Conferences

Marking the transition between the general pediatrics and neurology years, residents participate in a 4-week academic rotation at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) headquarters in Minneapolis in June of the PGY2 year. Alongside their adult neurology colleagues, residents spend this rotation immersed in the neurosciences, clinical neurology, and sessions on leadership, teaching, JEDI, quality improvement, and research.

The Twin Cities metropolitan area serves a diverse population, including many refugee and immigrant communities. To build culturally competent child neurology residents skills, workshops are incorporated into the boot camp and Friday School curriculum on topics such as: implicit bias, cultural humility, patient/family education of diverse families, working with interpreters, managing microaggressions, LGBTQ+ care, social determinants of health, and physicians as advocates. In partnership with the neurology department’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee, residents have opportunities to participate in advocacy and outreach work.

Throughout all 5 years of residency, child neurology residents have the opportunity to participate in simulation sessions. The pediatrics residency program is home to a cutting-edge, longitudinal mock code simulation curriculum spanning all four hospital sites. This is designed to prepare all residents for potential emergency situations encountered in the clinic, inpatient, and emergency settings. During the neurology years, residents participate in an annual neurological emergencies simulation at the M Simulation Center and an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) focused on communication skills. Both are precepted by faculty and designed as formative experiences to build clinical neurology skills.

The Quality Improvement Curriculum is built around the traditional Morbidity and Mortality conference which critically examines a clinical case and identifies potential systemic causes or contributors to inform the development of a QI project. This longitudinal curriculum is designed to teach residents to analyze and compare different health systems, learn best practices in various clinical contexts, and subsequently work within these systems to optimize the quality of care and reduce disparities by leveraging the knowledge they’ve gleaned across systems. The QI/M&M curriculum is provided by core faculty members from all sites and is designed to provide residents with foundational knowledge in QI principles and root cause analysis and mentored application of these processes.

Residents are also encouraged to submit and present their project at the local Metro Minnesota Council of Graduate Medical Education (MMCGME) Quality Improvement Resident Forum Conference, held annually.

During the first two years of training, pediatric neurology residents are fully immersed in general pediatrics and attend their robust conference offerings including block education. Block education is a protected academic half day that takes place most Friday afternoons, September through June. In addition, residents attend noon conferences at the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital that follow educational threads. Examples include: Morbidity, Mortality and Management, Resident and Fellow Research Spotlight, Collaborative Office Rounds in Pediatric Mental Health, Wellness Topics such as Debriefs and Narrative Writing, and Board review.