Rebecca Dixon, MD, rounds with students on the inpatient wards

Curriculum

The two-year Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship program is based at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, one of the nation’s top-ranked children’s hospitals. Fellows have the opportunity to work at four different hospitals, each providing different clinical experiences.

Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis

The largest quaternary children’s hospital in Indiana, Riley is a free-standing children’s hospital that treats children from all over the state. The Level 1 trauma emergency department is always busy, and every pediatric subspecialty is available for consultation when needed. The Indianapolis campus is home to a large pediatric residency program and one of the largest medical schools in the country, which provides plenty of teaching experiences for fellows.
IU Health North Hospital in Carmel

Hospitalists cover a 11-bed general pediatric and pediatric intensive care unit, where they see a broad range of pediatric patients. Newborn hospitalists also cover a busy newborn unit here. There are many opportunities for teaching students and residents and collaborating with PICU and NICU staff.
IU Health West Hospital in Avon

Hospitalists here staff a newborn unit and Level 2 NICU. They attend deliveries often for infants with prematurity or other concerning conditions during pregnancy or labor.
Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis

A very busy newborn unit provides experience in care for newborns and their parents. Hospitalists here are known nationally for their work in safe sleep.

The fellowship program provides a flexible curriculum based around the fellow’s interests for their future career. The hospitalist program currently provides inpatient care for more than 17,000 patients each year, ensuring that fellows are exposed to a wide range of clinical patient care issues. The program is proud to co-manage patients with physicians in multiple other subspecialties, many of which are ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report. Trainees develop skills in pediatric hospital medicine, critical care, emergency medicine, the care of medically complex children, procedural sedation, surgical service co-management, and other topics that may be addressed through elective choices based on interest. Fellows participate in overnight, in-house shifts independently after initial training, in order to promote autonomy.

Available electives include but are not limited to: toxicology, child protection team, transport medicine, pain team, neurology, rheumatology, genetics & metabolism, infectious disease, education, leadership and many other subspecialties available at Riley Hospital. Indiana University School of Medicine has a large Global Health program, which fellows may participate in if interested.

Two-Year Curriculum

32 weeks of core clinical time
Inpatient Hospitalist at Riley Hospital for Children	6 weeks
Community Hospitalist at IUH North Hospital	4 weeks
Newborn Hospitalist at IUH West Hospital	4 weeks
Palliative Care	2 weeks
Complex Care	2 weeks
Surgery Co-Management	2 weeks
Sedation	2 weeks
Pediatric ICU	2 weeks
Individualized core curriculum (additional weeks of core clinical above or Emergency Department)	8 weeks
Individualized Curriculum (Electives or additional core clinical above)	32 weeks
Scholarly Time	32 weeks
Vacation	4 weeks per year

Education

Education is a priority for the pediatric hospitalist group, and many hospitalists have completed formal training in education. Practicing at the site of one of the biggest medical schools in the United States and a large pediatric residency program, there are always plenty of opportunities to teach medical students and residents. The pediatric hospitalist service is divided into two teams, each staffed by one staff hospitalist and composed of a senior resident, two to three pediatric interns or family medicine residents, one sub-I student and two third-year medical students. Fellows will lead one of these teams while on service, acting as the staff while receiving supervision from a hospitalist.

Fellows participate in education training through didactics and the completion of Tier One of the Academy of Teaching Scholars. Each fellow completes and receives feedback on teaching sessions for residents and students, along with their clinical teaching while on service.

Advocacy is an important part of education and health care. A pediatrician's duty is to advocate for their patients’ health and well being. As part of the pediatric hospitalist curriculum, fellows receive training in advocacy and create an advocacy project based around their interests in a health care process that requires change.