Education

I feel very strongly that for family medicine residents and clinical clerks, their time with us as pediatricians and with our patients in clinic is a critical learning opportunity to develop comfort with the pediatric exam and to gain insight into the extent of and limitations of general practice. Our GPs have tremendous expectations on them to have an expanse of knowledge in all areas of medicine, and my goals are to help empower them to manage common pediatric issues using Evidence Based Practice, show them where to access preferred resources, and to know when and how to reach out for Pediatric support. I aim to review common pediatric presentations and demonstrate different approaches to the pediatric exam through direct observation and one on one mentorship. 

Teaching in a clinic setting is a true team effort in Community Pediatrics. In my practice at Ladybug Pediatrics, we have a shared physician office that provides a welcome space to discuss cases, share medical knowledge and debrief challenging encounters. I believe that this shared experience is highly valuable for a learner to appreciate the variability and nuances in private practice and the benefits of working with a supportive team.

Teaching is also dependent on the willingness and openness of families to share their time and experiences with a learner. Creating this supportive learning environment starts with building a strong foundation in your clinical practice where your patients and families feel that they can trust you as their practitioner to hear and address their concerns as it is channeled through the voice of the learner. When appropriate, I aim to create this environment by reviewing patient issues with the learner with the family present. This allows an opportunity for the family to interject if the information presented is misaligned with their perspective. 

Each learner deserves a tailored approach depending on their own learning goals and level of competency, which is not always an easy task. I continue to learn and reflect on my teaching approach and aim for improvement. I have appreciated the one45 learner reviews and I regularly schedule meetings with both the Family Medicine and Pediatric residency program directors to review learner feedback and modify areas that require change from both a personal and program level. 

Seeing infants in clinic brings me so much joy and I feel so lucky to work with children each day. I hope that my enthusiasm and passion for pediatrics helps to keep learners engaged and bring some fun into the experience, as well."

Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of serving as the PGME Outpatient Clinic Director.  I’ve been involved in coordinating the rotations that our pediatric residents experience in the community.  This includes the Longitudinal Community Clinic Rotation for the pediatric residents, offering a unique experience where residents attend a community clinic approximately six days per year with one consistent pediatrician as their preceptor, following patients over the course of three years.  The preceptors love seeing their longitudinal resident’s skills evolve over time and the residents love seeing their patients evolve over time. The success of this clinical experience and the community pediatrics rotations is partly due to the organization and educational resources provided by PGME, and largely because of the dedication of the educators within the Section of Community Pediatrics. 

Exposure to Community Pediatrics is invaluable for our learners. Although our medical students and residents spend the majority of their pediatric training in the hospital, a significant portion of pediatric care takes place in the community within the clinics of the 88+ community pediatricians in our city. We enjoy helping learners experience the variety, complexity, and continuity of patient care that initially drew us into our field. It is special to witness families welcome learners into their lives and share their experiences with them. Students gain insight into how their patients interact within the community and the broader health system - learning about their education, recreational activities, social supports, and community allied health providers. They experience collaboration with a child’s entire health care team and learn to navigate resources to support children in the community. Rotating in community pediatrics also provides the learner with an opportunity to understand how medical clinics operate, which is not always formally taught during our medical training, despite many of us going on to be business owners. The experience gained in Community Pediatrics helps prepare our learners for their future, regardless of their career path. 

It’s been a joy welcoming medical learners into the world of Community Pediatrics and working with our pediatric PGME on their vision to train 'Excellent Pediatricians for any setting.'"