The pediatric charge nurse or clinical coordinator will conduct an orientation to General and Intensive Care Pediatrics for the students on the first day of the clerkship. Pediatric nurses, by virtue of their specialization in pediatric are, have a great deal of experience and knowledge to offer students and. You will find them willing to help in all aspects of your pediatric clinical experience. Students, likewise, should be available and willing to help when such help is requested from the nursing staff.

Students may write orders after consultation with the hospitalist. Orders will not be carried out until the hospitalist countersigns these orders.

The establishment of proper relationships between physician and parents is extremely important in Pediatrics. The student must always identify himself/herself to the parents as a medical student. Student conversations with parents are to be encouraged. In this way the student can begin to understand the impact of pediatric illness on the family unit. Much valuable information about each child is gained by speaking with the parents on a day-to-day basis. ALL information about each patient is confidential and cannot be communicated to anyone who is not involved in the medical care of the patient. Furthermore, medical information given to the family by the students must be restricted to that which is thoroughly discussed with the patient's attending pediatrician. Any violation of confidentiality of patient information constitutes grounds for student dismissal. A brochure, developed by Sanford Children’s Hospital entitled “Physicians Providing Care for Your Child”, is given to the family when admitted that clearly explains the role of the medical student in their child’s care.

Each student will spend 3 weeks on the Pediatric Unit at Sanford Children's Hospital. The student will work as part of a team including community attending pediatricians, pediatric faculty, nurses and paramedical personnel. The student should work-up and follow 2-3 patients per week. He/she should observe and participate in procedures. E-mail write-ups as a Microsoft Word attachment to Kathy Kraft and she will forward them to Drs. Tinguely and Tiongson for review. Do not use patient names or identifiers as these write-ups are CONFIDENTIAL. One write-up per week is required. The student should strive towards complete and pertinent but concisely written write-ups. At the end of each write-up a one to two paragraph learning issue or topic discussion regarding the patient’s diagnosis and/or management should be included. Also include your references. Patient write-ups done by the student are not part of the permanent patient record. On the other hand writing daily patient progress notes in the patient chart is encouraged and should be reviewed and counter-signed by the hospitalist. Monday through Friday inpatient care is provided by pediatric hospitalist. The hospitalist is the physician responsible for managing the care of most of the patients that you follow at Sanford Children’s Hospital. The hospitalist will include you in daily patient work rounds and may assign to you patient care and educational responsibilities.

It is very important that students become familiar with and strictly adhere to the policies of Pediatric Infection Control and Isolation Procedures. Nosocomial viral and bacterial diseases are a major Infectious Disease problem on any Pediatric ward, including Rotovirus, RSV, Enterovirus, Varicella, Pertussis and enteric pathogens. Immunosuppressed patients and infants represent those at greatest risk.

You will be assigned to two subspecialty experiences/clinics Monday and Tuesday of your Normal Newborn Nursery week. You will spend each morning (8:00 a.m.-12:00 N) Wednesday through Friday with the community attending pediatrician in the Normal Newborn Nursery. The student will examine the assigned newborns, discussing normal and abnormal findings with the pediatricians. Along with the attending pediatrician the student will make daily rounds to the mothers’ rooms.

All students are required to attend Pediatric Grand Rounds. Pediatric Grand Rounds is held in the Sanford Clinic Auditorium, each Tuesday, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Grand Rounds is also teleconferenced to the Sanford Children’s Clinic SW, 2701 13th Avenue So., Fargo, in the basement conference room. Each student will be required to present a case at an assigned Pediatric Grand Rounds while on their inpatient rotation.

Separate from daily ward work rounds with the hospitalist, students on the Inpatient Service will participate in ward teaching rounds Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m., and Fridays at 7:00 a.m. It will be the student’s responsibility to be prepared to present completely and in detail one or more of their patients for teaching purposes. In addition a variety of patient care topics will be discussed, including genetics, child abuse and pediatric EKG’s. Be reminded that patient discussions must not take place in the halls, near patient's rooms or in the cafeteria. Such discussions should be held only in a conference room where complete confidentiality can be maintained.

See Schedules under the Fargo Students section of Clerkship on the Pediatrics website. All students on Pediatrics are required to attend.

Each student will be on call approximately every third or fourth night while on inpatient service. Students will always be under the supervision of the "on-call" pediatrician. The student will have the opportunity to work-up new admissions, participate in the care of unstable patients and share in the performance of necessary procedures. When assigned weekend call it is extremely valuable to contact the “on-call” pediatrician the day prior to weekend call in order to determine the time and location to meet and commence rounds. The unit clerk will have the pediatrician call schedule, contact phone numbers and pager numbers.