Challenged by the awesome health care needs, yet encouraged by the opportunity to build programs in concert with community residents that would address the “health and development of children who are the cultural recipients of a tradition of racial oppression” the Department of Pediatrics was brought into existence in 1970 with the appointment of Robert E. Greenberg, MD, as the first chair, followed in 1971 by the appointments of Robert J. Schlegel, MD, Betti Jo Warren, MD and Vivian Weinstein, MA. The charter developed by the new faculty included:

• Physical and emotional security
• The exercise of self-discipline, independent thought and action
• An orderly acquisition of basic learning and social skills
• A capacity to make moral decisions
• Development of a vocation

OBJECTIVES
To provide an environment nurturing children “for lives of freedom” the community requires:

• An atmosphere of hope and purpose
• Leadership and organization
• Economic viability
• Childcare, recreation, education and health services
• Career development services

Tasks involved in fostering community development required the Department of Pediatrics to:

• Create parent organizations
• Recruit African American professional leaders to its staff
• Prepare the young for careers in the health care profession
• Build a system of linked health, childcare, education and recreation services
• Provide local employment

The first pediatric patient was seen in the Ambulatory Care Clinic on March 27, 1972. The first pediatric community program, Drew Project Head Start under the leadership of Dr. Ernest Smith, opened in 1972. The first full time resident, Michael Streams, MD, enrolled in July 1971 but spent the first year at Harbor-UCLA because the hospital was not yet open. The nidus for the King/Drew Medical Magnet High School was the work of Dr. Ronald Blood and Dr. Michael Miller.

In the intervening years, hundreds of thousands of children have been touched by the dedicated pediatric staff of the Department of Pediatrics. The faculty has developed thirty-two community programs that have evolved into a network of special programs, centers and services in support of children with special needs. More than four hundred pediatricians have graduated from our pediatric residency training program and are now practicing all over the world providing a living testament to the Mission of the Department of Pediatrics.

…….Betti Jo Warren, MD

Wherever, your future takes you, I wish you a full and rewarding career in Pediatrics.
………….Glenda Lindsey, MD

Overview of the Residency Program

The Department of Pediatrics operates a fully accredited post-graduate residency training program at King/Drew Medical Center. As you may be aware the Pediatric Residency Training Requirements are changing effective January 1, 2006 and our program is changing as well to meet all of the new and ongoing challenges in Pediatric Residency Education. Our program has an interesting mix of dedicated faculty, residents, nurses, administrative and ancillary staff whose main aim is to provide excellent training and quality patient care. We have structured our program to make it a rewarding educational experience in Pediatrics. In this, we have achieved a balance of clinical and didactic activities centered on inpatient, outpatient and community experiences. Because of our diversity and location we try to emphasize sensitivity to ethical and social issues of the children in our community.

The residents’ experience, our curriculum, our dedicate faculty, and the diversity of our population mix gives us an assurance that we help create well rounded residents who can provide the best care that is both enviable and treasured in the medical community.

Our Goals

The primary goal of the program is to provide a broad based curriculum that encompasses the six ACGME competencies and prepares the resident to be a competent primary care pediatrician able to meet the needs of the community in which he/she will eventually practice.

The educational experience concentrates on providing the necessary clinical skills needed in order to practice excellent primary care in the community. Residents are also exposed to the different subspecialties to enable them to recognize patients with acute and chronic, simple and complex diseases and to be able to appropriately refer patients when necessary. Ultimately, they should be able to function appropriately as leaders in the medical setting and as patient advocates.

PL I

The PL I level is where residents begin to establish a solid foundation in primary pediatric care. The senior officer, faculty attending and mentor supervise the PL I. First year residents are exposed to 4 months of inpatient pediatrics, 1 month of term nursery, 1 month of level II nursery, 3 months of outpatient pediatrics, 1 month of subspecialty pediatrics, and 1 month of Child development. In these rotations they develop their skills in history taking, physical examination and understanding laboratory results in relation to managing their patients medical conditions. With guidance from their senior residents and attendings they integrate these skills and initiate treatment plans.

Another important part of the PL I’s experience is they are given a pool of patients for their continuity clinic. In this clinic they establish a longitudinal relationship with patients in the community they will provide care for over the next three years. In order to establish a good fund of knowledge PL I’s have a high priority in attending conferences, building an initial learning plan which they will modify and expand as they go through the educational program and thereby build a strong foundation of setting life-long learning goals.

PL II

The PL II’s, with the skills obtained during their first year are given more responsibilities in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic decision making. The PL II’s rotate through the Pediatric Ward, Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, NICU, PICU, Adolescent medicine, Allergy/Immunology, Cardiology, Hematology Inpatient, and Neurology. They are initiated into the supervising position as junior team leaders by teaching PL I’s and medical students.

The PL II’s continuity clinic should be flourishing after their PL I year. The PL II’s build on the strong basic pediatric knowledge foundation established in their PL I year, modify and expand their learning plans and set learning goals that will lead them to meeting their future plans in pediatrics.

PL III

This is the final year of training for the PL III. By this time residents should be able to incorporate knowledge from didactics and clinical skills necessary to be able to manage patients independently. As House Officers they supervise the PL II’s, PL I’s and medical students. They also serve as team leaders during codes. Attending faculty are always available for resident supervision and education. By the end of the PL III year residents should be able to make a commitment on what they intend to do with their skills, in practice, academic medicine, subspecialty training, research, etc. The PL III residents expand their learning plans toward reaching their goals after training, fine tune their skills and knowledge during their PL III year and prepare for boards and independent practice.

Emphasis is also placed on Adolescent, Critical Care and Community Medicine. The curriculum is geared towards preparation for the American Board of Pediatric Examination.

Educational Setting

Education is our primary goal and this reflects on the different didactic activities such as Morning Reports, discharge and work rounds, Grand rounds, Noon conferences, Board review series and Subspecialty lecture series. There are third year lectures that help residents to teach and at the same time are geared to assist residents prepare for their board examination.

Our didactics and lectures are presented with state of the art equipment’s including LCD projector, laptop computer and a ELMO (digitized camera and overhead projector) that are easily accessible to housestaff and medical students. Residents are encouraged to take computer classes.

This rich educational background is supported by full time faculty, part time faculty, visiting professors, nurse educators, dietitians, faculty of other departments and the residents themselves.

Residents rotate to outside facilities such as University of California in Los Angeles, Harbor-UCLA, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and Long Beach Miller Children’s Hospital.

The Application Process

We are open to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender or nationality. We accept graduates of all medical schools, including international medical graduates.

Our program participates in the ERAS application program and the NRMP match program. Applications should be filed through ERAs and in addition to the normal requirements of ERAs should include the following: three letters of recommendation; Deans letter; USMLE I, II and CS scores; personal statement; official transcript; and curriculum vitae (completed by ERAs program). There is a $50.00 fee for applicants who do not use ERAs and submit an application directly to the program.

If you are an international graduate in addition to the above, we also require the following:

• A copy of ECFMG certificate valid indefinitely
• California Board of Medical Quality Status Letter allowing you to train in California dated within the last year (year you are applying to the program)
• Visa status (copy of green card, US citizenship, etc.)
• If Dean’s letter is not available, an extra letter of recommendation

Applications or additional materials should be directed to:

Marilyn Jones
King/Drew Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics
12021 Wilmington Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90059
310-668-4664