M-2 year
Medical students arrive at the Rockford site in their second year of medical training. During this pre-clinical year, several pediatric department faculty members lecture in microbiology, pathology, pathophysiology and clinical medicine. Pediatric faculty members volunteer as instructors in this course and contribute regularly to the instruction of second year students through lectures, demonstration of the pediatric physical exam and discussion of well child care. Department members also participate in the Interdisciplinary Case Problems Conference for the M2 students.

M-3 year
The department has a major teaching commitment to third year medical students during an eight week required clerkship held at SwedishAmerican Hospital and at other sites. The curriculum is in compliance with national published guidelines for general pediatric clerkships from the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics. In 1997, the clerkship was reviewed and commended by the Rockford site's committee on instruction and appraisal.

The clerkship is divided into inpatient- and outpatient-based rotations. Students spend four weeks as clerks assigned to the pediatric ward at SwedishAmerican Hospital. Under the supervision of the family practice residents and the private attending physicians, students receive active, hands-on experience and assume direct patient contact. SwedishAmerican's role as a referral center for northwest Illinois gives students exposure to many complicated and difficult pediatric cases. During the inpatient portion of the clerkship, students will take overnight call once every four nights. Regular didactic teaching rounds are held daily. Local faculty also provide a series of lectures held one afternoon each week, and there is a weekly pediatric Grand Rounds conference featuring pediatric scholars from across the country.

The outpatient portion of the clerkship is divided into four week long segments. One week is spent in the newborn nursery at SwedishAmerican. Students work with a family practice resident and attending pediatricians to care for normal newborns. Students may also care for newborns needing prolonged ventilatory support and NICU level care. One week is spent in the office of one of the faculty members, gaining exposure to the world of office-based pediatric practice. For the remainder of the clerkship, each student chooses two subspecialties from among the following: pediatric cardiology, hematology-oncology, pulmonary, gastroenterology, neurology or critical care. Students spend one week in each subspecialty, attending clinics, surgery, procedures and inpatient rounds with faculty subspecialists.

M-4 year
In their senior year, students can choose 2 or 4 week-long electives from among many subspecialties, including the following: ambulatory pediatrics, NICU, infant apnea, gastroenterology, neurology, cardiology, pulmonology and hematology-oncology. Occasionally, students arrange special electives with other pediatric faculty members as well. Many students rely on faculty for help and advice in arranging pediatric electives outside of Rockford at other pediatric facilities throughout the country. In recent graduating classes, nearly one-third of the graduates have chosen pediatric careers. Rockford graduates have been able to obtain prestigious and competitive residency positions.

The College of Medicine's Family Practice Residency program has an important pediatric teaching component. First year residents spend two months on inpatient pediatrics on the ward at SwedishAmerican and one month in the nursery. During this time, they actively participate in the inpatient service, supervise and instruct third year medical students on the service and learn the basics of inpatient pediatric care. Resident-focused teaching rounds are held twice each week, and residents are encouraged to attend all medical student teaching activities as their schedules allow. Residents take admitting calls every fourth night while on pediatrics. One month in the first year of the residency is spent at the UIC University Women's and Children's Health Center where ambulatory pediatrics is the focus. In the second year, residents spend one month in the newborn nursery, where they work closely with a neonatologist and participate in high risk deliveries and resuscitation. They also spend one month on Ambulatory Peds in the second year and one month as the supervising resident on inpatient pediatrics. For third year residents, pediatric subspecialty electives are available.

Continuing Medical Education
The department holds weekly pediatric grand rounds where local physicians can obtain category 1 CME credit for attendance and participation. Featured speakers have included local subspecialists and faculty members, nationally renowned pediatric researchers and specialists and several international speakers. All students, residents, community physicians and health care professionals are invited to attend these rounds, held at SwedishAmerican Hospital at 8am each Friday throughout the year.