Paediatric Teaching Programme

April-July 2012 

Education/Training
We will ensure that the training you receive will develop your career in medicine. A departmental induction course is organised early on in the post to help orientate GPStRs to children and paediatric medicine. GPStRs are encouraged to attend sub-specialist clinics to learn about less common conditions. Community child health and Child Psychiatry training is provided from the second month of the appointment.

The department encourages the use of the ward round and outpatients to establish a forum for the discussion of clinical problems, interchange of ideas and management planning and should be regarded as an important facet of training. Experience is offered in Doctor/Patient communication via an apprenticeship system on ward rounds and in outpatient clinics by observation and discussion with senior staff.

Experience
Experience will be gained in a wide range of acute, chronic and neonatal problems resulting from exposure to ill children referred by general practitioners in addition to outpatient management. Neonatal experience will include the care of the healthy newborn, resuscitation in cases of birth asphyxia, and some neonatal intensive care depending on the needs and enthusiasm of the GPStRs.

We encourage GPStRs to take time talking to parents and regard time spent reassuring them, discussing investigations, management and follow up as an important part of the experience. The aim of the department is to offer high standards of diagnosis and care both for acutely ill children and also those with less acute and less common conditions seen in outpatients. Bearing in mind their particular needs and the difficulties of ascertaining history and symptoms in children, strong emphasis is placed on liaising carefully with parents, caring agencies and referring general practitioners.

Department Facilities There are 18 beds for paediatric medicine on Ward 10 where around 1300 medical paediatric admissions occur annually. Approximately 250 children attend per annum as ambulatory day cases or ward attendees for investigation or follow up. Sick or premature infants are cared for on SCBU which has nine cots, one of which is equipped for neonatal intensive care. There is also the Newberry Child Development Centre nearby and Out Patient Clinics at Lowestoft.

About 200 infants per annum are admitted to SCBU but a majority of healthy babies (2400 per annum) are cared for alongside their mothers on the postnatal ward where neonatal screening and treatment of minor difficulties is carried out.

Teaching Programmes/Curriculum
The teaching programme is designed to back up clinical experience gained and GPStRs are encouraged to sit the DCH. Medical students from UEA Norwich are regularly attached to the department which forms an added stimulus to learning.

Formal lectures and tutorials occur at lunchtimes four days a week. The induction programme provides departmental orientation, details of neonatal resuscitation and also important paediatric emergencies. Clinical guidelines are issued which are regularly updated and these cover common inpatient, outpatient and neonatal problems. The department firmly believes in the concept of guidelines to aid practice rather than a protocol to be rigidly adhered to.

Individual Training Programme and Educational Supervision
Trainees are allocated to an Educational Supervisor who goes through the individual Training Programme early on during the appointment and objectives/achievements/weaknesses are assessed at regular intervals. A formal system of mutual appraisal and counselling exists, this operates by assessment of the trainee by the Supervisor and of the post by the registrar using the ITP as a guideline. The initial meeting is held with a supervisor during the first week and then further assessments are held on at least two subsequent occasions to judge progress, provide encouragement and advice, and discuss problems and/or suggestions.

The modern children's ward is a bright friendly environment for patients and staff. The result is a congenial, stimulating department led by five hospital based consultants in addition to two community based consultants.