How would you describe the culture of your residency?
The UCLA Pediatric Residency Training Program provides a state of the art education in the setting of cutting-edge clinical care, research and community partnership. The training sites complement each other to provide a well-rounded exposure to everything the field of pediatrics has to offer: high-yield general pediatrics, complex tertiary care, basic science, translational and clinical research, and a commitment to addressing child and family health needs beyond the walls of the hospital and clinic.
We are dedicated to nurturing the unique talents, skills, and passions our residents bring to the program, to help each individual achieve his/her most ambitious personal and professional goals. We incorporate the best of today's biomedical and educational approaches into our curriculum, while striving to be on the forefront of medical education, developing tomorrow's approaches to train future child health leaders.
How has your program supported resident wellness?
The UCLA Pediatric Residency Program supports resident wellness through multiple avenues. Specifically, we recognize that wellness means different things for different residents and we strive to individualize the support we provide. As part of their annual Individualized Learning Plan, every resident discusses with their residency advisor what wellness means for them and how the program can help support their well-being. One of the most common responses is about having "time" to continue the activities that help maintain wellness - so we work to support that through our curriculum with the X+Y schedule (including protected full weekends off every 5 weeks), making connections with those that have shared interests (such as through your continuity clinic site or your X+Y "cohort"). In addition, we have devoted program time & resources to help residents maintain their wellness - such as Wellness Support Sessions held during half-day didactics, facilitated by one of our mental health providers, and protecting resident time to pursue mental health resources though the Behavioral Wellness Center, which provides confidential mental health services to every resident at UCLA.
How has your program supported diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) either at your institution or in the surrounding community?
We are committed to the recruitment of residents who self-identify as underrepresented in medicine to the UCLA Pediatric Residency Program.
By building a multicultural resident community, we ultimately aim to create a diverse and culturally sensitive workforce that reflects and responds to the needs of our increasingly diverse population. Los Angeles is one of the most diverse training grounds for resident physicians, and UCLA boasts an abundance of resources for those interested in culture and health disparities.
We hope to actively recruit a diverse intern class to add to the richness of experiences already represented in our program.
We sponsor a Pediatric Residency Diversity Committee (PRDC), which is open to all residents and includes class representatives from each PGY class. Established in 2008, the PRDC supports UCLA's Overarching Goals for Diversity and Community through: Creating a forum for celebrating and valuing diversity, Establishing a role in the resident recruitment process and identifying outreach and education projects, Serves as a source of support for current and prospective residents, Identifies educational and patient goals around issues of cultural sensitivity partnered with the UCLA Department of Pediatric Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. The PDRC creates a Diversity Series Noon Conference Lectures, organizes book clubs, organizes applicant "Diversity Dinners" (~3 per interview season), partners with medical student organizations, provides resident support, and organizes community projects.
In addition, there are pediatric residents and trainees that are part of the Executive Board of the UCLA GME-wide Minority Housestaff Organization - taking these same DEI concepts and applying them to resident and fellows across the institution.
What are unique features of your program that you would like to highlight?
The UCLA Pediatric Residency Program aims to prepare pediatricians to practice medicine in the 21st century. With a supportive training environment, a variety of clinical experiences, and the promotion of individualized educational opportunities, our goal is the prepare residents to be the future leaders in child health. To accomplish this, we prioritize these four areas:
(1) Breadth and Variety of Educational Sites: Our multisite training structure (quaternary medical center, county facility, community based hospitals, and community clinics in areas of unmet need) allows trainees to care for patients in a variety of socioeconomic classes, cultural backgrounds, and pathologies. The program also focuses on cultural competency and understanding implicit bias. Resident recruitment also focuses on inclusion of trainees from diverse backgrounds and interests to improve peer education and inclusion.
(2) Individualized education: is based upon trainee mentorship and customizable curricula. Faculty mentors, representing an array of pediatrician careers, offer longitudinal guidance from before the start of residency to after graduation. Mentorship includes curriculum recommendations, career guidance, and promotion of work-life balance. The program's 2-week block and longitudinal elective experiences allow for 14-15 different electives/modules per resident for the ~7-8 months of total elective time during residency training.
(3) Commitment to the Underserved: The program has a strategic commitment to the underserved as exemplified by the ethical exchange global health program, the long-established public health/primary care track, a hands-on community advocacy curriculum, and clinical experiences that serve predominantly Medicaid and under-resourced patients. As a result, 30-40% of graduates subsequently work in underserved areas of unmet need.
(4) Dedication to Resident Well-being: The program continually aims to promote resident well-being by providing regular funded resident gatherings, clinical schedules focused on work-life balance and flexibility, and multiple venues that help engage residents in problem-solving various issues that arise in resident training.
(5) Support for scholarly activity and research investigation: The program is dedicated to supporting your schoarly pursuits and endeavors. Dr. Kara Calkins and Dr. Mark Hanudel are appointed resident research liasons and can assist residents in finding a research mentor and project.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with the LMSA community?
Advice is usually most helpful when it is individualized, so we would like to offer an opportunity to have a Zoom chat with our Program Director, Dr. Alan Chin!
To our prospective applicants participating in the 2023 Match: We realize that our pediatric visiting elective experiences provide you with an opportunity to meet our residents and faculty and ask questions about the program before applying. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that not every student will have the opportunity to visit our institution and understand that this may have an impact on where you will choose to apply.
In an effort to help answer your questions, UCLA Residency Program Director, Dr. Alan Chin, will be available to meet with you over Zoom! Meetings will be scheduled for 30 minutes on Monday, Thursday, or Friday afternoon.
Contact:
Cherie Lewis, Residency Coordinator: pedsres@mednet.ucla.edu
Alan Chin, MD, Program Director: aschin@mednet.ucla.edu