INTRODUCTION TO THE PEDIATRICS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Congratulations on making the decision to become a pediatrician. You will be joining kindred spirits who are committed to advocating for children’s health and well-being and generally have fun doing it. As a pediatrician you will be joining a group of medical professionals who experience tremendous career satisfaction and are less likely to change their minds and train and then practice in another specialty. Choosing a residency in which you will thrive and develop the lifelong skills that you will need to succeed is a crucially important next step in this process. The Kentucky Children’s Hospital and Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center is committed to achieving excellence in patient care and medical education at both the graduate and postgraduate level.
We have a superb training program that will prepare you for a career in private practice or academic medicine depending on your present and future interests. We offer a richly varied patient population with an excellent blend of primary and tertiary care and a diverse and complete faculty representing general pediatrics and subspecialty interests with a strong commitment to resident education. Our housestaff benefit from very close resident-faculty interactions and are a strong group of trainees who enjoy what they are doing, enjoy where they work and live, and interact closely with each other. Unlike many other academic programs across the country, dozens of new faculty members have been recruited in the past ten years here at UK and there are plans to recruit even more faculty in the near future. Expansion of our physical facilities occurred in 1997 when the Kentucky Children’s Hospital was completed. In 2007 we added four pediatric rooms to the existing ER and we recently completed renovation of the newborn nursery and added additional NICU beds. Our state-of-the-art Children’s Hospital within the University Medical Center allows the faculty and residents to practice in a modern, child-friendly facility that parents and families feel comfortable in. Additionally, in 2007 we broke ground on a new patient care tower that in the first phase of completion in 2010 will house a new Emergency Facility including a separate Pediatric Emergency Room.
One of the strengths of our program is the interaction that exists between residents training in categorical pediatrics and those training in combined programs. At UK we have two of the oldest and most successful combined training programs in combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (a four year program) and Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry (a five year program). Because the categorical residents interface and interact with these future pediatricians with different long-term interests we have a learning environment that provides physicians in training with a broader perspective or what they should learn, know, and do as a future pediatrician. We strive to have a program that focuses on continuous quality improvement of our education programs and the experiences of our trainees and are committed to the principle of not leaving “good-enough” alone. We expect and encourage our residents and faculty to suggest changes in our program to order to improve the way that we care for patients and their families and to improve the way that we educate future physicians and we look to recruit residents who wish to be part of such a process.
Furthermore, Lexington is a wonderful place in which to live. This city is large enough to offer numerous cultural amenities, yet small enough to retain the atmosphere of a smaller, vibrant college town. Its central location make it easy to get a “big city” fix when you need it without the hassles of big city living. The surrounding countryside is beautiful and conveniently accessible, even on a busy resident’s schedule!
I urge you to strongly consider the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital as a place to acquire superb pediatric postgraduate training in a comfortable, nurturing environment where the balance between service and education reflects our commitment to excellence in patient care, research and medical education. We welcome your inquiry about whether we might help you to reach your personal and professional goals and look forward to talking with you about your future as a pediatrician.
Stefan Kiessling, MD
Residency Program Director
Recruitment Presentation
Pediatric Co-Chief Resident 2008-2009
Curtis Cary, MD
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