Curriculum

During the first two years of the program, there are pediatric cases throughout the curriculum. You will learn about childhood health and illness in the context of topics such as anatomy, infection and immunity, metabolism, human development and neuroscience.

In second-year, you’ll attend a multi-session pediatric clinical skills course – a small group-learning experience that focuses on pediatric history-taking, physical examination skills and case write-ups. You’ll also have the chance to practise adolescent interviewing, using standardized patients at the Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research.

Both of these opportunities are enhanced by lectures and large group demonstrations. During this time, you may also choose to do a half- or full-year longitudinal elective in a wide variety of pediatric areas.

Medical students rotate through pediatrics in six week blocks in Halifax, Truro, Kentville, Antigonish, Sydney, Saint John, Summerside and Charlottetown. Some students are in the Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum (LIC) program and spend their entire clerkship at one site, in Fredericton, Moncton, Miramichi or Upper River Valley, NB. These LIC students complete the entire clerkship curriculum in an integrated manner rather than in separate specialty focused-blocks and have the same learning objectives, clinical encounter logs, and exams as other students.

During the pediatric rotation students have a series of seminars which includes all sites joining by videoconference.  All students are expected to interview and write up an adolescent patient contact.  Students must also complete a set of specific pediatric clinical encounters on the electronic log on One45. Evaluation is through mid and end unit ITERs (which are based on CanMEDS), a multiple choice exam and OSCE. The latter is integrated with other units. See possible off-site locations.

The Med IV year is composed of electives, two PIER blocks (designed to prepare students for Medical Council exams, CaRMS and entry into postgrad training); plus a block for CaRMS interviews and vacation. Many students opt for elective rotations in Pediatrics.