A Welcome from the Department Chair

Dear Applicant,

On behalf of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Pediatrics, I extend to you a warm welcome from our pediatric residency program.

Our mission is to prepare our residents to excel in the practice of pediatric medicine. We seek to empower you to make sound medical assessments and decisions using the knowledge, technical skills, and reasoning abilities acquired through our training. We will offer you opportunities to develop leadership skills, to be advocates for young people, and to provide high-quality medical care for the children of Southern Nevada and the surrounding community. You will become teachers of tomorrow for your patients and their families and for your fellow pediatricians and health care providers. You will take the initiative to produce innovative ideas in programs and research. You will benefit from the diversity and inclusivity that touches every aspect of our curriculum, residency, faculty and patient population. We will provide you with unique experiences, which will prepare you for the career path you seek.

You will have the opportunity to work in two excellent teaching institutions, Sunrise Children’s Hospital and UMC Children’s Hospital of Southern Nevada. You will see patients in the emergency departments of both hospitals, as well as inpatients on the pediatric wards, nursery, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Outpatient care is provided at the UNLV Health Pediatric Clinic where you will work with our academic general pediatricians as well as our pediatric subspecialists. They are distinguished leaders in their respective fields and will be your mentors to help guide you along your path. It is vitally important to us that you excel and fully develop relationships with the faculty who will provide clinical experience and teaching and foster research.

Las Vegas is one of the world’s most exciting cities. It is dynamic and futuristic, and there is something new and exciting to do every day. Those who love to run, hike, or do any outdoor activities can do so in Red Rock Canyon. Several scenic and truly spectacular national parks are nearby and easily accessible. We are one of the sunniest cities in the country, with well over 300 days of sunshine annually. If you like winter sports, you can find them at Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon, both a quick 40-minute drive from downtown. Our city boasts several professional sports teams, including our beloved 2023 Stanley Cup winners — NHL Golden Knights hockey team, the NFL Raiders football team, the WNBA national champion Aces women’s basketball team, and the triple-A Las Vegas Aviators baseball team, housed in a beautiful new stadium in Summerlin. In addition, there is the opportunity to watch high-level, Division I college sports at UNLV, as well as to partake of great golf, terrific tennis, biking trails galore, boating on Lake Mead, and so much more.

Our shopping and restaurants are second to none. In addition to the varied entertainment to be found on the world-famous Strip, the Smith Center provides every form of artistic endeavor, from concerts by our renowned philharmonic orchestra, to dance, jazz, opera, and the best Broadway shows. Residents can mingle with locals in our burgeoning and youthful dining, arts, entertainment, and music scene in the Arts District downtown, or can become immersed in a wonderland of art, music, and amusement at the otherworldly AREA15 attraction.

Our new state-of-the-art Kirk Kerkorian Medical Education Building has recently opened, and the medical district within which the school is located continues to modernize and expand to serve the growing population. It is an exciting time at UNLV and in our city of Las Vegas. We are extremely positive about what the future will bring to our university and to our city. We hope to hear from you, and we welcome you into our family as future guardians and advocates for our children in Las Vegas.

All the best,

David Di John, MD
Interim Chair, Department of Pediatrics

Curriculum

The focus of the first year (PL-1) is to differentiate between well, ill-appearing, and critically ill children. Four months of the year are spent in the inpatient setting divided between the two children’s hospitals. Additional time (two months) is spent learning about newborns both in the well-baby unit and in the neonatal intensive care unit. This is supplemented with a block each of adolescent medicine, emergency medicine, and endocrinology. The year is rounded out with two blocks each of outpatient and two subspecialties of choice.

The second year (PL-2) lets the residents begin to take on leadership roles in the inpatient setting, as they are now tasked with leading the team for three blocks divided between the two children’s hospitals. The residents will also be required to spend one block each divided between the outpatient setting, the intensive care unit, the emergency department, the community, and on developmental and behavioral pediatrics. The remaining blocks can be utilized to help each resident explore various areas of pediatrics that they believe will be helpful in their future and tailor their schedule to meet their needs.

The final year (PL-3) encourages residents to take ownership of their experience and develop a curriculum that meets both their educational needs as well as their career goals. Opportunities for electives and completing their individualized curricula are the primary emphasis. However, residents also spend time as the inpatient senior for two blocks, one at each children's hospital, two blocks in the intensive care units (both general and neonatal) and a block each in the emergency department and the outpatient clinic.

Throughout all three years of the curriculum, residents attend their continuity clinic at the UNLV Health Pediatric Clinic. Accompanying the continuity clinic experience is a well-organized curriculum that rotates and repeats over the course of the residents’ training. During years one and two, all residents are required to see general pediatric patients at the UNLV Health Pediatric Clinic. However, if residents are pursuing subspecialty training and they wish to have a continuity experience in their subspecialty, they are able to arrange an outpatient longitudinal clinic in that venue. Advanced planning is required.

All residents participate in a quality improvement (QI) curriculum and are required to complete a QI project either individually or in a team/group. In addition, all residents are required to complete a scholarly project. They have the opportunity to select from a menu of options that includes but is not limited to case reports, research, or academic grand rounds. Publications and/or presentations at local, regional, or national meetings satisfy the requirement. In the years since the projects have become required, there have been approximately 30 resident presentations/publications each year.

Block Schedule

Why Come to Las Vegas for Residency?

Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation and provides opportunities for different activities you might be interested in, both indoor and outdoor. If you love activities such as shopping, concerts, shows, hiking, bowling, sports, boating, or anything else it can all be found here in the city. Not only does it provide you with diverse opportunities, it allows you to work with a diverse population from a clinical standpoint. Our patients come from all over the world as tourists, immigrants, or refugees and speak multiple different languages. We pride ourselves in the multiple clinical opportunities, but also in the different cultures we serve. Las Vegas will give you a well-developed training environment while allowing you to blossom as a physician and an individual. Joining the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV is one of the main highlights of our program. Clinical and research opportunities will expand greatly, providing us with the avenue to impact our community further.