Residency Program

Program Philosophy

The University of Hawai`i Pediatric Residency Program is a three-year program designed to prepare physicians for a career in Primary Care Pediatrics.

The mission of the program is to educate and train pediatricians who will lead the community in caring and advocating for the children of Hawai`i and the Pacific Basin. The Program is also committed to the promotion of an environment that nurtures professional growth, personal fulfillment and quality research opportunities.

The Program is based at Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children, a maternal-child academic complex serving Hawai`i and the Pacific Basin. Distinctive features include the multi-cultural population of Hawai`i which affords a broad spectrum of pediatric pathology and cross-cultural experiences, the close involvement of subspecialty and general pediatric faculty in the day-to-day training of residents and the emphasis on continuity of care.

Program Description

The University of Hawai`i John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and the University of Hawai`i Pediatric Residency Program are located at Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children (KMCWC), the only civilian pediatric tertiary care center in the State of Hawai`i. The administrative and faculty offices for the Department of Pediatrics and classrooms are located in the Tower Complex of the medical center. The teaching facilities of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is also based at KMCWC. Additionally, KMCWC provides office space for a number of private physicians, many of whom are members of the part-time compensated and non-compensated clinical faculty of the University and are actively involved in the teaching program.

Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children has about 200 total beds, 60 general pediatric beds, 60 term newborn bassinets, a 40 bed Newborn Special Care Unit, 15 pediatric ICU beds, and 15 pediatric emergency department beds. A great variety of pediatric pathology suitable for training is admitted. Furthermore, the interracial mixture of the island population provides excellent training in cultural differences of child rearing and health care problems. The hospital has over 3,500 admissions to the general inpatient wards, more than 20,000 emergency department visits, over 300 yearly admissions to both the NICU and PICU, 5,000 deliveries, and more than 15,000 visits to the pediatric outpatient department. KMCWC also houses a number of additional pediatric specialty services including the Poison Control Center of Hawai`i, the Kapi`olani Child Protection Center, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center, and the Kapi`olani Children's Specialty Center.

Four other hospitals participate with the School of Medicine in the training program. These include the Queen's Medical Center, Shriners Hospital for Children and the Tripler Army Medical Center. Additionally, there are a number of outreach clinics and sites which provide important components of the training program including Queen Emma Clinics, Kokua Kalihi Valley Health Center, Detention Home, Hawai`i Youth Correctional Facility, and Straub Clinic and Hospital.

The Department of Pediatrics consists of over 50 full and part-time regular compensated faculty and about 200 non-compensated clinical faculty. All are actively involved in the training program. The faculty members are active in research and have accumulated extensive bibliographies. Faculty members have received national recognition including the AAP Professional Medical Education Award and the Federal Program of the Year Award. Additionally, one of our faculty members was instrumental in establishing the first WHO Collaborative Center for Humanitarian Assistance, one is currently a member of the AAP Committee on Continuing Medical Education, and another is a member of the National Executive Committee on School Health of the AAP. In 2000, the Program was awarded one of six Dyson Foundation Grants for Pediatric Training in the Community.

There are about 35 residents in the Pediatric Residency Program and the Triple Board Program (Pediatrics, Adult and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Program). The categorical Pediatric Residency Program emphasizes the training of excellent primary care pediatricians. Over the past years, about 63% of the graduates went into primary care pediatrics, 31% pursued further subspecialty training, and 6% entered academic or administrative positions.

Continuity Care Program

The Continuity Care Program (CCP) has been an integral part of the residency experience at the University of Hawai`i Pediatric Residency Program since 1978. It is structured to allow residents the opportunity and privilege of providing continuous care to a cohort of children and their families during the three years of residency training. First-year residents spend one half-day in CCP clinic each week, while second and third year residents spend two half- days each week. These clinics occur during all rotations and are given high priority.

The CCP clinics are built around small group practice modules supervised by faculty members from the Pediatric Ambulatory Division. Residents are assigned to one of these group practices upon entry into the Program. The group gets together individually for semi-annual retreats away from the hospital, and come together for a weekly pediatric ambulatory conference.

Teaching Conferences

The Program provides six regularly scheduled teaching conferences each week, in addition to the usual daily work and attending teaching rounds. These are: Monday Noon, Tuesday Community Pediatrics, Thursday Pediatric Grand Rounds and Pediatric Infectious Disease, and Wednesday and Friday Resident Noon Conferences. A Visiting Professor program invites several outstanding pediatric educators from major universities and medical centers each year. These academicians generally spend one week participating in the teaching program.