Pediatrics

Welcome to the Pediatric Residency Program at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia.

Our Pediatric Residency Program was started in 1996 to help meet the primary healthcare needs of children in coastal and southeast Georgia. Since then, the program has grown to 24 residents. There are more than 200 pediatricians practicing in the region and Memorial is constructing southeast Georgia’s first and only freestanding children’s hospital - the Memorial Health Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children’s Hospital of Savannah.

Our program provides empathetic pediatricians with a strong foundation in general pediatric medicine and the skills to recognize community needs and psychosocial determinants of health. More than 80 percent of our program graduates practice as pediatric generalists; including general outpatient pediatricians, newborn and inpatient hospitalists, pediatric emergency medicine physicians, and pediatric and neonatal intensivists. As the region’s only academic medical center, Memorial Health University Medical Center offers comprehensive training and exposure to evidence-based care and children with diverse medical needs. Our graduates are well-prepared for future pursuits in either academic or community medicine. Candidates with special interests in rural and underserved populations are encouraged to apply.

Complementary to robust clinical training at Memorial Health, the city of Savannah offers a unique and vibrant environment in which residents can enjoy work-life balance. Known as the “Hostess City of the South,” Savannah offers a great coastal lifestyle, dozens of restaurants and museums, and one of the largest historical districts in the country.

Memorial serves as a regional academic medical center rooted in its mission to care for our community. Thank you for your interest in our program. We look forward to working with you to advocate and care for the children of Georgia and beyond.

Sincerely,
Alison E. Niebanck, M.D.
Pediatric Program Director
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Mercer University School of Medicine

For more information, please contact our residency program coordinator, Deborah T. Chapman , at (912) 350-8193 or by email

Mission Statement

The Memorial Health University Medical Center Pediatrics Residency Program’s mission is to develop the next generation of physicians and physician leaders. As a part of HCA Healthcare, we are driven by a single mission: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.

This program is designed to offer residents a rewarding, educational environment where residents are provided individualized learning opportunities by faculty and staff who support and sustain one another throughout quality care delivery. Our faculty are committed to ensuring the residents' clinical experience and educational needs are fulfilled while expanding residents’ perspectives to be inclusive of cultures, values, and ideals.

Program Overview

The Pediatric Residency Program at the Memorial Health Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children's Hospital of Savannah provides a strong foundation in general pediatrics and community medicine.

Program highlights include:

• The only children’s hospital in southeast Georgia; it includes a Level 1 trauma center, pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric emergency department, and Level III neonatal intensive care nursery
• 73,000 outpatient visits per year, including outpatient/emergency department/subspecialist visits; 4,700 children's hospital admissions; and 2,900 deliveries
• Exposure to a vast array of diagnoses ranging from common conditions to the more rare and complex
• A large catchment area that provides exposure to both urban and rural patient populations
• A collegial and welcoming group of residents who support one another during residency
• Off-campus rotations within the Savannah community at both subspecialists' and general pediatricians' offices
• Strong training in patient safety and quality improvement through our systemwide graduate medical education initiatives
• Dedicated clinical faculty committed not only to medical education, but also to the community and children with special health needs
• A training area that effortlessly supports work-life balance with ready access to the beach, water sports, vibrant nightlife, and an ever-growing arts and culinary community

Call Schedule

On-Call and Night Shifts

Our pediatric residency program complies with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements for resident work hours. All call is in-house with varying responsibility, depending on the rotation and year of training.

On any night there is at least one intern and one senior resident (PGY2 or PGY3) in-house. Attending support is available from critical care, pediatric faculty, and subspecialty attendings.

During the first year, interns have seven weeks of night shift. The night shift intern admits patients to the pediatric ward for the general pediatric service and for subspecialists. The intern also responds to acute issues for pediatric ward patients. The intern has direct supervision from a third-year supervising night shift resident.

Upper level (PGY2 and PGY3) call is primarily night shift. Residents rotate on night shift in the pediatric intensive care unit for six weeks during PGY2 and rotate as the inpatient night shift supervisor for six weeks during PGY3.

The PGY2 night shift resident admits all patients to the pediatric intensive care unit and responds to acute issues in the unit.

The PGY3 night shift supervisor evaluates all patients admitted by the night shift intern and provides support and supervision. Night shift hours are 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Sunday through Thursday.

Upper-level residents take weekend call either

• Friday, 5:00pm – 6:30am and Sunday, 7:00am – 5:00pm
• Saturday, 6:30am, to Sunday, 7:00am

Upper levels have an average of 13 calls per year.

Salary

$950 for on‐call meals will be allotted to each resident.

New residents and fellows receive up to $500 for orientation (if it takes place before the official employment date).