PGY-2 Rotations

PICU

A typical day starts with signout, followed by an educational lecture given by one of the Pediatric Critical Care attendings or fellows on topics pertinent to the PICU (i.e. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) review, status asthmaticus, bronchiolitis, ventilator settings, acute kidney injury, continuous renal replacement therapy, EMCO, and more). Following morning lecture, we round with a team consisting of a PICU attending, fellow, nurse practitioners, pediatric residents, and nurses. Our role is to present patients and develop individualized, comprehensive, systems-based plans for each. The afternoon consists of admitting patients, meeting with consultants, performing procedures, and reassessing patients. The highlights of the rotation include caring for complex, ill children in the acute settings and working closely with some of our pediatric resident colleagues. This is also a great opportunity to spend extra time with parents - fostering relationships with these families can really make a huge difference in their hospital experience. We can’t forget to mention that on any given day, you can find donuts lying around the PICU. And, when the days get really tough, there is a Ben & Jerry’s in the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital cafeteria!

Selective

During the 2nd year, all residents will create a selective in their area of interest within the field of emergency medicine. This includes but is not limited to - Sports Medicine, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, Medical Student Teaching, Health Equity, Global Emergency Medicine, Toxicology, Wilderness Medicine, Aerospace Medicine, Administrative, Informatics, Quality Improvement, Medical Education, Simulation, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Scholarly Writing, and away rotations in community sites such as a Park City Orthopedic rotation. Prior to the start of COVID-19, many residents traveled to Guyana to work alongside our Guyanese resident colleagues, providing a unique perspective regarding practicing emergency medicine in resource-limited settings. The options are endless!

Trauma

As PGY2s, we rotate on the trauma surgery service for a total of six weeks (a four week block and a two week block). We function as the “trauma junior'', similar to our role during intern year. However, now with more experience, we have the opportunity to function as leaders to guide the surgery and emergency medicine interns through the rotation. As a second year, you will not only perform procedures, but now will teach the PGY 1s. Rotating as a second year also serves as another opportunity to form working relationships with the trauma attendings and fellows. These relationships are incredibly important during trauma resuscitations in the ED, where, as the EM resident, you stand at the head of the bed in command of the airway. Developing this trust and communication is essential to patient safety and successful resuscitation.