Clinical Experience

Please view our 2024-2025 Curriculum.

Inpatient floor

Inpatient volume continues to increase at Children's Mercy, making us one of the largest children's hospitals in the nation based on number of admissions and ensuring diverse educational experiences for our residents.

Non-surgical patients outside of the ICUs are admitted to one of nine inpatient teams, seven of which are staffed by residents and two of which is staffed by pediatric hospitalists. Residents also spend time on our night-float team.

Inpatient teams

Red Team: General pediatric patients
Purple Team: General pediatric patients
Teal Team: General pediatric patients
Blue Team: Cardiology 
Gold Team: Neurology and Nephrology services
Orange Team: Gastroenterology
Night Float: Covers inpatient teams Sunday to Friday night
Hematology-Oncology: A rotation for second and third year residents

Emergency Department (ED)

• Residents spend three months in the ED with 24-hour a day staffing by board certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians

• Our ED is the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center between St. Louis and Denver, north to Iowa City and south to Little Rock.

• More than 70,000 patients are seen annually

• Recognized as one of the top pediatric emergency departments in the country

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

• Residents spend two months in the PICU with 24-hour on-site pediatric intensivist supervision. The cardiac ICU is available as an elective rotation for those interested.

• Our 41-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is one of the largest PICUs in the nation

• Our Critical Care Transport Program, which transports nearly 5,000 infants and children each year, is the only program in the region honored multiple times by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)

Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU)

• Residents gain NICU experience at the University of Kansas and University Health. The Children's Mercy Hospital NICU is available as an advanced elective rotation.

• Children's Mercy Hospital has an 84-bed Level IV Intensive Care Nursery, with ECMO capabilities. NICU fellows and attendings are present 24 hours a day.

• University Health-Hospital Hill Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a 24-bed Level III nursery associated with a high-risk obstetric service. Residents attend all high-risk deliveries to gain experience with delivery-room resuscitation.

• The University of Kansas Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a 36-bed, Level III nursery with over 400 yearly admissions that supports a busy, high-risk OB practice.
  
  

Outpatient Clinical Education

• Continuity Care Clinic (CCC)

  • Participating sites including Children's Mercy - Broadway, University of Kansas and Private Practice locations in Kansas City.
    
    

• Ambulatory Care

  • Combination well baby nursery and general pediatrics outpatient clinic experience at both Children's Mercy and the University of Kansas.

• Adolescent Medicine

  • In the Adolescent Medicine rotation, residents learn about issues that are unique to the teenage population while working in our specialized Teen Clinic.

  • Following their initial Adolescent Medicine rotation, residents continue to work in the clinic once a month as part of their Continuity Care Clinic.

• Developmental and Behavioral Medicine

  • In a clinic setting, residents gain an understanding of normal and abnormal development working with child psychiatrists, psychologists and developmental pediatricians.

  • They also learn the management of common behavioral problems.

• Same Day Sick at KU

  • Each resident spends one month in the Same Day Sick clinic at KU.

• SCAN Clinic (Safety Care and Nurturing Clinic)

  • Residents improve recognition and management for suspected at-risk children
    
    

Longitudinal Education

• Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement

  • Patient safety and quality improvement lectures take place with cohorts on Y weeks

  • Team-based participation in a resident-led quality improvement project

• Advocacy Curriculum

  • The longitudinal curriculum in Community Health and Child Advocacy includes education about the pediatrician's role in child advocacy and experiences at multiple community sites. Residents participate in this curriculum for 2 mornings of each Y week during their PL1 and PL2 years. 

  • The longitudinal advocacy lecture series introduces all residents to inspirational speakers ranging from grassroots advocates in the community to healthcare professionals with expertise in various advocacy topics. 

  • All residents with an interest in advocacy, regardless of whether they participate in the Advocacy Track, will have access to support and mentorship as they pursue their career goals.