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Medical Student & Resident Education

The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology is committed to providing quality medical education for medical students, residents, and fellows. 

Medical Students

Pediatric Endocrinology faculty provide didactic education to UT Southwestern Medical School students. We offer two electives for fourth-year pediatric clerkships giving you in-depth exposure to caring for children with diabetes and endocrinologic diseases.

Residents

Residents at Children's Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern gain broad-based experience by working and learning in one of the largest endocrine and diabetes clinics in the country. Educational goals accomplished during Division rotations include:

  • Become familiar with normal growth patterns in children, normal variants of growth, and gaining the ability to assess normal and abnormal patterns of pubertal development
  • Interpret endocrine function tests and perform/recommend appropriate tests for common endocrine complaints or referrals including thyroid disorders, short stature, disorders of puberty, and newborn endocrine disorders screening
  • Manage Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes through experience in the inpatient and outpatient clinics, or in a camp setting

Resident’s Elective Rotation

The Pediatric Endocrine elective may be selected during the second and third years of residency, and occasionally during first-year residency. Residents mainly participate in outpatient situations, but if you want to participate in inpatient rotation activities such as rounding on endocrine floor patients or performing consultations, this can be arranged with the attending faculty.

Dr. Fernadez with kids at Camp Sweeney
Ernesto Fernandez, M.D., with kids at Camp Sweeney

The outpatient experience allows you to see a variety of new and established patients in the outpatient clinic, and work with different attending physicians daily. This exposes you to the entire endocrine spectrum. Residents discuss clinical findings on exams and management plans with the attending physician, accompanied by appropriate teaching materials. Residents may choose to concentrate their studies in the outpatient diabetic and endocrine education programs, including insulin pump management and newly established diabetes.

During June and July, rotating residents can spend time at Camp Sweeney, the country’s largest residential diabetes camp for children. Up to two weeks of camp rotation gives you the opportunity to manage care for more than 200 children with diabetes.