From the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Recommended Curriculum Guidelines
Attitudes
The resident should develop attitudes that encompass:
- The empathic concern for the health of the child in the context of the family
- The importance of continuity of and access to care for prevention of illness
- The promotion of health lifestyles in children and families
- The awareness of the unique vulnerabilities of infants and children that may require special attention, consultation and/or referral
- The impact of social, cultural and environmental factors that will affect the health and well-being of infants and children
- The important of educating the public about environmental factors that can adversely affect children and about development of community programs that promote the health of children
- Important of obtaining information about school performance and learning disabilities
Knowledge
- Fetal and Neonatal period
- Risk factors determined by gestational age assessment
- Effects of labor and delivery on the infant
- Adaptations to extrauterine life
- Diagnosis and role-appropriate management of:
- Meconium-stained amniotic fluid
- Perinatal asphyxia
- Respiratory distress
- Cyanosis
- Apnea
- Seizures
- Hypoglycemia
- Evaluations of possible sepsis
- Developmental dysplasia of the hip
- Birth-related injuries
- Anemia
- Rh and blood type incompatibility
- Polycythemia
- Jaundice
- Premature and Post-date gestations
- Maternal infections (HIV, Hepatitis, etc.)
- Well newborn and child care
- Recommended schedule and content for examinations from birth to adolescence years of age
- Anticipatory guidance appropriate to age and developmental stage
- Circumcision
- Feeding options and variations
- Temperament and behavior
- Developmental stages and milestones
- Developmental screening tests
- Family and social relationships
- Effective parenting
- School readiness
- Physical growth
- Feeding
- Growth and caloric requirements
- Normal growth and variants including Dental development
- Prevention and Screening
- Sudden infant death syndrome
- Psychological disorders
- Recognize families at high risk for parent-child interaction or psychiatric problems
- Evaluation, treatment and referrals for:
- Feeding and elimination problems – Enuresis and Constipation/encopresis
- Eating disorders
- Somatic and Sleep disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorders
- Mood disorders
- Hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive behaviors
- Conduct disorders
- Social and Ethical issues
- Genetics
- Screening issues, Metabolic disorders and Newborn screening
- Appropriate referral for necessary genetic diagnosis and counseling
- Developmental disabilities
Medical problems of infants and children: recognition, management and appropriate referrals
- Allergic
- Inflammatory
- Renal/urologic
- Endocrine/metabolic and Nutritional problems
- Neurologic problems
- Common skin
- Musculoskeletal
- Gastrointestinal
- Cardiovascular
- Respiratory tract – Pulmonary and Otolaryngology
- Ear
- Eye
- Other serious infections
Skills
See also Critical Care, Emergency Medicine and Neonatology for commonly performed procedures.
- Assign APGAR scores accurately
- Resuscitation of newborns, infants and children
- Perform and document age-appropriate history and physical examination, including use of growth charts
- Administer and interpret developmental screening tests
- Perform appropriate history and physical examination for physical or sexual abuse
- Interpret behavior questionnaires for parent/teacher assessment of attention/deficit problems
- Interpret hearing and vision screening tests
- Perform and interpret pneumatic otoscopy and tympanograms
- Bladder catheterization and suprapubic aspiration
- Vascular access, emergency and elective
- Perform lumbar puncture
- Calculate maintenance and replacement fluid and electrolyte requirements
- Coordinate patient care and specialty services when required
Pediatric Education 