The layout allows trainees to rotate through subspecialty offices, and general pediatric offices throughout their first three years of training, and spend an equivalent amount of ‘block’ time on each rotation, spread over the R1-R3 years. This means, for example, that at the end of your training, the last endocrinology clinic you were at will not have been when you were an R1. That means you might do 7 cardiology clinics in first year, 3 in second year, and 6 in third year.

For example, a week may look like this:

• Monday – Specialty clinic (Allergy, rheumatology, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology)
  
• Tuesday – half day of subspecialty in morning and academic half day in afternoon
  
• Wednesday – general pediatrics
  
• Thursday – Post Call day
  
• Friday – General pediatrics or subspecialty
  

This curriculum means changing your mindset frequently, watching your schedule, reading ahead, and being sure you don’t feel like a tourist.

Call will be 1 in 4 for the first 2 years, and 1 in 5 for the last 2 years. There will be one call free month per year. You are post call at 8:00 am. Call will be an identical experience to the call done by the general pediatricians. It will include covering the Emergency room for consultations, addressing ward problems, and covering Labour and Delivery for intermediate and high risk deliveries. Nighttime coverage also includes availability for dealing with emergent matters in the NICU and PICU.

Experiences with very high risk deliveries and intensive care medicine (experiences that would generally include a Neonatologist and/or Pediatric Intensivist) will also be part of the call experience. This will provide trainees with a unique general pediatric call experience that better represents the work of a community pediatrician.

Elective time can be completed at other centres. Ongoing review of the trainees’ learning portfolio and mastery of specific competencies will take place throughout training; choices of electives and location of experiences can be reviewed on an ongoing basis as competencies are achieved, and learning goals set.

One month per year in the first three years will be in a smaller centre (eg Kelowna, Campbell River, Comox). Additional electives in other rural or international locations may be incorporated into third and fourth year elective time. The many connections of BC Children’s hospital and our faculty’s connections with other global opportunities will facilitate this.