Individualized Curriculum

One of the strongest assets to our program is the diversity of our residents’ interests. Our training program is built on a foundation of Core Rotations, that are then supplemented with individualized experiences determined by each resident’s learning needs and career plans and developed with guidance of a faculty mentor.

Core Rotations -- Innovative X+Y Schedule

Our core rotations are designed to provide a sound foundation in general pediatrics. At one of the largest pediatric hospitals in the country, residents are exposed to a wide spectrum of illness encountered in a variety of settings, including: ambulatory clinics, our Level 1 Trauma Emergency Department, numerous general pediatrics and subspecialty inpatient floors, our level I Pediatric ICU, Parkland’s Newborn Nursery, and Parkland’s level 3 Neonatal ICU.

Resident feedback on their educational experience is directly applied year after year, which is evident by our recent transition to an X+Y schedule through the ACGME “Advancing Innovation in Residency Education” pilot study. Our residency program explores novel approaches to the traditional core rotation structure to promote optimal, forward thinking education and wellness.

Sample Block Schedule

Click here to download the Sample X+Y Block Schedule PDF. to download the Sample X+Y Block Schedule PDF.

Elective Experiences

Our residents’ goals are as unique and diverse as they are. Our approach to electives provides flexibility to build a curriculum that matches each individual’s personal and professional goals. We offer over 40 unique elective experiences from which residents can choose as they develop their personalized curriculum. Take a peek at our recent course catalog by clicking the link below. Many of our best electives were hand crafted for the specific needs of individual residents.

Advanced Medical Spanish
Allergy/Immunology
Anesthesia
Bone Marrow Transplant
Community Organization Resident Practicum
Community Practice General Pediatrics
Complex Care
CVICU
Dermatology
Endocrinology
Foster Care
Genetics/Metabolism
GI
Global Health
Hepatology
Infectious Disease
Interprofessional Elective
Neurocritical ICU
Neurology
NICU
Nutrition
Obesity Management Elective
Otolaryngology / Audiology
Palliative Care
Pulmonology
Radiology
REACH (Child Abuse Clinic)
Renal
Rheumatology
Simulation Basics
Sports Medicine
Summer Camps
THRIVE
Toxicology
Transfusion Medicine
Transport Elective
Custom Electives
- Examples of some done in the past year: Echocardiography elective, Autism Center elective, Healthcare Administration, Lactation

Individualized Curriculum Examples

So what does an individualized curriculum actually look like? See some selected examples of how our current residents and recent graduates have built unique and diverse training experiences during residency based on their career interests and plans.

Katherine Maddox, MD (class of 2016)
General Pediatrics, Complex and Chronic Care

Melody Munoz, MD (class of 2017)
General Pediatrics, Underserved Populations

Zachary Most, MD (class of 2018)
Infectious Diseases, Research

Stephen Spurgin, MD (class of 2019)
Cardiology, Research

Rija Siddiqui, MD (class of 2019)
Health Disparities, Mental Health, Emergency Medicine