By the Numbers

• 15 categorical pediatric residents are accepted each year, plus two child neurology residents 
• Approximately half of our graduating residents go to subspecialties, with the other half going directly into practice
• 172 faculty members train and mentor pediatric residents
• Strong history of the American Board of Pediatrics certification exam successful passing rate
• 2 chiefs are selected from each class for a post-residency year

Our Patients

As the only stand-alone children’s hospital in Iowa, we care for many complex patients who come from across the state, including some from western Illinois and northern Missouri. We have good exposure to “bread and butter pediatric” patients, in addition to unique diseases and conditions. Both NICU and PICU utilize ECMO (VA and VV). We have bone marrow transplant and solid organ transplant (excluding lung). We care for medically complex patients with trach dependence, TPN dependence, dialysis patients, and more, both in the hospital and in the clinics.

Scheduling Rotations

Primary rotations at located at University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and Iowa River Landing UI Healthcare. Residents have the option to spend one block during their second year in Des Moines, IA, (approximately 90 min west) at Blank Children’s Hospital emergency department for additional exposure to general community pediatric emergencies. Travel costs and housing provided. Second year residents will also commute for one rotation to Cedar Rapids, IA, (30 min north) for additional outpatient community pediatric exposure.

For more information on rotations, please click here.

Electronic Medical Record

UIHC uses EPIC. Nearly all resident computer stations have Dragon available, with an option of remote dictation on personal computers.

Benefits

• Competitive stipends
• Comprehensive medical, dental, hospitalization and pharmacy benefits for residents/fellows and their dependents
• 21 days of annual paid time off

Board Certification Requirements

• Visit the American Board of Pediatrics for specifics on board certification requirements

How ethnically diverse are your patients?

Like a lot of university towns, we have a large international community. Growing cultural diversity is another reason Iowa City is an interesting place to live. Diversity is embraced and celebrated with city and university events, festivals, clubs and programs. The University works hard to recruit and retain minorities with its affirmative action policies. About 13% of Iowa citizens are non-white as are almost 13% of the patients seen in our pediatric clinic.

Are there any job opportunities for my spouse/significant other?

Yes, in June 2016, Iowa City had an average of 3.2% unemployment. Also check out The University of Iowa's Dual Career Services.

Is it possible to do an international elective in your program?

Yes! Residents can do International Health Electives in PGY2 and/or PGY3.

What are the fellowship opportunities available?

We currently have 29 fellows training in our 10 accredited fellowship programs.

Is this a family friendly program?

Yes! We love children and support residents in their efforts to balance work with family life. We have several dual physician resident and faculty families and understand the stresses. Women residents receive up to 6 weeks of paid maternity leave after delivery. Men get 5 working days off for paternity leave. The house staff health insurance policy provides full coverage for spouses and children. There are several childcare facilities near the hospital and one on-site. The training program also has activities during the year where all family members are invited, such as our annual resident picnic.

[Lab research] Is there sufficient patient volume so that I can have multiple exposures to a variety of diseases?

With 5,400 annual inpatient pediatric admissions and over 218,000 outpatient encounters you will see plenty of the most common illnesses and trauma that children experience and plenty of the "zebras" as well. Our clinical practice serves the general pediatric health care needs of the local community and the subspecialty needs of the region. Our department receives referrals for specialized services from neighboring states as well.

Patients are referred from across the nation for certain specialized pediatric treatments and services, such as bone marrow transplantation, pediatric cardiology, otolaryngology, neurosurgery and orthopedics. In addition, we conduct clinics in other cities and towns throughout Iowa. Our patients represent all pediatric age groups and all socioeconomic strata and they present with virtually all acute and chronic conditions.

What is the program's balance between primary and specialty care?

We seek to provide each resident physician with a sufficiently broad experience that he or she can choose wisely among all the pediatric options to pursue a career in the general practice of pediatrics, a subspecialty service career or an academic career. About half of our graduates go on to practice general pediatrics while the other half go on to fellowships in pediatric subspecialties or academic pediatrics.

Do you have a research project requirement for graduation?

