Residency training at CHKD combines formalized educational sessions, curriculums, pathways, and exceptional clinical experiences with a diverse patient population spanning the breadth of pediatrics.
Since the 2021–2022 academic year, our program has used an X+Y scheduling model designed to optimize resident education while supporting balance and wellness. This structure separates experiences (X)—including Inpatient Wards, ED, NICU, PICU, Mental Health, Adolescent Medicine, Developmental Pediatrics, Community Pediatrics, Urgent Care, and the Individualized Learning Curriculum—from ambulatory and educational time (Y), which includes Continuity Clinic, Academic Half Day, Administrative Half Day, Individualized Curriculum, protected weekends, and time away from inpatient responsibilities. Residents spend no more than four consecutive weeks on inpatient (X) services, allowing for focused learning without prolonged competing demands.
This model provides protected clinic time, stronger continuity with patients and faculty, and more meaningful engagement in both clinical and educational experiences. Equally important, it offers predictability and built‑in time to recharge. Residents consistently value the clarity, flexibility, and sense of control the X+Y model provides—helping them thrive professionally while maintaining personal well‑being throughout residency.
Three weeks of annual paid vacation plus additional time around Christmas or New Year's holiday is provided.
Overview
Our first-year residents learn while on rotations in the emergency department, nurseries, neonatal intensive care unit, on inpatient teams (hospitalist, subspecialty), ambulatory pediatrics and individualized learning.
Roles of first-year residents:
- Enhance knowledge and develop skills necessary to understand, evaluate, and manage pediatric problems
- Supplement learning through conference attendance and engagement
- Differentiate between variations of illnesses and severity under senior resident and attending supervision
- Function as a primary care physician with guidance from attending advisors
Our second-year residents continue their learning in outpatient, inpatient and acute-care settings while also assisting seniors in setting an example for and guiding junior residents and students.
Roles of second-year residents:
- Develop a personalized learning curriculum guided by general pediatrics and subspecialty mentors that empowers residents to shape their clinical training
- Acquire an increased level of responsibility for patient management
- Foster teaching and team leadership abilities alongside senior residents
- Mature as a primary care physician with advisement from faculty attendings
Our third-year residents continue to pursue individualized experiences aligned with their intended career paths. Throughout this time, they return to rotate through the emergency department, pediatric intensive care unit, and inpatient wards, with a focused emphasis on quality and process improvement, teaching and mentorship, leadership development, and the delivery of high‑value, cost‑effective care.
Roles of third-year residents:
- Acquire tools to effectively advocate for the health and wellness of diverse patient populations
- Provide evidence-based care for acute and chronic conditions in all clinical settings
- Prioritize teaching, mentorship and supervision of junior residents and students
- Grow as a autonomous, proficient primary care physician in partnership with faculty attendings
Our first-year residents learn while on rotations in the emergency department, nurseries, neonatal intensive care unit, on inpatient teams (hospitalist, subspecialty), ambulatory pediatrics and individualized learning.
Roles of first-year residents:
- Enhance knowledge and develop skills necessary to understand, evaluate, and manage pediatric problems
- Supplement learning through conference attendance and engagement
- Differentiate between variations of illnesses and severity under senior resident and attending supervision
- Function as a primary care physician with guidance from attending advisors
Our second-year residents continue their learning in outpatient, inpatient and acute-care settings while also assisting seniors in setting an example for and guiding junior residents and students.
Roles of second-year residents:
- Develop a personalized learning curriculum guided by general pediatrics and subspecialty mentors that empowers residents to shape their clinical training
- Acquire an increased level of responsibility for patient management
- Foster teaching and team leadership abilities alongside senior residents
- Mature as a primary care physician with advisement from faculty attendings
Our third-year residents continue to pursue individualized experiences aligned with their intended career paths. Throughout this time, they return to rotate through the emergency department, pediatric intensive care unit, and inpatient wards, with a focused emphasis on quality and process improvement, teaching and mentorship, leadership development, and the delivery of high‑value, cost‑effective care.
