured education for pediatric residents surrounding global health principles

• To prepare residents to address healthcare delivery and work to eliminate healthcare disparities in the global underserved population

• To provide mentorship for a career in global heath as well as pre-departure planning and scholarship oversight

• To recruit strong resident applicants interested in global health.

• To foster longitudinal partnerships with global sites for bidirectional mentorship, education, and research

Curriculum

• Attend at least 2/3 of the global health meetings

  1. Quarterly Global Health Noon Conference

  2. Quarterly Global Health Morning Report

  3. Global Health Interest Group Meetings

• Spend your non-call elective during 3rd year in an underserved setting (either here in the U.S. or overseas)

  1. Target overseas sites: Kijabe, Kenya; Santiago, Chile (2021-2022 academic year); Lusaka, Zambia

  2. US sites: Indian Health Services; Black Belt, Alabama; Health Department; other rural Alabama location

  3. Other sites may be acceptable on case by case basis

• Complete a scholarly project (anything from a reflective essay to an advocacy, QI, or research project)

Faculty Leaders

Meghan Hofto, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediaric Hospital Medicine

Mary Orr, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediaric Hospital Medicine

Nora Switchenko, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Neonatology

Erica Bjornstad, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediaric Nephrology

Carmelle Wallace, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Pediaric Emergency Medicine

Priya Prabhakaran, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatric Critical Care

The McDonald Scholars Program provides the opportunity for interested residents to enhance their general pediatric experience in rural/underserved areas through two week immersion experience. Selected residents will be placed in an established rural and/or underserved pediatric practice in Alabama where they will have the opportunity to be an observer and a patient caregiver. 

The program is open to PGY-2 and PGY-3 Pediatric or PGY-2 through PGY-4 Med-Peds residents and accepts applications in the Spring. Four to eight residents will be selected each year to participate in the program. 

Goals

• To give residents an “immersion” type experience in a rural practice in Alabama

• To provide and engage our residents in a different underserved population

• To strengthen the General Pediatric experience of our residents

• To inspire and possibly peak interest in a rural type practice

• To honor the generous giving of Dr. and Mrs. Jack McDonald.

Faculty Leaders

Michele Nichols, M.D.
Professor, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Candice Dye, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Academic General Pediatric
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program

On June 18, 2014, the UAB Pediatrics Residency Program renamed Morning Report to Stagno Report in honor of Dr. Sergio Stagno for his dedication to the residency program and the education of residents. The Stagno Report takes place every morning at 7:55 in the Bradley Lecture Center. Cases are generally presented by upper level residents and led by the chief residents. Residents on PHM, subspecialty rotations, PICU, NICU, and emergency medicine present on a rotating basis, discussing a wide variety of cases. In addition we have longitudinal general outpatient pediatrics, social determinants of health, ethics, and global health discussions as well. The Stagno Report is always well attended by residents, medical students, fellows, and attendings alike. It is interactive with resident and attending participation concerning the history, physical exam, differential diagnosis, and management of the day’s case presentation. Because of these aspects, an engaging discussion takes place every morning, with multiple learning points.

Journal Club occurs on a monthly basis and rotates monthly between morning discussion during Stagno Report and evening discussion at a local restaurant or brewery. Residents are provided the article and discussion-stimulating questions ahead of each meeting to facilitate engaging conversation.

Noon conference takes place every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in the Bradley Lecture Center. Residents are provided with a free, hot meal on a daily basis during these lectures. In addition, all residents’ pagers are held and answered by the chief residents so that the residents will be able to spend the hour focused on the lecture. Noon conferences are given by faculty and staff. The material covered is based on a 12-month curriculum created by the curriculum committee that covers Pediatric Board Specifications from each subspecialty. 

In July of each year, there is a special series presented that covers basic patient care and emergency situations among the Pediatric subspecialties, to provide a foundation of knowledge for residents and interns.

Senior Talks are given once per month, and take place during the noon conference hour. Two of the senior residents (third-year categorical pediatrics and fourth-year med-peds residents) present a 30 minute evidence-based medicine talk on a topic of their choice. 

Every Thursday, residents are offered opportunities during their noon hour to attend Pediatrics Grand Rounds or interest group meetings to further advance their education and explore their career goals.

Starting in January, we have weekly lectures hosted by attending and fellows from every department to review pearls and tips for the Boards. Many of the presenters write questions for the Boards so are equipped to offer insight into the test itself. After the lecture, the presentations and recorded lectures are made available to residents for review as needed.

The UAB Pediatric Residency Department pays for every residents’ annual AAP membership throughout residency. This provides residents with access to at least three years of board content-based “PREP questions”. Residents are required to complete one year’s worth of these questions during each year of training (approximately 250 questions per year).

As part of the residents’ funded AAP memberships, the Pediatrics and Pediatrics in Review journals are both delivered on a monthly basis to all of our residents, which is a great source of review for basic pediatrics topics.

Every morning, before Stagno report, residents answer a Board-style question. Each month, the intern or resident with the most correct answers is awarded a "Golden Pen". At the end of the year, the resident with the most correct answers gets to go to lunch with a program director of their choice.