Our Pediatric Residency Training Program includes 89 house officers; 29 positions are available to entering PL-1's. The program offers four training options: the General Pediatrics Program with 24 PL-1 positions, the PLUS Program with 4 PL-1 positions and the Preliminary Program with 1 PL-1 position.

PLEASE SEE “Application Process” for more details about the specific application procedures for each of these training options as THEY HAVE SEPARATE ERAS APPLICATION TRACKS AND UNIQUE NRMP NUMBERS.

All options ensure experience in all major facets of pediatric practice. They share a common core curriculum of general and subspecialty-based pediatric experiences in inpatient, ambulatory, newborn, and neonatal/pediatric intensive care settings. Progressive responsibility for patient care, teaching, and interaction with other health team members is an integral part of all program options, and each program emphasizes individualized training whenever possible.

In either of the General Pediatrics or PLUS program options, residents may request for a more flexible schedule.

Within the Pediatric Residency Training Program, 4 Chief Residents share clinical and training responsibilities for all program options at all five sites. Two Chief Residents are based primarily at San Francisco General Hospital, one at UCSF Children's Hospital and one Chief Resident represents the Primary Care Program across all sites. The Chief Residents are an important source of teaching and support to the housestaff.

General Pediatrics Program

Residents in the General Pediatrics Program spend at least one half day of each week in “Continuity Clinic” and augment core rotations in the second and third years with electives, which can include subspecialty rotations, transport, experiences in community-based pediatrics or laboratory research. Residents are encouraged to take full advantage of campus and community resources by incorporating a variety of educational experiences into their curriculum.

We encourage applications to this program from applicants who have broad interests, undifferentiated interests, and interests in primary care as well as traditional academic subspecialty careers. The 24 residents in this program also enjoy the offering of a variety of optional educational pathways for those with identified special interests to explore further during residency training. These pathways allow self-identified incoming PL-1's to select a residency experience that is more tailored to their needs or interests. Please read more about our educational pathways in the General Pediatrics Program under Program Features.

PLUS Program

Inspired by the health inequities suffered by children in both the United States and around the world, as well as the urgency to train pediatricians to lead change in the health care system, the UCSF Pediatrics residency program has developed an innovative program, Pediatric Leadership for the UnderServed (PLUS). The vision of the PLUS program is to train and inspire future leaders in pediatrics to identify and address the varied issues that affect the health of underserved children. The PLUS curriculum is based on three pillars:

· Critical thinking
· Leadership
· Community engagement

These pillars create a framework for the skills, knowledge and mentorship our graduates need to build careers in research, policy, and advocacy for underserved children. To create a network of support, the PLUS residents all have continuity clinic based at San Francisco General Hospital and are clustered into advising groups with senior residents and a faculty member. PLUS-specific program details include conferences with local and national leaders in health care, core skill sessions (i.e. media training, grant writing, epidemiology), PLUS activity group meetings, mentorship with experienced faculty and community leaders, journal clubs, and leadership involvement with community organizations. The four individuals matched to PLUS each year will work together on projects and share outpatient rotations. We invite applications from individuals who are highly motivated and have experiences in underserved care (i.e. urban, international), leadership, or advocacy. The training for PLUS is fully integrated with the General Pediatric Residency Program at UCSF to include all components of clinical training to achieve the high standard of clinical care required to lead to certification in and practice of General Pediatrics.

Please see the PLUS web site for more details.

Preliminary Program

The Preliminary Program is designed to prepare residents who will eventually seek a residency in another field such as Radiology, Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, Dermatology, etc. but who want one full year of rigorous training in Pediatrics in order to get the best possible foundation for further work in these fields. These residents intend to emphasize the children’s health care aspect within their future specialty, to one degree or another.

The preliminary resident is expected to be fully integrated in all respects into the pediatric residency program at large (academically, socially and otherwise), and the yearly schedule is therefore essentially not different from General Pediatrics (categorical) residents.  Clinical experiences include proportionate time in ambulatory pediatric clinics, inpatient ward rotations, newborn medicine including the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and Emergency Department care of children.  However, residents in the Preliminary Program do not have a half day per week “Continuity Clinic”.

The selection criteria for this unique training option are not different than those used for the General Pediatrics Program; we seek individuals who are highly accomplished in academics, research, community service/altruism, leadership, education, etc.  Applicants for this program are strongly encouraged to write a separate, unique personal statement (sent through ERAS) outlining personal and professional goals as it relates to consideration for the Preliminary Program in Pediatrics.

Flexible Schedule

The residency training program offers an option for some residents to continue training at a reduced pace after the PL-1 year. Residents on the Flexible Schedule may complete the PL-2 and PL-3 years over as much as three years, accommodating other interests or priorities such as research, work or study abroad, community service, or family. Flexible schedule months must be planned as far in advance as possible (preferably before the yearly block schedule is completed in the spring), and must be mutually agreed upon by the resident, the Chief Residents and the Program Director.

Regardless of which track or pathway option suits an applicant's vision for residency training, please see more details in the Application Process section.