Medical Student Education

We offer a wide range of programs to give medical students a solid understanding of childhood health and illness – key components of a well-rounded medical education.

Clerkship Requirements
The core clerkship in Pediatrics requires six weeks of clinical experience through the many care units housed at Children’s Health℠ Children's Medical Center Dallas, in addition to select locations at Parkland Health & Hospital System.

The department offers a full curriculum based on the core competencies as published by the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP). The faculty in nearly all divisions in the Department of Pediatrics maximize teaching tools including:
- Bedside clinical supervision
- Daily rounds
- Various didactic sessions
- Facilitated team-based learning sessions
We review the entire curriculum on an ongoing basis, based on feedback from medical school faculty, national regulatory agencies, and medical students themselves.
Exploring Elective Subspecialties
Along with their compulsory rotations during the Clerkship period, medical students gain exposure to the many pediatric subspecialties through two- to four-week exploratory electives in such disciplines as:
- Cardiology
- Genetics
- Infectious Diseases
- Child Development and Autism
Post-Clerkship Rotations at Children’s Health, Parkland
Post-Clerkship medical students can tailor their academic schedule to meet individual learning goals. Students gain in-depth exposure to pediatric subspecialties in preparation for an eventual career in pediatrics. They can also strengthen their foundation in caring for children in advance of any healthcare career path.

Children’s Health℠ and Parkland allow UT Southwestern medical students to immerse themselves in acute/intensive care experiences via rotations in:
- Neonatal Intensive Care
- Pediatric Intensive Care
- Cardiovascular Intensive Care
- Pediatric Emergency Department
Extended Post-Clerkship learning includes work in:
- Hematology and Oncology
- Nephrology
- Gastroenterology
- Endocrinology
- International-health electives
- Individual scholarly investigations mentored by UT Southwestern faculty
Career Prep Pediatric Internship
For students wishing to pursue a career in Pediatrics, the Preparation for Pediatric Internship course -- or Residency Essentials -- delivers the knowledge and practical skills you need before entering pediatric residencies. Residency Essentials focuses on:
- Patient care scenarios
- Daily intern tasks
- Effective communication
- Basic procedures
- Evidence-based medicine

Real-World Results

Positive Student Experience

Medical students rated their experience on their Pediatrics Clerkship as overwhelmingly positive. Student feedback from course evaluations remained consistently positive, specifically related to:

Autonomy
Promotion of clinical skills
Preparation for internship

Proven Success

Students rotating through the core clerkship continue to outpace national averages on standardized assessments. For example, UT Southwestern students consistently score above the national average for comparable pediatric clerkships on the National Board of Medical Examiners subject exam in Pediatrics.

Every year about 25 students from the graduating medical school class choose to pursue careers in pediatrics or some combined program including pediatrics.

Mentors Support Students’ Success

Faculty from the Department of Pediatrics often participate, and take leadership roles, in the more didactic curricula during the first two years of medical school. Such key courses include:

Genetics
Biochemistry
Endocrinology
Medical ethics

Since the creation of the Colleges system at UT Southwestern, faculty members in the Pediatrics Department have played pivotal roles as mentors to medical students. As a part of the curriculum, each participating faculty member guides a group of six pre-clerkship medical students through weekly small group meetings focusing on curricula such as: