Patient Care Phase

If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have experienced a possible or known exposure, please follow the procedures/policies of your current clerkship site(s). If you have any questions that are not addressed by those procedures, please contact the office of the Associate Dean of Student Affairs at adminsa@uw.edu.

The core pediatric clerkship is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the approach to the care of children and their families. In addition, you will explore the range of reasons children seek medical care, from well child visits to acute medical problems in both the inpatient and outpatient setting and the ongoing management of chronic illnesses. Each clerkship site is unique in the setting, faculty, and patients seen. Here, you will find a link to each clerkship site.

We have a Faculty/Educator Resources Page! Password protected; contact the Medical Student Program for access.

The information and core materials for the clerkship are detailed below.

Academic Year 2024-2025 Orientation Information

• Clerkship Orientation video
• Clerkship Manual
• WRITE Inpatient Clerkship Orientation Video
• WRITE Inpatient Clerkship Manual

Assignments

Students will submit all required assignments using the course Canvas page:

AY 24-25 Pediatrics Clerkship Canvas Page

AY 24-25 WRITE Inpatient Pediatrics Clerkship Canvas Page

• Problem Set Exercises
  • Fluid Management
  • Medication Ordering
  • Growth Charts Problem Set - associated article linked here
• Aquifer Pediatrics cases (https://aquifer.org/) - ALL are recommended. Cases 1, 4, 5, 25, and 28 are REQUIRED. 
• Infant/Toddler Exam
• Mid-Clerkship Feedback
• History and Physical Exam Write-up
• Ethics in Pediatrics  -  Your site directors may have a process for you to complete this requirement. Please discuss expectations with them. Otherwise, you may review the video linked here: Ethical Decision-making in Pediatrics.
  • Optional video - Pediatric Palliative Care
• Clinical Encounters - SOM Instructions on how to log Clinical Encounters in EValue
  • Acute Illness
  • Adolescent Patient
  • Behavior; Development
  • Chronic Illness
  • Hospitalized Children
  • Newborn care
  • Well child care (infant)
  • Well child care (toddler)
• Clinical Encounters - Recommended Pediatric clinical encounters and links to associated Aquifer cases

Policies and Procedures

• UWSOM Clerkship Grading Policy
• UWSOM Academic Grading Policy
• Grade Challenge Information
• UWSOM Blood borne Pathogen Exposure Policy
• UWSOM Attendance & Absentee Policy
• UWSOM Student Access to Anticipated Healthcare Policy
• UWSOM Exam Postponement Policy
• UWSOM Work Hours Policy
• UWSOM Clinical Phase Incomplete Policy
• The Medical Education Program Policies and Handbook can be found on the Clinical Phases curriculum website. The Handbook includes the following policies: 
  • Clerkship Communication Policy and Guidelines
  • Clerkship Examination Policies & Guidelines
  • EHR Policy
  • Professional Behavior & Conduct
• Student health related information: The UWSOM supports students’ access to healthcare and strongly encourages them to obtain and maintain health insurance while enrolled at the UWSOM. The consolidated content on the links below has been created by collaboration between students and the UWSOM student affairs to ease of referencing for student related health information. All three sources will be updated centrally by student affairs and the Student Committee on Healthcare Access (SCoHA). If you have questions regarding the content, please reach out to adminsa@uw.edu.
  • Student Health Insurance
  • Healthcare Access for Medical Students
  • SOM-Telehealth Program for Medical Students
• If you have documented accommodations with UW Disability Resources for Students, please send that documentation to the Medical Student Program 6-8 weeks prior to the start of your rotation.

Final Exam

• The Pediatric Clerkship NBME final exam is held on the last Friday of the clerkship.
• There is no “study day” given the day before the exam; students are released by 5:30P.
• All coordination for testing is done by the University Testing center. If you have any questions about the exam, contact mailto:somtests@uw.edu

Additional Materials for Learning

• Students will have access to Aquifer Calibrate at two points during their clerkship. This is an innovative and evidence-based formative assessment system, designed to drive self-directed learning by leveraging the concepts of test-enhanced learning, progress testing, and distributed practice. The assessments will help students calibrate their accuracy and certainty, as well as provide coaching tips and links to relevant teaching points and cases. These assessments are OPTIONAL and do not weigh into your final grade. They are opportunities to do practice questions and identify areas that you may need to study more. You can learn more about the tool.
• Physical Exam Overview
• Pediatric Neurology Exam
• Topic of the Week (TOW)
• Recommended texts:
  • "Blueprints in Pediatrics" USMLE by Marino/Snead/McMillan
  • Pediatric Clerkship Guide by J. Woodhead/Mosby
  • Saint-Frances Guide to Pediatrics by Migita/Christakis
  • Essentials of Pediatrics by Behrman & Kliegman
  • Oski's Essential Pediatrics by Johnson & Oski
  • Pediatrics by Brown & Miller

Study Resources

• NBME practice test
• Aquifer cases
• UWORLD
• Books
  • Case Files Pediatrics by Toy et al.
  • PreTest Pediatrics by Yetman and Hormann
• Academic Support Studying Resources
• Shelf Exams Academic Support
• UWSOM Tutoring Services- 1 free hour weekly, including for NBME shelf exams
• UW Health Sciences Library Clerkship Rotation Resources

Pediatric Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award

This award is given to faculty providing a substantial contribution to medical education within the Pediatric Clerkship at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Staff and faculty within the Pediatric Student Programs office review the nominations. Three regional faculty members and one UW Department of Pediatrics faculty will receive the award and be presented with a certificate for their achievement. Winners will be announced here in May 2025.

The nomination deadline for the 2024-2025 Academic Year is 4/14/25.

Students: Use this form to nominate faculty or scan the QR code below.

Pediatric Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award for ’23-‘24

Congratulations to the recipients of the second annual Pediatric Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award for the 2023-2024 Academic Year: Drs. Kelly Evans, Bruss Hess, Susannah Olnes and Scott Stewart.

Pediatric Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award for '22-'23

Congratulations to the recipients of the first annual Pediatric Clerkship Faculty Teaching Award for the 2022-2023 Academic year: Drs. Francesca McCaffrey, Colleen Marron and Brenda Baumeister. 

Reporting Mistreatment or a Serious Concern

Students who wish to report mistreatment or a serious concern that doesn’t require immediate response are encouraged to use the Learning Environment Feedback Tool by clicking on the button below. In the tool, you will be able to provide a description of your concern and indicate your follow-up preference and how you would like your feedback shared. You will have the option of reporting completely anonymously and indicating how you want your identity and the identity of anyone else involved in the situation to be shared. More information about the Learning Environment can be viewed.

We look forward to meeting you and hope you have a good rotation. If you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Rebekah Burns, MD, Director, Pediatric Medical Student Education, University of Washington School of Medicine

Pediatric Medical Student Program: mailto:medical.students@seattlechildrens.org