Pediatric Curriculum

Course Description

The Pediatric Thread curriculum will allow medical students to:

• Participate in the care of patients of all ages in order to gain a foundational understanding of pediatric health and disease processes.
• Experience pediatric conditions embedded into the basic science curriculum.
• Gain exposure to children of various ages and their families to enhance communication and physical exam skills.

Components of the thread will include integrating pediatric content into basic science didactics, introduction of pediatric history and clinical skills, communication with caregivers /families and introduction to preventive and community pediatrics.  Pre-clerkship activities will be planned utilizing:

• Recorded virtual lectures
• Videos or podcasts
• Self-Study Assignments
• Integration of pediatric content into existing PBL, Doctoring cases and LACE.
• Use of standardized patients via Telemedicine
• Integration of pediatric clinical skills into existing clinical skills curriculum

Download the syllabus

Course Contact

Adwoa Osei, M.D. - Curriculum Director
adwoa.osei@medsch.ucr.edu

Lauren Valko - Clerkship Coordinator
lauren.valko@medsch.ucr.edu

Learning Outcomes

Prior to starting MS3, medical students will:

1. Learn pediatric clinical content in the context of basic science learning.
2. Practice pediatric physical exam maneuvers with age appropriate techniques on different age groups.
3. Recognize the different components of and approaches to a pediatric history on different age groups.
4. Practice communication with a child and his/her caregiver.
5. Identify the use of preventative medicine strategies for children according to age.
6. Identify barriers to healthcare in the community, and healthcare team resources available for children and families.

Assessment/Evaluation

The Pediatric Thread Curriculum is designed to be a formative experience for students and will be evaluated at the completion of the 3rd year pediatric clerkship, where students will be asked if their pre-clerkship pediatric experiences prepared them for the clerkship. We will continue to monitor the change in responses to these questions with the expectation that more students will answer in a positive direction.