ChristianaCare has been a top-rated academic medical center for more than a century. Our residents and fellows experience a rigorous and rewarding combination of academic training and hands-on experience in a multitude of settings. Our hospital systems (ChristianaCare and Nemours Children’s Hospital) also includes a stand-alone cancer center and simulation lab.
The Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program attracts candidates from around the country who value our challenging academic curriculum within multiple settings.
Our diverse patient mix offers residents exceptional opportunities to diagnose and treat a broad spectrum of primary-care diseases, as well as tertiary-care medical conditions not routinely encountered in smaller hospital settings.
Since 1989, our Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program has trained physicians for careers in primary care, hospitalist and in the subspecialties in both academic and non-academic settings. Residents work closely with our large Med-Peds faculty (15 faculty) and our community and inpatient Med-Peds attendings (58 attendings) to develop competence and excellence in both specialties for dual board certification. Our residents are very comfortable treating patients with both acute care and chronic care needs, as well as with preventive medicine and well visits. Our residents , Med-Peds coordinator and faculty are leaders who contribute to our national reputation and stature in our specialty including full ACGME accreditation with no citations.
Our Categorical Medicine (13 interns per year) and Pediatrics (25 interns per year) programs strongly support our combined training program (5 interns per year). We have diverse patient populations with tremendous pathology and vast referral bases from Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. Our residents train in both community and tertiary care settings, including the majority of pediatric training at Nemours Children’s Hospital. Our Medicine-Pediatrics program is uniquely sponsored by Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (Delaware’s medical school) and is a teaching affiliate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Both Sidney Kimmel Medical College and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine are a part of our clinical campus. Approximately 50 students spend their entire 3rd or 4th years at Christianacare or Nemours.
Some highlights of the program:
- Our Med-Peds themes: Individualization, Support, Leadership, Family.
- Unique x+y schedule for Med-Peds (see Curriculum)
- Work in underserved communities in Wilmington and have elective experiences in a Delaware federally qualified health center with Med-Peds mentors.
- Work in our combined med-peds outpatient practice (with med-peds faculty preceptors) in Wilmington supported by behavioral health, social work, legal partnership, food closet, quilts, car seats and lactation support.
- Participate in international rotations Hosted by Nemours Children’s Hospital or develop your own rotations.
- Develop skills working with patients that have child onset chronic conditions (special health care needs) primary care, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, hemophilia, oncology survivors, cerebral palsy and congenital heart disease) by rotating in our Center for Special Health Care Needs and our inpatient Med-Peds service for special needs and homebound patients.
- Have the opportunity to be part of a 2-week LEED-Rship course for residents and fellow to learn specific leadership skills.
- Develop advanced skills in quality and safety with a mandatory 12-week master’s level course called Achieving Competence Today (ACT).
- Hone teaching and presentation skills.
- Acquire leadership and team leader skills off campus through yearly retreats in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.
- Train in non-medicine or pediatrics departments such as women’s health (IUD and implantable), surgical subspecialties, orthopedics, ophthalmology, dermatology, and sports medicine.
- Work at University of Delaware’s student health center and elementary school wellness centers.
- Gain high-risk delivery room experience (more than 6,000 deliveries per year) in our two-story NICU and time in our new Pediatric Center.
- Serve on hospital committees and national Med-Peds organizations including the National Med-Peds Resident’s Association.
- Belong to the Delaware and National American Academy of Pediatrics, Delaware and National American College of Physicians and Medical Society of Delaware.
Medical Students
ChristianaCare is a clinical campus for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). A certain number of third and fourth year medical students from these schools live and have all of their rotations in Delaware. We are the largest teaching affiliate of Jefferson and we get the highest ratings for teaching by students.. Each year hundreds of medical students from Sidney Kimmel, PCOM and other schools rotate here and Nemours Children’s Hospital. Residents play an important role in teaching students at all levels in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Many of ChristianaCare’s 1,300-member Medical/Dental Staff hold their academic appointments at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College and participate with Jefferson faculty in joint conferences and research projects.
Students have the opportunity to work with Med-Peds inpatient and outpatient physicians on core rotations in addition to specific Med-Peds rotations (virtual and in-person).