Pediatrics Residency Program

Memorial Health Dwaine and Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital of Savannah

Mission Statement

The mission of the HCA Healthcare/Mercer University School of Medicine/Memorial Health University Medical Center Pediatric Residency Program is to develop highly skilled pediatricians who are committed to providing empathetic, evidence-based patient care in the communities they serve. The program's goal is to provide residents with the knowledge and skills to become generalists or subspecialists in an academic or community setting. This is accomplished through a comprehensive educational program that provides hands-on experience in both hospital and clinic settings, with a focus on delivering exceptional healthcare to patients from various demographic backgrounds. The residency program is designed to offer residents a supportive educational environment where they are provided individualized learning opportunities by faculty and staff. Through their example and training, residents learn leadership and practice graduated autonomy to prepare them for independent-decision making and leadership in the field of pediatric medicine. The pediatric program is committed to maintaining an environment that values rigorous education, support of individual wellness, and teamwork that will enrich residents' training experience and prepare them for fulfilling careers in pediatrics.

Program Overview

The Pediatric Residency Program at the Memorial Health Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital of Savannah provides a strong foundation in general pediatrics and community medicine.

Program highlights include:

• The only children’s hospital in southeast Georgia; it includes a Level 1 trauma center, pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric emergency department, and Level III neonatal intensive care nursery
• 73,000 outpatient visits per year, including outpatient/emergency department/subspecialist visits; 4,700 children's hospital admissions; and 2,900 deliveries
• X+Y scheduling allows for more focused ambulatory care and inpatient experiences
• Exposure to a vast array of diagnoses ranging from common conditions to the more rare and complex
• A large catchment area that provides exposure to both urban and rural patient populations
• A collegial and welcoming group of residents who support one another during residency
• Off-campus rotations within the Savannah community at both subspecialists' and general pediatricians' offices
• Strong training in patient safety and quality improvement through our systemwide graduate medical education initiatives
• Dedicated clinical faculty committed not only to medical education, but also to the community and children with special health needs
• A training area that effortlessly supports work-life balance with ready access to the beach, water sports, vibrant nightlife, and an ever-growing arts and culinary community

Conference Schedule

Educational conferences have varying formats and are a large part of our program. Our conferences complement our curriculum and include team-based learning, case presentations, journal clubs, and didactics addressing ABP board specifications.

Morning Report

Morning report occurs Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-9:30am for all house staff and faculty on the inpatient services and in outpatient clinic. Inpatient morning report is a resident-driven presentation of a recent case that focuses on developing differentials, medical decision-making, creating accurate assessments and determining treatment options.

Grand Rounds

Conferences are held every other Friday, and include guest lecturers who are experts in their specialty and Case of the Month faculty grand rounds in the spirit of the original grand rounds format. Furthermore, third year residents engage in a Grand Rounds and Presentation Skills curriculum that culminates in a capstone grand rounds presentation.

Morbidity & Mortality Conference

Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference is a monthly forum designed to track and discuss medical error in an environment that facilitates learning, encourages accountability, and promotes leadership and academic development. Goals of M&M are to foster openness in medical error disclosure, facilitate learning from our mistakes, identify and plan to address system issues that permit error. Residents present the M&M case with the support of a faculty moderator.

Performance Improvement/QI Curriculum

Each class begins the QI curriculum in January of their PGY-1 year. Residents are taught the basics of quality improvement and simultaneously workshop and implement a group project of their own that culminates in a presentation at the program-wide QI/PI Day.

Noon Conference

Noon conferences occur 4 times per week between 12:30pm and 1:30pm for all house staff. The lectures are aimed ad addressing all aspects of pediatric medicine and practice in preparation for the American Board of Pediatrics board examination and independent practice, and include two board study reviews per month.

Evidenced-based Medicine (Journal Club)

Each resident is responsible for presenting one EBM conference during their second year with the assistance of faculty moderators. These conferences provide comprehensive coverage of emerging evidence and the format ensures that the content is current with the medical literature.

Salary

New residents and fellows receive up to $500 for orientation (if it takes place before the official employment date).

FAQs