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Flower Career Development Block
resident and doctor In the academic year 2002-2003, the BCRP introduced an innovative new element into the curriculum for all PL-3 residents: the Career Development Block (CDB). This 3-month block is unique to the BCRP and is designed to allow residents to customize their training to attain the skills, experience and knowledge necessary to further their careers. The career development block allows dedicated time for a core seminar curriculum and individualized mentored research, education or advocacy projects.

The core curriculum, delivered in a four-hour morning session once a week, is designed to enhance and augment the knowledge gained during the first two years, and is directed towards life-long learning and skills, including critically reading the medical literature and understanding health care for children in the larger policy context. It focuses on the following specific skills:

  • Creating and applying new knowledge -- research study design, biostatistics, epidemiology, evidence-based medicine, literature searching and human subjects considerations for children.
  • Health care policy and environment -- including health care disparities, economics and funding, delivery systems, and resource allocation.
  • Molecular Medicine -- future "hot" areas of basic science research, including genetics and genomics as they are likely to impact clinical care.
  • Organization and quality of care -- including quality improvement, patient safety, and legal issues in the practice of medicine.
These sessions are led by expert faculty from both institutions and include basic and clinical researchers with interests in translational medicine, clinical and outcomes research, public policy and advocacy.

The second, and major, component of the block is protected time for residents to focus on research projects, medical education projects, community advocacy experiences, and/or more in-depth exposure to clinical experiences. Residents meet individually with faculty mentors two or more months before the start of CDB to design their projects. Senior residents have used their CDB time in a wide variety of ways to explore career alternatives, either start or complete a primary research project, or undertake a project that will round out their own training (and often contributes to the training of other residents). The diversity of CDB activities reflects the diversity of interests and career paths of our residents.

A new 2-week rotation in the PL2 year provides residents with the opportunity to work with a mentor to plan for the 3-month CDB rotation in the senior year. Residents will utilize this time to design a research project, submit the project of review by the Institutional Review Board, and select a laboratory and a mentor. Thus, senior residents will be further along in the planning process to ensure optimal productivity during their 3-month CDB Block.
View a few examples of our recent projects.
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