Quality Improvement Projects

Residents are introduced to quality improvement, research, statistics, evidence-based medicine and their basic concepts in the first year of training with multiple faculty-led lectures.  Resident participation in quality improvement is mandatory.  Towards the end of the first year of training, residents choose one of many established hospital-based projects, or they create a new QI project with the help of faculty mentors and medical education.  Follow through on the project using the PDSA method begins toward the end of the first year and is completed by the end of the third year of residency with at least two completed PDSA cycles.  Many of the QI projects residents partake in get accepted to and presented at local and national conferences in addition to getting approved for future ABP MOC (Maintenance of Certification) credit to be used when residents graduate and become board certified.

2024-2025 QI Projects

2025 FCAAP group photo

Research Projects

Residents are encouraged to participate in research projects, present abstracts, and publish manuscripts during their training program. The Nicklaus Children's Research Institute provides the infrastructure and services necessary for the hospital's clinical and translational research activities. While Nicklaus Children's Hospital is devoted to healing young patients, it is also working to make the future brighter for children with medical problems.

Clinical research studies, which test new diagnostic procedures, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biologics and interventional procedures, as well as outcomes research are conducted by the Nicklaus Children's Research Institute. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is also a full member of the Children's Oncology Group, a federally-funded consortium of pediatric hospitals and pediatric departments conducting a large array of clinical research studies to advance treatment of childhood cancers.

2025 Scholarship Week Presentations
2023 FCAAP Group photo 02

Research Elective

Residents may also request 2-week research rotation as one of their individualized electives in the PL2 or PL3 years of training. This allows a resident protected time to conduct data collection and analysis, to prepare manuscripts and/or abstracts for submission and presentation, or additional opportunities under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Each resident will have individual goals to achieve at the end of this rotation in alignment with the scholarly projects they are working on which are subject to approval by their research mentor and the program director.