For the most part you receive the same inpatient training as categorical residents. During the course of three years, you will have one less month of inpatient pediatrics, but the same amount of time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department and electives. The major difference in the training lies in what you do during your ambulatory months. As part of the LAUnCH track, you will be assigned to continuity clinic at an under-resourced community site with a mentor who is interested in community pediatrics. You will also have specific outpatient rotations designed for you, such as Introduction to Community Building Blocks, time at Children’s Health Center at THEARC and on the mobile medical vans, a rotation through Children’s Child and Adolescent Protection Center, a block at the Child Health Advocacy Institute and a health policy elective (see Our Curriculum).
Many applicants ask about the difference between the Primary Care Track (PCT) and the Leadership in Advocacy, Under-resourced Communities and Health equity (LAUnCH) Track. The PCT provides an opportunity to learn in one setting during a concentrated period of time, thereby becoming an integral part of a working pediatric practice. PCT residents spend five blocks of time in both their second and third year working closely with office staff and seeing patients side-by-side with the attendings, to gain in-depth exposure to daily primary care pediatric practice. The LAUnCH tracks main focus is on advocacy, public health and serving under-resourced populations. Therefore, LAUnCH residents will spend outpatient time learning about public health techniques used to identify and address community health needs, becoming a physician advocate and how to address health inequities.