I was looking for a residency that was close to home,
friendly, family-oriented, dedicated to teaching, and capable of exposing
residents to various patients, but also allowing some time for reading. At MCG,
I found all of these aspects and more!! We have the BEST morning reports, noon
conferences, and grand rounds!! The faculty are really dedicated to teaching!
Ronnika Harley
PGY 3
Other Educational Opportunities
Chief Residents
Our chiefs work in concert on all tasks, but trade off office time to allow for uninterrupted clinical pediatric experiences for them and for constant availability to residents for advice and problem solving. Chief residents are selected each year based on outstanding ability in patient care, teaching and leadership and are awarded a junior faculty position with both clinical and administrative duties. The chief residents supervise the house officers and coordinate their activities while taking an active role in teaching both students and housestaff. They also serve as a liaison between the housestaff and faculty and are responsible for scheduling rotations and conferences.
Duty Hours
Our faculty and housestaff are dedicated to following the RRC guidelines for
duty hours. No resident is allowed to work more than 30 consecutive hours (24
hours of work with 6 hours to allow for checkout and education). No resident
works an average of more than 80 hours per week. Work hours are reported using an online
system to ensure accurate record-keeping.
Housestaff Retreat (photos)
Each year, the faculty sponsors a weekend off-campus retreat for the housestaff
and their spouses and children at a selected resort area. Each retreat is
centered around a specific topic relevant to personal and professional
development, and a guest lecturer conducts workshops on this topic. Retreat is a
unique time to discuss issues at work, to develop better working relationships,
and to relax and unwind with each other outside of the hospital. The faculty
supports the retreat by covering all inpatient services for the entire weekend.
Housestaff Breakfast
Once a month all house officers meet with the Chairman and the Program
Director for breakfast. This provides a forum for open discussion of concerns of
the housestaff and suggestions for improvement within the department. This
allows the Chairman to update the housestaff on news and changes within the
pediatric department.
Housestaff Forum
Each month, the housestaff meets with the Program Director and the Chief
Residents at lunch to discuss program issues. This is an informal meeting for
review of residents’ concerns and interests and strengthens communication
between the housestaff and the administration.
“Voice for Kids Health ”
Our residents have developed a very active advocacy program over the past
several years which includes members from all health care disciplines as well as
medical students. Recent projects have included a yearly fun run to raise funds
for local children’s charities, an on-going program at the local Augusta Boys
and Girls Club to introduce minority youth to health care careers, writing
articles for community newspapers, volunteering at health fairs, and many other
exciting activities!
Practice Management Seminar
All third year residents are excused from clinical duties to attend the
day-long practice management seminar sponsored by the Medical College of Georgia
and the Southern Medical Association for senior housestaff each fall. The
seminar explores current trends in health care, financial management, contract
negotiations and includes sessions in avoiding fraud, abuse, and medical
malpractice.
Georgia AAP Chapter Meeting
All second year residents are invited to attend the spring chapter meeting
of the Georgia section of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which takes place
in Sea Island, GA each June. Attendance at this conference affords residents a
view of the educational opportunities offered by the AAP as well as providing an
opportunity to network with community pediatricians from around the state.
Fellowship Programs
A number of fellowships in pediatric subspecialties are available. These
subspecialties include allergy/immunology, cardiology, critical care,
neonatology, and pediatric neurology. Our
fellowship programs are nationally recognized and offer extensive clinical
training as well as opportunities for research in each field. Pediatric fellows
are viewed as very supportive to our housestaff and their presence serves to
enhance our residency training in the subspecialty fields.