Overview of Program
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine, or PEM, Fellowship at the University of Florida in Gainesville offers fellows from both pediatrics and emergency medicine backgrounds a rigorous and diverse training experience. Upon completion of the 3-year PEM Fellowship (2 years if coming from Emergency Medicine), our graduates will be Pediatric Emergency physicians who excel in the management of the acutely ill and injured child and have the foundation necessary to become accomplished teachers, scholarly investigators, and skilled administrators. The Pediatric Emergency Department team has a vision of championing superior, compassionate, emergency care to all children and families in times of crisis and the PEM Fellows graduating from our program will embody these traits as they continue their journey.
UF Health Children’s hospital is the only quaternary-care academic pediatric center in North Florida which provides a robust clinical experience to the PEM fellows. This is supplemented with hands-on courses, such as the airway workshop and rare procedure workshops, in addition to an extensive simulation curriculum at our dedicated simulation center: UF Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation, as well as external rotations through affiliated departments such as the Pediatric Critical Care, Congenital Heart Center and Intensive Care Unit, Sports Medicine, to name a few.
Mission and Vision
The mission of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) Fellowship program at the University of Florida is to develop physicians that are clinically excellent in the management of the acutely ill and injured child combined with the opportunity to become accomplished teachers, knowledgeable scholarly investigators and skilled administrators. The fellowship will offer fellows from both Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine backgrounds a rigorous and diverse training experience. The mission of the University of Florida College of Medicine “strives to improve health care in Florida, our nation, and the world through excellence and consistently superior leadership in education, clinical care, discover and service”. The mission of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship program not only aligns with the mission of the medical school but enhances that mission. As a primary care field, our emergency medicine fellows will also be fulfilling a core mission of the UF College of Medicine. Fellows will spend the majority of their clinical training working in the pediatric emergency department managing the emergent health needs of children living in central Florida. University of Florida Health is a large, academic quaternary care system that strives to pioneer advances in education, research and health care delivery to a large catchment area of North Central Florida and South Georgia. Our pediatric emergency medicine fellowship program will focus on the delivery of extraordinary clinical care with an emphasis on academics and research in effort to prepare our graduates for caring for children in both academic or community environments upon their graduation. Our fellows will have the opportunity to provide clinical care and outreach education and research through the emergency department’s global health fellowship program, which has established partnerships in Haiti and West Africa. Through direct patient care, trainee education, and research activities, our fellows will be meaningful members of the pediatric emergency medicine community locally, nationally and internationally.
Goals and Purpose
Training in the University of Florida Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow Program will enable graduates to competently and compassionately deliver high quality, evidence-based medicine care for acutely ill and injured children. The fellowship curriculum is designed so that our fellows will graduate not only with the clinical experiences and knowledge base to care for pediatric emergency patients, but also the research, teaching, and administrative skills necessary to thrive in whatever environment they choose to practice in after graduation. Fellows will learn to be an effective teacher for a variety of learners, including house staff, students, nurses, pre-hospital providers, patients and their families. In addition, fellows will learn the tools needed to complete a meaningful scholarly activity, with the hopes these skills will continue to be used after fellowship to contribute to the advancement of PEM.
Clinical Objectives
- Demonstrate expert, evidence-based approach care of pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with both common and life-threatening disease processes;
- Demonstrate competence in emergency medicine procedures;
- Demonstrate the skills necessary to prioritize and manage the emergency care of multiple patients.
Research Objectives
- Acquire skills and knowledge to become an effective investigator and utilize research to improve patient care;
- Complete an individual scholarly activity project;
- Generate a written work product in accordance with the criteria for scholarly activity of the American Board of Pediatrics.
Teaching Objectives
- Acquire the skills and knowledge to become an effective educator;
- Create pediatric emergency medicine curriculum;
- Contribute to educational conferences at the local, regional, state and national levels;
- Educate medical students, residents, nurses and consultants in the clinical environment.
