Riley Hospital has two general pediatric hospitalist teams, along with a variety of subspecialty-focused teams. Teams vary in size and structure by service from larger teams (such as Pulmonary and Heme-Onc) where 4-5 interns/residents provide care for 20-25 patients. Other specialties such as Endo, GI, ID, Renal, etc. have smaller teams of 2-3 residents who care for inpatients while also providing consultations. On-call teams are combined from different specialty services, with effort made to keep continuity with a resident’s assigned team patients.
As with most pediatric programs, about 75 percent of our residents are women. Those who are married represent 30-50 percent, and some have families. We have several couples in the program and work hard to coordinate scheduling for them. Our diversity reflects most pediatric numbers with a growing number of African-American, Latino and under-represented minority residents in the program. We have many faculty and residents who are part of the LGBTQ community and actively support making our program welcoming to all.
We strike a good balance in support for time off and rest, while preparing interns for admissions, deliveries, and events that are unique to nights and call. Our overall call schedule is comparable to most large academic centers; call is an important time to learn, to develop independent decision-making, and to participate in deliveries and procedures. We have resident teams on call who work together and 24/7 in-house faculty support for teaching and assistance.
Two as a PGY1, two as a PGY2, and three as a PGY3. These seven months are for you to tailor to your individual needs. Faculty advisors and program directors help residents design their experiences to explore careers options, evaluate fellowship interests and/or get involved in projects to expand their future career plans. We are committed to being creative, flexible and supportive so you get what you need for your individual path.
Approximately 90 percent of core rotations are at Riley Hospital for Children, which is the main central campus base for the residency program. To add experience with the underserved and other unique populations, residents spend 1-2 months at Eskenazi Hospital. These hospitals are both downtown Indianapolis on the same central campus. Finally, we believe in individualizing the curriculum by resident’s goals, so those interested in primary care have some additional selective opportunities in community clinics, the suburban IU North hospital, and Bloomington outpatient experience. Others may choose more specialty care sites, research, global health settings, or community experiences.
We appreciate the hard work done by our residents and therefore provide ample opportunities for time off. Residents have 4 weeks of paid time off across each program year. Additionally, all residents have a five-day block of time off over holiday of choice.
The IU School of Medicine Pediatric Residency program has excellent ABP Board pass rates that are well above the national average. The three-year average is over 90 percent.
Because Riley is the only children’s comprehensive care hospital in Indiana, residents receive training in a wide range of pediatric problems. For most residents, this is the ideal way to learn and thrive. Our residents are independent self-starters, are adaptive to different settings, and agree that they develop and master skills faster in a system of active learning and diverse experiences.
IU School of Medicine pediatric residents are exposed to a very diverse patient population in Indianapolis. We have one of the largest urban African-American populations in the U.S. The growing Latino population is a major part of most Eskenazi clinics, and one continuity clinic is housed at a fully bilingual office. Referral patients from around Indiana include rural patients and a large Amish population. There are several immigrant groups from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and a large Burmese population as well. Our patients vary from those that are well-educated and well-informed to uninsured low-income patients. Residents here see all types of patients—from the common to the rare and from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.