The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program is open to board-eligible or board-certified physicians who have completed a Pediatric or Emergency Medicine Residency. It is a three-year program designed to develop excellent clinical practitioners of pediatric emergency medicine as well as provide preparation for an academic career. Currently the fellowship is open to two fellows per year.
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is a large urban pediatric hospital, with 307 beds including pediatric intensive care, cardiac intensive care and neonatal intensive care beds. The Division of Emergency Medicine consists of more than twenty PEM physicians and provides care to over 85,000 patients per year. Overall, the Emergency Department admits approximately 10% of patients seen which accounts for 68% of all hospital admissions. The Emergency Department serves as the only freestanding Pediatric Trauma Center in Florida and provides care to over 300 critically injured children a year. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is affiliated with Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and serves as its primary site for the medical student’s rotation in pediatrics.
Program Curriculum
Fellowship training employs an integrative approach to learning with didactic lectures, bedside teaching, simulation training, research design and development and a hands on approach to patient care and management. Throughout the fellowship you will be required to present lectures during our weekly academic meetings, journal club, procedure conference, research conference, trauma conference, and resident noon conference. Upon completion of your training all fellows will receive certification in PALS and ATLS.
Our state of the art simulation lab provides each fellow the opportunity to be a leader in managing medical and trauma resuscitation. Simulations are performed weekly in the sim lab and bimonthly as in situ simulation in the emergency department involving members of the medical and trauma teams. These real life simulations are integral in learning the management and leadership skills needed to become a pediatric emergency medicine doctor.
The curriculum is divided into thirteen 4 week blocks:
Year 1
| Year 1 Rotation |
# of Blocks |
| Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Research |
8 |
| Anesthesia |
1 |
| PICU |
1 |
| General Emergency Medicine |
1 |
| Ultrasound |
1 |
| Vacation |
1 |
Year 2
| Year 2 Rotation |
# of Blocks |
| Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Research |
8 |
| Trauma |
1 |
| General Emergency Medicine |
1 |
| Toxicology |
1 |
| Transport/Child Protection Team |
1 |
| Elective |
1 |
| Vacation |
1 |
Year 3
| Year 3 Rotation |
# of Blocks |
| Pediatric Emergency Medicine/Research |
8 |
| General Emergency Medicine |
1 |
| Elective |
3 |
| Vacation |
1 |
PEM-POCUS Experience
All PEM Fellows will receive POCUS training based on the ACEP requirements and will meet the required expectations to be credentialed at their future jobs. This includes participating in a local two-day comprehensive course at the beginning of first year, a month-long rotation, longitudinal scanning shifts, and monthly education days.
Integrated PEM-POCUS Fellowship
In addition, fellows will have the opportunity to apply (in Year 1) to be selected participate in an integrated POCUS Fellowship that meets the requirements of a separate one-year fellowship integrated into their PEM fellowship. From the applicants, one fellow will be selected in each academic year to start in Year 2 of PEM fellowship to be part of the Integrated PEM-POCUS Fellowship. The integrated fellowship will have educational training to prepare the fellow to become expert in the following areas of POCUS: research, administration, and teaching. Education includes weekly scanning shifts, didactics, and Quality Analysis. The integrated fellow will gain the necessary tools by the end to graduate with “added qualifications in POCUS” to have the skills needed to become an Ultrasound Director. For further information and application infomation please reach out to our PEM-POCUS Fellowship Director, Dr. Paul Khalil (paul.khalil@nicklaushealth.org).
How to Apply
Our Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship participates in the ERAS universal application process. For more information regarding the ERAS application please visit their website at http://www.aamc.org/eras or call 202-828-0676. Applicants are required to submit their application, curriculum vitae and three letters of reference through the ERAS system. Upon receipt of all application materials, leading candidates will be invited for interviews.
The deadline for completed applications is September 1st.
Ana Maria Paez, MD (anamaria.paez@nicklaushealth.org)
Associate Program Director
Division of Emergency Medicine
Nicklaus Children's Hospital
3100 SW 62 Avenue
Miami, FL 33155
In accordance with the ACGME requirements, each training program is expected to form a Clinical Competency Committee (CCC). The program director appoints the CCC. The CCC must have at least three program core faculty (excluding the program director) who have the opportunity to observe and evaluate the residents. The CCC meets at least semi-annually to review and discuss each individual residents’ performance data and make a consensus decision on the progress of each resident by applying assessment data to the milestones. The CCC serves as an early warning system/early identification if a resident fails to progress in the educational program and make recommendations to the program director for resident progress including promotion, remediation, and dismissal. The program director meets with each resident semi-annually to review the CCC report and design an individualized learning plan for the resident. To learn more about the CCC, click here.
Below are the faculty members who serve on the CCC committee (in addition to the Program Director) for the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program:
- Marla Friedman, DO
- Karen Franco, MD
- Paul Khalil, MD
- David Lowe, MD
- Taj Madiwale, MD
- Barbara Pena, MD
- Ellie Rackovchick, MD
- Jose Vargas, MD