Administrative Objectives
- Develop familiarity with the administrative issues affecting the practice of pediatric emergency medicine;
- Participate in quality improvement project;
- Develop knowledge of risk management, policy making and day-to-day operations of a pediatric emergency medicine department.
Why Us?
UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is the #1 Children’s Hospital in Florida (U.S. News & World Report) and is in the top 5 children’s Hospital in the Southeast. With 208 beds, separate Pediatric Medical and Pediatric Cardiac ICU (Intensive Care Unit) as well as a Neonatal ICU, the children’s hospital is home to more than 20 pediatric specialties. In addition, UF Health Shands Hospital is ranked in more adult and pediatric specialties combined than any other hospital in the state. With a designated Level I Trauma Center, Burn Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center and STEMI Receiving Center, UF Health is among the Top 5 in acuity for U.S. academic institutions.
With our diverse faculty, our PEM fellows will have dedicated resources to foment their scholarly aspirations and discover where their strengths lie. They will have multiple avenues for teaching, research, and advocacy. As a PEM fellow at UF, they will directly experience a full spectrum of pediatric disease processes from low acuity ear infections to medically complex post cardiac surgery to trauma alerts.
Faculty Publications
Eligibility
This program accepted two fellows for its inaugural class beginning in the 2022 academic year. There is an additional position open to accept another fellow for the 2023 academic year. Residency training in General Pediatrics or Emergency Medicine must be from an ACGME accredited program and completed by the time of matriculation. Applicants must be board-eligible or board certified. This program does not accept J-1 Visa applicants at this time. Once a letter of offer is extended, employment will be contingent on a positive result from a criminal background screening and procurement/maintenance of a Florida Medical License.
Key Curriculum Themes
- Pediatric Cardiac ICU
- Toxicology
- Pediatric and Adult Trauma
- Sports Medicine
- Ultrasound
- Comprehensive Simulation Training with option for certification
- EMS: ground and flight
- Global Health Medicine
Salary and Benefits
2023-2024 Housestaff Annual Stipends
PGY 4 – $68,452.00
PGY 5 – $71,307.00
PGY 6 – $74,264.00
PGY 7+ – $77,043.00
Benefits
Generous stipend for academic enhancement and conference attendance/presentations.
GatorBites meal program.
15 days of paid vacation per year. 10 days of paid sick leave per year.
Fellows are employed by the University of Florida College of Medicine and are considered to be PGY4-7+ housestaff for salary and benefit purposes. Please see the Housestaff Benefits webpage for more information on insurance, retirement plan, leave policy, malpractice insurance, and additional services included.
Moonlighting opportunities within the UF Health system for both Pediatric and Emergency Medicine trained physicians as OBS Providers in the Pediatric ED (once primary boards are passed) for additional income. Emergency Medicine trained physicians may moonlight at the two freestanding EDs (Springhill and Kanapaha), as well. All moonlighting shifts are covered by malpractice insurance and sovereign immunity.
Application Process
This fellowship program participates in the NRMP Match. Applications should be submitted through ERAS (ACGME ID: 1141111001). Applications should include three letters of recommendation (one from the resident program director if currently a resident), the applicant’s CV and a personal statement (not to exceed one page). Any questions regarding applying should be directed to our fellowship program coordinator below.
Applications may only be submitted between August 1, 2022, and October 31, 2022; and Match Day will happen on November 30, 2022.
Program Faculty & Staff
Program Director
Tricia B Swan M.D., M.Ed., FAAP, FACEP
Associate Program Director
Maritza Plaza-Verduin M.D., FAAP
Other PEM Faculty
Cameron Busk M.D.
Colleen K Gutman M.D.
Carolyn K Holland M.D., M.Ed., FACEP, FAAP
Judy K Lucas M.D.
Candice A Norman M.D.
Mary D Patterson M.D., M.Ed.
Cristina M Zeretzke-Bien M.D., FAAP, FAAEM, FACEP
Fellowship Program Coordinator
Zach Mayo-Frey
Current and Incoming Fellows
- 2022-2025
Joon Choi D.O., FAAP
JC Gonzalez, Jr D.O.
- 2023-2026