Education and Training > FAQs/Residency Programs

Frequently Asked Questions about the Pediatric Residency Program (Answered by the Residents)

How does night float work?  
There are night float residents on all inpatient teams. From Sunday-Thursday night, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., the PL-1 and a supervising PL-2 or PL-3 will handle admissions and all floor issues. As the night float resident, you will sign out at 6:30 a.m., present all new patients during work rounds, attend "chief rounds," and leave by 8:30 a.m.   

How many "Golden Weekends" do you have?
Our chief residents try to arrange schedules so that each resident will get two free weekends per month on average.  

How much Q4 call do you have?
The ICU and NICU rotations use a q4 schedule. You will work one to two months of NICU as an intern and two months as a second year resident and about one month of ICU per year. (The total ICU plus NICU never exceeds six months in three years.)  

How many months of floors do you work as an intern?
Each intern will spend four to five months on the inpatient services.  

Are 28 residents per class too much, too little or just right?
Obviously we are going to say "just right.” Having 28 residents per class is more than most programs, but not overwhelming; you'll get to know everyone relatively quickly.  Some benefits of having a large class are more flexible scheduling and having a great opportunity to meet new people.

What is the ancillary staff like?
There is an IV team available 24 hours on most days, and a phlebotomy team that performs two scheduled blood draws daily. Transport techs are available to take patients and laboratory specimens to and from various hospital locations. Our child life specialists are hugely important in making the hospital experience more pleasant for our patients by providing preparation and distraction for painful procedures, company when they are homesick, and games and activities when they are bored.  

How flexible is scheduling?
The chief residents are extremely conscientious about making the call schedules as accommodating as possible, with vacation requests as their first priority.  On occasion, if your schedule does not look as you had hoped; our large class size is helpful in this case since it is relatively easy to find another resident to switch with you.  

How many electives are you allotted?
A total of six to eight months, during the final two years of residency and one during intern year. During each of these final two years you are provided with one call free month that can be used to pursue international experiences or electives at other institutions.  

How does the Jeopardy System work?
Everyday there are one to two residents per class on who are on 'back-up' call in case an emergency prevents one of your colleagues from being at work.  While it is rare that the jeopardy residents are called in, the jeopardy resident should be available to work within one to two hours notice.  If called in, the next day’s schedule may need to be adjusted by the chiefs.

How many NICU months do you work?
Approximately three to four months. During the first year, your NICU experience may take place at Hahnemann University Hospital’s a Level III NICU with 22 beds and a busy Labor & Delivery service, or at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, a Level IIIC NICU with 30 beds and ECMO capabilities, which serves as a regional referral center for critically ill neonates, especially those with surgical issues.  

Can you start or expand a family during residency?
While pregnancy and starting a family during residency can be challenging, we are about children and we will do whatever we can to accommodate your needs.  In compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, we provide up to 12 weeks of leave for this purpose. Expecting residents should speak with the chief residents and Drs. McGregor and Spector (our program directors) as early as possible to arrange schedule changes and leave time.  

What is the transition from medical school to residency like?
The transition from medical student to intern will be difficult wherever you go. Your free time is limited, you may feel inadequate, and people will expect you to know things that you don't. We try to ease this transition by providing an environment in which it is safe to ask any and all questions. Everyone, including the residents, attendings, and even the nursing staff know to look out for the new interns and to be as helpful as possible.  

Tell me about the faculty.
Our faculty is phenomenal. They are highly trained, approachable, effective teachers and excellent role models.  

What types of research opportunities are available to residents?
While our Infectious Disease, Neonatology, and Endocrinology departments have received the most notoriety for their work, there are a variety of topics actively being researched by all of our departments.  Our residents have published articles in general and subspecialty journals as well as review journals such as Pediatrics in Review. Typically six to eight residents per year present their works at various national conferences.  

What do your residents do upon completion of residency?
Depending on the year, approximately one-half to two-thirds of our residents go into private practice while the rest go on to some of the most sought-after fellowship positions in the country.  

Does St. Christopher's have any religious affiliation?
No, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is a non-sectarian institution. Dr. McGregor (our program director) likes to tell the story of how we received our name during interview day, so we will not spoil that for him.  Suffice it to say that we have no religious affiliation.  

How do you like living in Philadelphia?
A wide array of excellent restaurants, arts and theatre, exciting night-life, beautiful parks, and of course great sports teams (or at least their efforts are great), make Philadelphia a wonderful place to live and work. There are plenty of housing options both in the downtown area and in the surrounding suburbs, all of which are within minutes of the hospital. Even better, Philadelphia is perhaps the only large east coast city where you can live comfortably on a resident salary!  

What is your patient population like?   
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children is located in North Philadelphia and serves an inner-city patient population. The majority of our resident practice and emergency room patients are Latino and African-American. Because we serve as a referral center for the entire Delaware Valley and the surrounding suburbs we also see patients from other demographic groups.    

Do the residents hang out together outside of work?
Yes...and often! We get together in both small and large groups for happy hours, birthday dinners, dancing, New Year's celebrations, etc. Our social committee is responsible for organizing large-scale events such as winter and spring dinner dances.    

What is the best part about St. Chris?
Everyone who is asked this question will respond with one of two answers: "The people" or "the friendly atmosphere." When we say "the people," we mean the residents, the faculty, and the hospital staff. There is a feeling around here that you have to experience for yourself to understand. People will smile at you for no reason!

As one resident put it, “It's almost like being at ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came...cheesy, but true.” Furthermore, many of our faculty trained at St. Christopher’s and returned after fellowship training at other institutions. This emphasizes the fact that the more time you spend here, the more you'll want to become a part of the St. Chris family.