The central tenet of the Pediatrics Residency Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is one of cultivation. We seek to provide an outstanding foundation in General Pediatrics while fostering the professional development of our trainees. 

Support from our large faculty encourages each resident to assume progressively greater levels of responsibility and to grow into leaders who inspire those around them. 

At the conclusion of their training, graduating residents have a diverse choice of career paths.

• 44 percent pursue a subspecialty fellowship
• 36 percent pursue a career in academic general pediatrics
• 20 percent pursue a career in primary care pediatrics, both academic and general practice

Develop your learning plan

After acceptance for residency training, Children’s Hospital residents begin thinking about shaping their own career and exploring the learning opportunities available to them.

Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

Each trainee completes an annual learning plan identifying strengths and challenges. The plan helps to focus skills and opportunities on the path toward professional development.

Residency Paths

While the goal of our program is to provide excellent training in General Pediatrics, we have developed an infrastructure that enables residents to tailor their experience to reflect and support their individual interests and career goals. Through robust mentorship and intentional scheduling structures that include protected time for career exploration, our program is designed to promote individualized education.

Near the conclusion of the PL1 year, residents are asked to select one of the following paths:

• Acute Care: for residents considering a career in pediatric critical care, neonatology, cardiology or pediatric emergency medicine.
• Medical subspecialty care: for residents considering a career in a medical subspecialty other than those mentioned in the acute care path (e.g., gastroenterology, pulmonary, rheumatology, endocrinology, etc.)
• Primary Care: for residents considering a career in primary (ambulatory) care in a variety of settings (e.g. urban or suburban private practice, medically underserved communities, academic centers, etc.).
• Hospital Medicine: for residents considering a career in pediatric hospital medicine.

Individualized Education Units 

Each path is associated with a menu of individualized education units (IEUs) selected to promote residents’ preparation for the next chapter in their training or career. IEUs occur both in discrete 2-to-4 week blocks and longitudinally throughout the year during a resident’s Y block. Experiences can be pre-existing or self-designed.

Learn more about the vast breadth and depth of opportunities available to physicians who choose a career in pediatrics and the strengths of CHOP’s Pediatrics Residency Program.