Pediatrics Clerkship

The majority students will complete the clerkship at Oishei Children's Hospital and its related facilities; however, some will be assigned to the Mercy Hospital of Buffalo.

If you are assigned to Oishei Children’s Hospital, you will spend three weeks on one of the pediatric inpatient floors, where you will be a member of a team that provides care to hospitalized infants, children or adolescents.

The remainder of your rotation will take place in a variety of other locations, including the newborn nursery, community health clinics, and private practitioners’ offices.

The goal of the clerkship is to provide students with a comprehensive experience in the field of pediatrics that will allow them to consider it as a possible career choice.

Objectives include helping students to:

• gain an overview of how to examine and evaluate pediatric patients, including infants, toddlers, school-age children, and adolescents
• recognize a seriously ill pediatric patient
• gain an appreciation for the breadth of activities that a pediatrician engages in
  
• develop an understanding, from a variety of different parameters, that children are not just small adults
  
• be prepared to take the pediatrics’ portion of Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE)

The Department of Pediatrics also offers month-long electives in all pediatric subspecialties for fourth-year students.

While a majority of the inpatient teaching is done by members of the Division of General Pediatrics, members of all divisions in the Department of Pediatrics contribute to the weekly core lecture series and provide consultation services for patients.

In order to gain outpatient experience, you also may be assigned to the office of a volunteer community pediatrician.