Rotations

We follow a 2+2+2 schedule, also referred to as X+Y+Z. Each segment is 2 weeks long.

• On X &Y weeks, residents have dedicated inpatient and elective time giving flexibility to creating 2 to 4 week rotations.
• On Z weeks, residents have continuity clinic, an academic half day reviewing primary care topics, and longitudinal elective clinics of their choosing. Additionally, PL-1 have two half days of advocacy embedded into their Z weeks;  PL-2's have mental health clinic and wellness half days; 3rd years have half days dedicated to medical student education and coaching interns on the inpatient ward. For both PL2 and PL3's, residents are encouraged to protect 1-2 half shifts for scholarly work and participation in either Advocacy or QI tracks.

2024-2025 Block diagram by post-graduate level

The illustration below summarizes experience per year. Each block below represents 4 weeks and is meant to summarize the total time spent in each respective unit or clinical experience. The rotations do not necessarily occur in this sequence.  Most rotations will occur in two-week increments. Note:  this is subject to change to implement the new ACGME requirements effective July 2025.

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Note: GP includes 1 month of low acuity PICU; CM includes advocacy experience

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Note: IC includes 1 month of wellness rotation

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Note: GP includes 1 month of low acuity PICU; IC includes medical student education and option of protected time for scholarly work or tracks.

Abbreviations: ADOL= adolescent medicine, AI= Acute Illness, CM = Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy, DBP = Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, ELEC = electives, GP= General Pediatrics, IC= Individualized Curriculum, PEM = Pediatric Emergency Medicine, RS= Required Subspecialty (Mental Health), TN= Term Newborn, VAC= Vacation

Subspecialty Electives

Rotation Information

General Inpatient Pediatric Unit: On this rotation, residents gain experience in the inpatient management of general pediatric, subspecialty and surgical patients. Admissions vary from healthy children with acute health problems to caring for medically complex patients with chronic disease. There are two teams, both comprised of an intern paired with a senior resident.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: In the PICU, residents manage our highest acuity patients by working directly with our pediatric intensivists. Residents focus on the fundamentals of management for a range of pathology including complex congenital heart disease to respiratory failure. Residents direct daily interdisciplinary rounds with residents, nursing, dietitians, pharmacists and respiratory therapists. The lower acuity team is made up of an intern paired with a senior resident, and the high acuity team is made up of three senior residents.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: In our level 3 NICU, residents provide high acuity care for preterm and medically complex infants including those with prenatally diagnosed anomalies, referred from Rush’s Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Program. Residents gain proficiency in neonatal resuscitation by attending deliveries on a daily basis. Our NICU contains 60-beds and our NICU transport team accepts transfer for surrounding community hospitals for patients needing high-level subspecialty care. Residents work on an interdisciplinary team of fellows, nutritionists, respiratory therapists, neonatal nurse practitioners and pharmacists.

Emergency Department: Residents work day and evening shifts in the Rush Emergency Department alongside emergency medicine residents and pediatric emergency medicine trained physicians. This rotation provides residents with hands-on experience with laceration repairs, phlebotomy, IV insertion, splinting, urine catheterizations, and foreign body removal. During their PL-2 year, residents rotate at Lurie Children’s Hospital to gain experience at a stand-alone pediatric emergency room.

General Care Nursery: In our level 1 nursery, residents care for all healthy newborns born at Rush, progressing their skills in the newborn exam, routine newborn management and educating parents in newborn care. Residents also attend deliveries and perform neonatal resuscitation. Infants from our GCN often follow residents into their continuity clinics! The resident team is comprised of an intern and senior resident pair.

PL-1 specific rotations

Advocacy: As one of our longitudinal rotations built into the Y weeks, residents venture into the community to learn about the resources that support the children and families of Chicago throughout the year. Residents shadow the Child Protective Services team, meet with child life specialists and visit the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to learn how to advocate for children’s health. They visit local food pantries, WIC offices, a 911 call center and several chronic care facilities. Residents also travel to homeless shelters along with attendings from our primary continuity clinic to provide care to children in need.

Adolescent Medicine: On Adolescent Medicine, residents rotate through a variety of outpatient clinics and impatient experience at Lurie Children's Hospital getting exposure to addiction medicine, pediatric genecology, gender development program, and adolescents mental health. Residents hone their skills in counseling teens about sexual health and performing routine adolescent health screenings in a diverse patient population. 

Development and Behavior: Residents work alongside Development and Behavior specialists in their clinics at Rush, learning how to evaluate and diagnose children with abnormal development and behaviors. Residents also visit several therapeutic schools for children with developmental delays, sensory sensitivities and other special needs to learn about how therapies can optimize a child’s social and emotional development.