Abstract
IntroductionThree pathways are available to students considering a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) career: pediatric residency followed by PEM fellowship (Peds-PEM); emergency medicine residency followed by PEM fellowship (EM-PEM); and combined EM and pediatrics residency (EM&Peds). Questions regarding differences between the training pathways are common among medical students. We present a comparative analysis of training pathways highlighting major curricular differences to aid in students’ understanding of these training options.MethodsAll currently credentialed training programs for each pathway with curricula published on their websites were included. We analyzed dedicated educational units (EU) core to all three pathways: emergency department (ED), pediatric-only ED, critical care, and research. Minimum requirements for primary residencies were assumed for fellowship trainees.ResultsOf the 75 Peds-PEM, 34 EM-PEM, and 4 EM&Peds programs screened, 85% of Peds-PEM and EM-PEM and all EM&Peds program curricula were available for analysis. Average Peds-PEM EUs were 20.4 EM, 20.1 pediatric-only EM, 5.8 critical care, and 9.0 research. Average EM-PEM EUs were 33.2 EM, 18.3 pediatric-only EM, 6.5 critical care, and 3.3 research. Average EM&Peds EUs were 26.1 EM, 8.0 pediatric-only EM, 10.0 critical care, and 0.3 research.ConclusionAll three pathways exceed pediatric-focused training required for EM or pediatric residency. Peds-PEM has the most research EUs, EM-PEM the most EM EUs, and EM&Peds the most critical care EUs. All prepare graduates for a pediatric emergency medicine career. Understanding the difference in emphasis between pathways can inform students to select the best pathway for their own careers.
Highlights
Three pathways are available to students considering a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) career: pediatric residency followed by PEM fellowship (Peds-PEM); emergency medicine residency followed by PEM fellowship (EM-PEM); and combined EM and pediatrics residency (EM&Peds)
There are three distinct training pathways available to medical students considering a career in pediatric emergency medicine (EM): a three-year pediatric residency followed by a three-year PEM fellowship (Peds-PEM); a three- to four-year EM residency followed by a two-year PEM fellowship (EM-PEM); and a five-year combined EM and pediatrics residency (EM&Peds)
We identified a total of 113 active programs from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) website (75 Peds-PEM; 34 EM-PEM; 4 EM&Peds)
Summary
Three pathways are available to students considering a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) career: pediatric residency followed by PEM fellowship (Peds-PEM); emergency medicine residency followed by PEM fellowship (EM-PEM); and combined EM and pediatrics residency (EM&Peds). Many physicians have elected to pursue career pathways focused on the care of children in the emergency setting. Focused training toward such a profession began in a nonaccredited format in the early 1980s.1. There are three distinct training pathways available to medical students considering a career in pediatric emergency medicine (EM): a three-year pediatric residency followed by a three-year PEM fellowship (Peds-PEM); a three- to four-year EM residency followed by a two-year PEM fellowship (EM-PEM); and a five-year combined EM and pediatrics residency (EM&Peds). All three pathways provide pediatric emergency care training in excess of what is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) training guidelines for both EM and pediatric residencies.[2,3,4] Peds-PEM and EMPEM pathways were established in the 1990s by the ABP
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