While we do not have a requirement to complete a research project, we do encourage residents to work on bench or clinical research projects along with our faculty. The Stead Family Department of Pediatrics ranks 13th in public institutions for NIH funding and we have 2 Howard Hughes research investigators in our department. Two of our residents have won the prestigious Society of Pediatric Research's Resident Research Awards in the past couple of years.

If you have additional questions please contact our program coordinator at peds-res@uiowa.edu.

The pediatric residency training program at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital lasts three years and provides each resident physician with a sufficiently diverse experience.

To view a summary of all three years of the residency training program, download our 2023-2024 training outline. Please see this page for further rotation descriptions.

If you are interested in applying to the Pediatric Residency Program, applications are accepted only through ERAS. Please include your USMLE scores, Dean's letter, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement.

To reach us:

Training Program Eligibility Criteria for:

U.S. Allopathic Medical School Graduates

• Passing USMLEs with no more than one failure.
• Application via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) including:
  • A minimum of three letters of recommendation;
  • Dean’s letter;
  • Medical school transcript verifying appropriate medical education to train in a large teaching hospital;
  • Personal statement (there are no specific requirements for the personal statement but in general it should explain why you are interested in a pediatric residency and justify why you would be a good candidate); and
  • Photograph.
  • We do not require a “Chairman’s Letter.”

Osteopathic Medical School Graduates

• COMLEX Step 1 and Step 2 scores of at least 500 or USMLE Step 1 score of at least 200
• Application via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) including:
  • A minimum of three letters of recommendation;
  • Dean’s letter;
  • Medical school transcript verifying appropriate medical education to train in a large teaching hospital;
  • Personal statement (there are no specific requirements for the personal statement but in general it should explain why you are interested in a pediatric residency and justify why you would be a good candidate); and
  • Photograph.
  • We do not require a “Chairman’s Letter.”

International Medical School Graduates

• USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 scores of at least 225 on first attempt. Scores must be available before you can be considered for an interview.
• Passing grade on the CSA or USMLE Step 2 CS on the first attempt.
• Medical school graduation date within the last 5 years.
• Appropriate medical education to train in a large U.S. teaching hospital.
• Previous pediatric residency experiences, observership or clinical experience in the U.S. is strongly preferred.
• Previous degree in U.S., (i.e. MPH) is also desirable.
• Application via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) including:
  • A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation;
  • Dean’s letter;
  • Medical school transcript verifying appropriate medical education to train in a large teaching hospital;
  • Personal statement (there are no specific requirements for the personal statement but in general it should explain why you are interested in a pediatric residency and justify why you would be a good candidate); and
  • Photograph.
  • We do not require a “Chairman’s Letter.”
• U.S. citizenship, J-1 Visa, (H-1B may be considered per individual applicant's status as well as meeting the requirement for completion of Step 3)

Medical specialty certification in the United States is a voluntary process which serves multiple purposes for the trainee and the public.

Certification is

• One mission of the training program to produce trainees who meet board eligibility criteria
• Distinguishes a physician as someone with a distinct level of expertise
• Provides more opportunities when applying for employment
• Presents resources and tools by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
• A commitment to life-long improvement for providing the best patient care
• Elevates physicians into the ranks of doctors committed to the highest standards of healthcare

For more information visit the American Board of Pediatrics for specifics on board certification requirements.

The Interview

In compliance with institutional, state, and national recommendations, our program will be solely conducting virtual interviews for the 2023-2024 residency NRMP Match cycle. We will not offer in-person interviews or visits to our site in support of minimizing health risks associated with travel during this coronavirus pandemic and to provide an equitable interview experience to all applicants. 

We will interview approximately 200 candidates for 15 positions beginning October 21 and ending mid-January. Orientation for all new residents begins June 24, so you must be available for that start date and be licensed in Iowa by June 30.

Invitations to interview

Invitations from our program will be extended via Thalamus, enabling you to self-schedule your interview. 

What should I expect on the interview day?

Your interview day will begin around 8 a.m. and conclude around 11:30 a.m. (Central Time Zone), on the Zoom platform.  The components of your day will include an overview of the program, followed by Q&A with our chief residents, a virtual tour, interviews with the program director and two other faculty members and a current pediatric resident.