Any outpatient subspecialty rotations can also be taken as an elective rotation.

Advocacy

This is a 4-week elective is designed to assess cultural and socioeconomic influences of health care in our community, work with community-based organizations and other professionals (i.e., lawyers, dentists, policymakers), and advocate for culturally competent healthcare for children. Designed by residents with a faculty mentor (see advocacy page for more info).

Allergy/Immunology

Residents rotate with pediatric allergy/immunology to learn more about allergy recommendations, testing, when to refer, etc. Primarily located in clinic setting.

Anesthesiology

Residents rotate with pediatric anesthesiologists and CRNAs to improve procedural skills such as bag/mask ventilation, intubation, IV placement, as well as increase exposure to sedation techniques and medication usage.

Cardiology

Residents rotate through our busy pediatric cardiology clinic. There is good exposure to complex congenital heart defects, arrhythmias, syncope evaluation, murmur evaluation, and more. Residents will learn how to take a targeted cardiac history and physical, evaluate ECGs, learn basic review of echocardiogram imaging, and apply this knowledge to formulating patient assessments and plans.

Career

This elective during the second year of residency is self-designed by residents with a faculty mentor to help prepare them for their chosen profession/fellowship. This elective is separate from Research and focused more on professional development.

Child Psychiatry

This rotation provides a basic overview of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, which includes evaluating new patients, both individually and as part of a multidisciplinary team, to determine diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment plan. Residents have their own patient panel that is staffed with Child and Adolescent Psychiatry faculty.

Dermatology

Residents are exposed to many children with unique skin disorders, as well advance skills in basic eczema and acne management.

Endocrinology

The endocrinology rotation is a clinic-based rotation, as residents have good exposure to inpatient endocrinology training on our green team. Residents will participate in the evaluation and care for new diabetes, established diabetes, adrenal insufficiency, hypo/hyperthyroid work-up, precocious puberty, transgender care, and more. During this rotation, residents rotate through our multidisciplinary Cardiometabolic clinic. There is also opportunity to participate in our multidisciplinary LGBTQ+ clinic.

Gastroenterology

In this clinic-based rotation, residents participate in the care of children and adolescents with a variety of GI complaints such as G-tube dependence, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cyclic vomiting syndrome, failure to thrive, to name a few. For interested residents, there are opportunities to participate in procedures (endoscopy, colonoscopy, liver biopsy).

Genetics

The medical genetics rotation is designed to give an awareness of clinical and counseling approaches to genetic disorders and birth defects. Residents will attend the following clinics: general genetics, NF, metabolic, and PKU.

Hematology/Oncology

While residents experience inpatient hematology and oncology, there are different learning opportunities in a heme/onc clinic. With this rotation, residents learn to assess and evaluate common (and less common) hematologic conditions.

Infectious Disease

Residents rotate with on-call pediatric infectious disease specialist to learn from direct patient care in both clinic and inpatient consults. Residents are encouraged to develop an approach to the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients with infectious disease problems.

International

The goal of this rotation is to gain perspective on the practice of medicine in a resource-limited setting and within a different cultural context. It is the resident’s responsibility to find a location, coordinate the elective with an on-site preceptor, complete the required University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics paperwork, obtain the necessary credentials, update immunizations, and arrange travel plans. Residents will be expected to maintain a patient contact log and procedure log during the rotation. Residents then share their experiences with the residency program via a noon conference presentation or other formal mechanism such as a conference presentation (for example, a global health conference). Rotation is a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 4 weeks.

Nephrology

The goal of this rotation is to gain an understanding of pediatric kidney disease and hypertension in both the inpatient and ambulatory setting, and be able to effectively diagnose and treat common problems. Subjects to be covered will include fluid and electrolytes, hypertension, glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, acute and chronic renal failure, congenital anomalies of the urinary tract, UTI’s, dialysis and transplantation.

Neurology

Residents rotate in outpatient neurology clinic to improve skills with performing a targeted neurologic evaluation and physical exam at various stages of development. Additional opportunities to improve understanding of use of various head/spine imaging modalities and basic review of how to interpret imaging findings.

Ophthalmology

Outpatient clinic experience: most of the time spent observing and assisting in evaluations of patients.

Orthopedics

The primary educational objective for this rotation is to expose the residents to the entire spectrum of general pediatric orthopedics as well as routine and complex pediatric spine surgery.

Otolaryngology

The resident can become a member of the pediatric otolaryngology service and participate in resident activities during the month with an emphasis on spending time in the clinics.

Parental

The parental elective is allowed once per residency and can be utilized by any resident who parents a new child. For non-birthing parents, this elective does not have to be taken at time of delivery. Residents are expected to prepare a presentation for the residency on a topic of their choosing related to newborns, parenting, or similarly applicable topic.

Pain and Palliative Care

Residents on this rotation work with our Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care providers both on consult services and in clinic. During this rotation resident’s have the opportunity to visit a local care facility for children with complex health needs, attend meetings with the Continuity of Care group, and attend COPE sessions/debriefings.

Pumlonology

In addition to common diagnoses of asthma, tracheostomy/ventilatory dependence, residents work with pediatric pulmonologists during multidisciplinary neuromuscular clinics and cystic fibrosis clinics.

Psychology

This rotation is a basic overview of Pediatric Psychology, which includes psychopharmacology clinic and wrap up meeting, outpatient mood disorder clinic and outpatient evaluation clinic.

Radiology

To observe and participate in the interpretation of various imaging modalities, as well as to receive various didactic lectures and to personally interact with the radiologists and staff. During this rotation you should learn anatomic and physiologic basis of pediatric disease as well as to understand the various imaging modalities and indications of each modality to evaluate specific pediatric diseases.

Research

The research elective is designed to allow the resident to have dedicated time to work on a clinical or basic research project, or to further knowledge in an area of their choice. Prior to the start of the rotation, the resident will identify a faculty mentor and a project. The rotation is not designed for preparatory work, but for research to be performed in order to work toward the completion of the scholarly project.

Rheumatology

The primary goals of this rotation are to help the resident to learn the presenting symptoms/signs of rheumatic disease in children; develop focused musculoskeletal examination skills; expand the differential diagnosis of arthritis/joint pain in children; and systematically construct a plan in the evaluation of a child with arthritis/joint pain. This service sees patients in both the outpatient and inpatient settings including inpatient consultations. Residents are responsible for participating in clinics (which is the setting of primary emphasis during this rotation) with in-patient consults and rounds as time allows.

Special/Self-Designed

The special elective is designed to allow the resident to have flexibility in establishing an elective to meet their individualized professional needs. Residents will identify a faculty mentor to assist in scheduling the elective and creation of associated project or presentation.

Sports Medicine

Residents will develop skills for taking Sports Medicine focused history and physicals in addition to development of knowledge base for prescription of fitness programs, for health maintenance and for specific diseases (eg asthma, hypertension, diabetes). Residents work directly with sports medicine faculty, and have opportunities to work with the physical therapists and athletic trainers to learn specific rehabilitation programs for common musculoskeletal injuries and the appropriate use of treatment modalities (eg ultrasound, ice massage, iontophoresis).

Surgery

The goal of this elective is to expose the resident to the full range of clinical experiences within pediatric surgery inpatient and clinics. The resident will become familiar and comfortable in the evaluation, stabilization, and management of pre-operative, post-operative, and trauma patients. The resident will also become knowledgeable in the indications for emergent, urgent, and elective referral of patients to a pediatric surgeon, and in appropriate pain management of a surgical patient.

Teaching

Available to 2nd or 3rd year residents to advance teaching skills through active participation in inpatient setting. Residents are able to work directly with medical students and junior residents to improve.