PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Getting your career started in the right direction
MENTORSHIP
Residency is the first step in honing your passions in medicine. We believe that key mentors can help facilitate your progression and help you meet your goals in excess of what you may imagine. We have a formal mentor/advisor program within the residency, but are also fortunate to have many additional faculty assisting in the development and ultimate success of our graduating residents. Mentor relationships often focus on career and research goals but also can help navigate the multitude of dimensions that ensure successful careers including work life balance, family/life planning, stress management, and board preparation.
INTERPROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
In order to provide excellent care for patients, we believe you need to have an exceptional team. Pediatricians can help promote healthy team dynamics and that starts during residency. Our residents have many opportunities to refine their communication skills while working closely with a multitude of staff that impact our delivery of care to the children in our community, including pharmacy, nursing, IV team, respiratory therapy, Child Life, lactation, Care Management, insurance liaisons, home health, and community partners. Our residents go through in-depth discovery of care team roles through our nurse/resident shadowing experience, multidisciplinary QI projects, participation in the Family Advisory Board, and nurse/physician work groups.
MEDICAL EDUCATION
Inherent in most pediatricians is a natural predilection toward teaching. We are fortunate to have many opportunities for our residents to hone the skills necessary to become excellent medical educators. While not all our graduates pursue a career in academics, we believe the skills and ability to transfer information, teach to different levels, set expectations, and lead teams will bring dividends in any career path.
LEADERSHIP
Whether your career path is independent practice or remaining part of a large health system, we expect and prepare our graduates to step into leadership roles across the entire spectrum of opportunities. In addition to our standard curriculum and responsibilities incumbent to residency, our residents engage in many leadership roles. Our residents have been active members and leaders in a multitude of settings including:
Pediatric Residency (Social Committee, Curriculum Committee)
Janet Weis Children’s Hospital (Nurse Partnership, Family Advisory Board)
Geisinger Medical Center (House Staff Committee, Wellness Committee, quality initiatives)
Federally/Nationally (PA-AAP liaisons)
Through professional development and mentorship, we seek to develop and enhance the leadership skills (partnership, communication, organization, presentation) that allow our residents to reach their highest potential. We have a long tradition of our graduates moving on to become divisional, departmental, and system leaders, both locally and nationally.