Roles of third-year residents:
- Acquire tools to effectively advocate for the health and wellness of diverse patient populations
- Provide evidence-based care for acute and chronic conditions in all clinical settings
- Prioritize teaching, mentorship and supervision of junior residents and students
- Grow as a autonomous, proficient primary care physician in partnership with faculty attendings
Educational Sessions
Residents receive one daily hour of dedicated protected learning time for scheduled conferences, typically between Noon - 1 p.m. Various educational sessions occur daily, weekly, and/or monthly.
One per Y-Block, 1-5 p.m. protected
- Research curriculum
- QI Workshop
- Career Development
- Simulation and procedural training
- Root cause analysis
- Other currently relevant academic topics
- Facilitated by attendings, chief residents, residents, ward teams and guest lecturers
- Tailored using American Board of Pediatrics content specifications
- Lunch provided daily
- Noon conferences are protected time with pagers covered
- Hospital-wide multi-disciplinary conference
- Includes guest lecturers from around the world and in-house experts presenting the latest in their fields
- Small group and high-fidelity simulations to reinforce proficient and confident actions during real clinical situations
- Strengthens multidisciplinary teamwork among nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, chaplains and security
- Common simulations rehearsed include PALS, NRP, ultrasound, 10 placement, intubation, umbilical line placement, lumbar puncture, suturing, code carts and medication administration.
One per Y-Block, 1-5 p.m. protected
- Research curriculum
- QI Workshop
- Career Development
- Simulation and procedural training
- Root cause analysis
- Other currently relevant academic topics
- Facilitated by attendings, chief residents, residents, ward teams and guest lecturers
- Tailored using American Board of Pediatrics content specifications
- Lunch provided daily
- Noon conferences are protected time with pagers covered
- Hospital-wide multi-disciplinary conference
- Includes guest lecturers from around the world and in-house experts presenting the latest in their fields
- Small group and high-fidelity simulations to reinforce proficient and confident actions during real clinical situations
- Strengthens multidisciplinary teamwork among nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, chaplains and security
- Common simulations rehearsed include PALS, NRP, ultrasound, 10 placement, intubation, umbilical line placement, lumbar puncture, suturing, code carts and medication administration.
Individualized Curriculum Experiences
Our pediatric residents have opportunities to choose from a variety of rotations, both local and global, including:
- Adolescent Medicine
- Allergy and Immunology
- Anesthesia
- Cardiology
- Child Abuse Pediatrics
- Community Pediatrics
- Critical Care Medicine
- Dermatology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- General Academic Pediatrics
- Genetics
- Global Health and Medical Trips
- Hematology and Oncology
- Hospital Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Lactation
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology/EEG
- Neurosurgery
- Otolaryngology
- Palliative Care
- Pathology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Physical Medicine and Rehab
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Procedural Skills
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Research QI
- Rheumatology
- Sports Medicine
- Simulation Lab
- Sleep Medicine
- Urgent Care
- Vascular Access
Rotations
Our program offers residents excellent learning experiences and clinical exposure spanning the breadth of pediatric medicine within a single facility dedicated solely to children.
Each resident will spend time in their 'Y' block at the first floor General Academic Pediatrics continuity clinic. This opportunity allows residents to develop relationships with patients and families throughout their residency. Residents participate in simulated patient/family scenarios with their attendings and hone their teaching skills through medical student instruction.
Additional blocks of outpatient general pediatrics are scheduled to provide residents with a deeper understanding of the practice of general pediatrics. There are ample opportunities to rotate in local practices where over 70% of community pediatricians are graduates of our program.
- Hospital Medicine
- Third year senior / 2-3 interns and one APP per team
- Subspecialty (Cardiology, Neurology, Endocrinology, GI)
- Two (2) third year seniors / four (4) interns
- Hematology/ Oncology
- Two (2) second year seniors and one (1) third year (Nights)
Residents rotate through the nursery within Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. This component of our program gives residents experience in supporting families with new infants. Residents participate in all aspects of routine newborn care in the Level 1 nursery.
