The requirements for an outstanding training program are clear, but not easily attained. A fertile medical school environment with a large interested, and talented faculty is essential. An extensive, diverse patient population, excellent physical facilities, and support staff providing exemplary care are required. Committed and concerned housestaff colleagues will be the house officer's most important teachers.
The training program at the Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is responsible for the care of a large group of children and adolescents from a vast geographic area. We handle issues dealt with in all major cities of the developed world, but we also deal routinely with problems that are seen commonly only outside the United States. The spectrum of disease in our patient population is truly legendary.
Supervising this care are 136 full-time, salaried faculty and more than 80 voluntary faculty physicians and scientists. We benefit from excellent programs in all major pediatric subspecialty disciplines and other departments (such as pediatric radiology, pediatric neurology, pediatric dermatology, and the full array of surgical specialties). Although we are a part of Florida's first medical school, our busy clinical facilities are modern and contain all of the latest technology.
The department's faculty currently is responsible for clinical and basic research and contracts programs funded at over $19 million per year. Investigative programs exist in infectious diseases and immunology, genetics, nephrology, neonatology, speech and hearing, cardiology, child development, pulmonary, hematology-oncology, nutrition, gastroenterology, pharmacology and critical care.
Rather than seek out students who fit a particular mold, the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center Pediatric Residency Training Program looks for students who possess certain qualities. The properties we look for in a student who is applying to our program are commitment and accomplishment. A caring and positive attitude is important in defining pediatricians for the future. We naturally draw much interest from superior Caribbean and Latin American physicians seeking further training.
Without question, this is clearly one of the most challenging and rewarding programs in the country. We ascribe a lot of responsibility to the housestaff, but we never let people get in over their heads. We rapidly assess people's ability, and we permit them to make decisions and be responsible to the full level of their abilities.
The pediatric program at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center is not for everybody. Anyone who aspires to excellence should visit us; our goals might well coincide.
R. Rodney Howell, M.D.
Chairman
Department of Pediatrics
