Combined Pediatrics Residency

The mission of the Combined Pediatrics and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is to produce the future leaders of pediatric rehabilitation medicine by providing diverse educational opportunities across the clinical continuum of care for both common and complex rehabilitation diagnoses, as well as provide comprehensive training in research, leadership, medical education, advocacy and quality improvement.

This residency program strives to:

1. Recruit compassionate, hard-working, diverse residents with a growth mindset who seek to acquire foundational knowledge, provide high-quality care and produce scholarship in the field of pediatric rehabilitation medicine.
2. Support development of a resident's specific areas of interest by providing access to both the large breadth of pediatric and physiatric diagnoses and procedures; and depth of knowledge under the guidance of pediatric, physiatric and pediatric physiatric subspecialty experts.
3. Produce physicians competent optimizing functional and medical outcomes of complex medical children through advanced subspecialty training with a strong foundation of pediatric medicine.
4. Educate residents to critically review evidence, while utilizing shared decision-making for family-centered care.
5. Provide a collaborate multidisciplinary environment to educate to anticipate, prevent and manage comorbidities and complications for children with disabilities.

Medical Education Track

This is an optional 18-month specialty track for residents interested in a career in medical education. Many of our resident graduates have continued their careers in academic medicine and are actively teaching a new generation of physiatrists. Being a teacher and being an educator are two distinctly different things that is not immediately transparent. Beyond acquiring teaching skills, this track is designed to expose our residents to curriculum design, proper assessment methods and theories on teaching and learning. All residents on this track participate in a medical education project. Many of these medical education projects will also fulfill the resident research requirement of the program. Participants in this track meet monthly to have a faculty-guided discussion on educational topics.

Program Components:

• Attend Core Didactics/Workshops
• Complete Asynchronous Learning
• Complete a scholarly project
• Attend Core Didactics/Workshops
• Complete a scholarly project

Program Objectives:

• Develop medical educators by gaining knowledge in medical education topics
• Obtain the skills to be an excellent teacher and educator
• Learn the basic knowledge and skills to help with future career goals such as residency program director, fellowship director, director of medical student education, designing Continuing Medical Education (CME) content at national meetings
• Complete a scholarly product that allows the learner to increase their understanding of the ethical challenges in their own subspecialty

Leadership Track

This is an optional 18-month specialty track for residents who are interested in developing leadership skills. Many of our resident graduates have become medical directors, section chiefs and chairs. Being a leader and a manager are two unique different things that is not always readily apparent to those new to leadership. One of our program aims is to develop leaders of our field. This track provides formal training in leadership skills such as providing feedback, goal/vision setting, strategy development, problem solving and understanding organizational structure and finances. Participants in this track meet monthly to have a faculty guided discussion on educational topics.

Program Components: 

Attend Core Didactics/Workshops
• Complete Asynchronous Learning and "pre-work" for each session
• Participation in discussions
• Complete a leadership project

Program Objectives:

• Provide education on leadership skills to residents who want to be the future leaders of our field.
• Recognize the influence of emotional intelligence on leading others.
• Develop of process of self-awareness and consistent self-assessment when leading others so that our leadership styles can match the situation and the audience.
• Develop internal and external communication skills in leading teams
• Recognize the differences between managers and leaders.
• Reflect on conflict management styles and practice difficult conversations strategies.
• Understand the value of goals, vision and mission in the context of leading large organizations
• Review concepts of teambuilding and leading a team.
• Develop skills of mentorship and sponsorship, as both the mentor/sponsor and the mentee/sponsoree
• Develop an understanding of organizational structure and the complexities of the finances of healthcare

Quality Improvement and Safety Track

This is an optional 18-month specialty track for residents who are interested in developing advanced skills in leading quality improvement and safety initiatives within the healthcare system One of our program aims is to develop leaders of our field. Clinical leaders in our field will need the critical skill of understanding how to identify quality improvement and safety issues, lead these projects and analyze the outcomes from quality and safety initiatives throughout the span of their career. This track is intended for residents with aspirations in a career of leading quality improvement initiatives in their future work. Participants in this track meet monthly to have a faculty guided discussion on Quality Improvement and Safety projects and topics.

Program Components:

• Monthly meetings to discuss ongoing Quality Improvement and Safety initiatives currently ongoing within the hospital
Participation in the PDSA cycle for the Quality Improvement projects of the group
• Participation in discussions about the progress of each project
• Completion of a quality improvement or safety project

Program Objectives:

• To be able to identify a quality improvement issue and lead a PDSA cycle from start to finish including (1) Writing a problem statement, (2) Developing an opportunity statement, (3) Determine outcomes for success, (4) Analyze outcomes and formulate an action plan, (5) Check outcomes and interpret the success of the plan
• To demonstrate the ability to lead a root cause analysis for a safety issue and learn how to integrate this in their clinical environments

Residents will participate in a longitudinal continuity clinic experience through training. During the first few years, this will be at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Towards their senior years residents transition to a pediatric rehabilitation medicine-specific weekly continuity clinic at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

As a Combined Pediatrics-Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency, this program offers trainees opportunities to obtain certificates in specialized areas offered in Pediatrics, including advocacy and population health and bioethics.

Pediatrics Certificate Programs

PGY-1: 100% Pediatrics

PGY-2: 50% Pediatrics | 50% PM&R

PGY-3: 50% Pediatrics | 50% PM&R

PGY-4: 25% Pediatrics | 75% PM&R

PGY-5: 25% Pediatrics | 75% PM&R

We accept applications of candidates from allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. We utilize the ERAS system to process applications. We have four categorical positions for combined internship and PM&R residency who would start with us during their PGY-1 year. We have eight advanced positions in the PM&R residency who would start with us during their PGY-2 year.

We start accepting applications in early September via ERAS and will start interviewing in late October. Interview invites will be sent out to schedule on ThalamusGME.com. All interviews continue to be held virtually due to the covid-19 pandemic. Virtual interviews will be held during the months of October, November, December and January. The combined program interview will be conducted over two days. Your pediatric interview day will start either at morning report or our weekly department wide case conference, followed by a welcome and introduction from our program director, followed by a program overview.

Additionally, the day will include a virtual tour, opportunity to spend time and ask questions of residents, and time with other program leaders. Your PM&R interview day will consist of a half day of virtual interviews for each applicant to get to know our program and we will also host a social hour each week during interview season for our applicants to meet more of our residents. We participate in the National Residency Matching Program and strictly adhere to the rules of the Match.

Given the nature of the virtual recruitment, we ask all applicants to include a paragraph in their personal statement about why Chicago and the combined Pediatrics-PM&R residency program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is a good fit for you. We are also participating in the Supplemental Application for ERAS. PM&R allots a maximum of four preference signals and you are instructed to signal your home institution or your clinical rotations if interested.