Nursery statistics:
- Nursery beds: 25+
- Annual deliveries: ~5,000
- >50% "high-risk" deliveries
- Regional perinatal referral center
CHKD's Emergency Department receives over 50,000 annual visits and is home to the region's first and only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. This affords residents quality learning and skill development opportunities in treating children with acute illnesses and injuries.
Common critical care, minor care, and procedural care interventions performed by our residents in the ED:
- Resuscitations
- Ultrasound
- Pediatric trauma
- Lumbar punctures
- Intubations
- Incisions and drainage
- Suturing
- IV access
- Splinting
This resident-focused educational experience offers:
- The opportunity to do procedures starting as an intern, including:
- Umbilical catheterization
- Lumbar punctures
- Intubations
- Chest tubes
- Team rounding with a nutritionist, pharmacist and social worker to provide the best comprehensive care for patients
- Mentorship with attendings
- Close relationships with patients and families
- Sentara Level 3 NICU: 60 beds
- CHKD Level 4 NICU: 70 beds
The 26-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit educates residents from EVMS Pediatrics at CHKD, Portsmouth Naval Medical Center Pediatrics, EVMS Emergency Medicine and CHKD Pediatric Emergency Medicine program.
This rotation gives residents the chance to perform procedures including:
- Placing central lines and chest tubes
- Intubating with the 24/7 in-house intensivists
Care for patients after complex surgeries including:
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Neurosurgery
- Renal transplant patients
Observe general and subspecialty surgical patients, treating intricate subspecialty patients, work alongside attendings, nurses and RTs, collaborate with a specialized PICU pharmacist and complete rounds as a team.
Each resident will spend time in their 'Y' block at the first floor General Academic Pediatrics continuity clinic. This opportunity allows residents to develop relationships with patients and families throughout their residency. Residents participate in simulated patient/family scenarios with their attendings and hone their teaching skills through medical student instruction.
Additional blocks of outpatient general pediatrics are scheduled to provide residents with a deeper understanding of the practice of general pediatrics. There are ample opportunities to rotate in local practices where over 70% of community pediatricians are graduates of our program.
- Hospital Medicine
- Third year senior / 2-3 interns and one APP per team
- Subspecialty (Cardiology, Neurology, Endocrinology, GI)
- Two (2) third year seniors / four (4) interns
- Hematology/ Oncology
- Two (2) second year seniors and one (1) third year (Nights)
Residents rotate through the nursery within Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. This component of our program gives residents experience in supporting families with new infants. Residents participate in all aspects of routine newborn care in the Level 1 nursery.
Nursery statistics:
- Nursery beds: 25+
- Annual deliveries: ~5,000
- >50% "high-risk" deliveries
- Regional perinatal referral center
CHKD's Emergency Department receives over 50,000 annual visits and is home to the region's first and only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. This affords residents quality learning and skill development opportunities in treating children with acute illnesses and injuries.
Common critical care, minor care, and procedural care interventions performed by our residents in the ED:
- Resuscitations
- Ultrasound
- Pediatric trauma
- Lumbar punctures
- Intubations
- Incisions and drainage
- Suturing
- IV access
- Splinting
This resident-focused educational experience offers:
- The opportunity to do procedures starting as an intern, including:
- Umbilical catheterization
- Lumbar punctures
- Intubations
- Chest tubes
- Team rounding with a nutritionist, pharmacist and social worker to provide the best comprehensive care for patients
- Mentorship with attendings
- Close relationships with patients and families
- Sentara Level 3 NICU: 60 beds
- CHKD Level 4 NICU: 70 beds
The 26-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit educates residents from EVMS Pediatrics at CHKD, Portsmouth Naval Medical Center Pediatrics, EVMS Emergency Medicine and CHKD Pediatric Emergency Medicine program.
This rotation gives residents the chance to perform procedures including:
- Placing central lines and chest tubes
- Intubating with the 24/7 in-house intensivists
Care for patients after complex surgeries including:
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
- Neurosurgery
- Renal transplant patients
Observe general and subspecialty surgical patients, treating intricate subspecialty patients, work alongside attendings, nurses and RTs, collaborate with a specialized PICU pharmacist and complete rounds as a team.
