Graduate Medical Education

About the Graduate Medical Education Program

The Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME) provides institutional oversight and support for all residency and fellowship programs. We are responsible for ensuring continued accreditation of CHLA as a sponsoring institution of GME by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). We ensure that programs are compliant with the common, institutional and program-specific requirements.

Superior Training Setting

Our hospital has become a global resource for pediatric clinical care, research and teaching.

• Top 10 Children's Hospital
• Programs and Services
• World-Renowned Patient Care
• Diverse Patient Population and Staff
• Diversity and Inclusion Mentoring Program

CHLA’s Mission and Values

Mission

We create hope and build healthier futures.

Values

• We achieve our best together.
• We are hopeful and compassionate.
• We are learners leading transformation.
• We are stewards of the lives and resources entrusted to us.
• We serve with great care.

Our Programs

Pediatric Residency  
Child Neurology Residency Training Program  
Clinical Fellowships  
Diversity and Inclusion Committee

Benefits

Health Care Plan

For the duration of your house staff appointment, a hospital and surgical benefits plan will be provided for you and your immediate dependents based on the Hospital policy HR-58.1. It is necessary to select and enroll in the plan of your choice before coverage is effective (please contact the Employee Benefits Office). Upon termination of your appointment, you may continue the plan based upon terms determined by the plan by contacting Employee Benefits Office prior to termination of your appointment and making the appropriate financial arrangements.

Liability Insurance

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will provide professional liability coverage (malpractice) at no cost to you. This coverage is in effect when acting within the capacity and scope of duties related to the CHLA Training Program only.

Vacation

You will be provided fourteen (14) weekdays of paid vacation, per academic year.

California Protected Sick Leave

Physicians in Training shall be provided six (6) days of paid sick leave as provided by applicable State law and/or local ordinance. Paid sick leave can be used for personal time and kin care as well as personal illness and/or any other purpose provided by applicable State law and/or local ordinance. CHLA’s Sick Leave policy is not otherwise applicable to Physician in Training.

Active Participation Requirements and Leave Length

The American Board of Medical Subspecialties requires that Physicians in Training complete a specified number of months of active participation in a Training Program to qualify for Board Eligibility and Certification. Depending on leave length, a Physician in Training may need to extend their training period to satisfy requisite requirements. Waiving training time is at the discretion of the Program Director and should not be considered until the final 3 months of training to ensure there is ample opportunity to observe the trainee’s competencies in all domains. Physicians in Training should refer to the ABP for additional information about absences from training and consult with their Program Director.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that programs provide Physicians in training a minimum of six weeks of approved medical, parental and caregiver leave of absence for qualifying reasons consistent with applicable laws at least once and at any time during an ACGME‐accredited program, starting the day the Physician in training is required to report. The first six weeks of the first approved medical, parental or caregiver leave of absence taken will be fully paid.

Pregnancy-Disability Leave

Physicians in Training will be allowed up to eight (8) weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave (see HR Policy 24). The hospital will provide Physicians in Training up to 8 weeks of paid pregnancy disability leave.

Other Leave

Physician in Training may be eligible for other leaves under statute or law, such as CFRA/FMLA leave (see HR Policy 24). Please note the American Board of Medical Subspecialties requires that Physicians in Training complete a specified number of months of active participation in a training program to qualify for Board Eligibility and Certification. Therefore, a Physician in Training may need to extend their training period to satisfy that requirement. Additional leave as provided by statute and/or law will be provided upon request; however, the use of such leave may require an extension of the training period.

Continuation of Stipend in the Event of Disabling Non-Work-Related Illness or Injury

After the first 6 weeks of paid medical leave, you will need to follow the process outlined in CHLA policy HR-24.0. (This section does not apply to pregnancy disability leave, which is covered in another section above.)

As this plan is to provide stipend protection in the event of a non-work-related, disabling personal illness or injury, no payment will be made for unused stipends discussed in this section; in other words, the six weeks is not accrued and will not be paid out if unused.

If the non-work-related illness or injury causing inability to participate in the training program extends beyond six weeks in the academic year, your stipend will be continued at ⅔ of the full amount for the remainder of the academic year as previously defined in this Agreement. It will then cease at the end of the contractual period.

This payment will not exceed ⅔ of your regular stipend amount inclusive of all sources of income (e.g., State Disability Insurance, Short Term Disability insurance, etc.).

Extended absences may have a bearing on determination of eligibility to receive a certificate indicating satisfactory completion of the requirements of the training program, but such determination will not be affected by whether or not the stipend continues during such period of absence.

Core Curriculum

2023 Spring Semester (click to enlarge) 

2022 Fall Semester (click to enlarge) 

Wellness

“Well-Being In the current health care environment, residents and faculty members are at increased risk for burnout and depression. Psychological, emotional, and physical well-being are critical in the development of the competent, caring, and resilient physician. Self-care is an important component of professionalism; it is also a skill that must be learned and nurtured in the context of other aspects of residency training. Programs, in partnership with their Sponsoring Institutions, have the same responsibility to address well-being as they do to evaluate other aspects of resident competence.”

-ACGME Common Program Requirements, Section VI.C.

To meet the needs of our trainees, CHLA created the positon of a full-time Resident and Fellow Wellness Coordinator. We have established several programs to address bereavement and burnout issues that arise as a result of patient-related stressor on our clinical trainees:

• Monthly wellness groups for residents – these groups are led by the same facilitator throughout the residents’ three years of training
• Monthly wellness groups for fellows
• Direct follow-up with trainees after the death of a patient to provide grief support and other resources as needed
• GME subcommittee on wellness with representation from faculty, fellows, and residents to assess and support institutional wellness
• Quarterly significant others groups for the partners of trainees – these groups provide guidance and peer-support for significant others in areas such as enhancing communication, supporting your partner during medical training, and sustaining your relationship
• Pre-rotation meetings for residents starting on their first Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or Oncology rotation – includes PICU and Oncology nursing staff, respectively, to address concerns about the rotations and enhance collaboration throughout the month
• Post-rotation ritual following the PICU and Oncology rotations, to allow for expression of grief and mutual support
• Resources for outside therapy for trainees
•  “Renewing the Spirit of Medicine” monthly meetings outside of the hospital
• Schwartz Rounds

Nearby Attractions and Life in L.A.

Click here to learn more about nearby attractions and life in Los Angeles.

Resources

• GME Orientation Modules