Pediatrics Residency Program

Aims

The residency program strongly believes a successful pediatrician will be a thankful, appreciative, and productive physician and the one most likely to help the underserved and to improve the health of the infant, child, adolescent and young adult and the overall health of their communities. To help our residents become successful in their career, our aims are that:

• Residents receive a thorough medical education in pediatrics and develop self-directed learning skills, as indicated by a high pass rate by our graduates on the initial American Board of Pediatrics initial certification examination.
•  Residents have the opportunity to pursue and experience advocacy for the community, as indicated by resident application for and receipt of Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) grants from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and resident promotion of child advocacy at the state capitol in Pierre, South Dakota on a dedicated day known as Children’s Day.
• Residents have the opportunity to do scholarly work or research, either clinical or bench, that results in peer-reviewed publications, case reports, and/or regional and national poster and oral presentations, as evidenced by yearly peer-reviewed publications and poster presentations by residents as primary or co-authors.
• A number of resident graduates will practice in an underserved area, as indicated by 50% of our graduates, including those who did a fellowship elsewhere, are employed by Sanford Health, which provides patient care to underserved areas in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Oregon.
• Residents who wish to enter clinical practice in general pediatrics upon graduation are successfully hired, join a practice, or establish a practice, as evidenced by all our graduates who wished to enter practice upon graduation did so.
• Residents who wish to pursue a fellowship are encouraged to participate in scholarly work and/or research, either clinical or bench, that results in peer-reviewed publications, case reports, and/or regional and national poster and oral presentations, as evidenced by yearly peer-reviewed publications and poster presentations by residents as primary or co-authors. Over 95% of our residents who pursued a fellowship successfully matched into fellowship programs.
• Residents with an interest in the subspecialties that have physician shortages are encouraged to pursue a career in those subspecialties as indicated by some of our graduates having entered fellowship programs in adolescent medicine, behavioral and developmental pediatrics, child abuse, and nephrology.