School health training during pediatric residency
V. N. Niebuhr, D. P. McCormick and S. E. Barnett
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
Pediatricians are becoming increasingly concerned about reaching beyond the
office or clinic to help solve problems of child and family health. The
physician's ability to interact with school personnel and communities is
one important approach to this outreach effort. School health training has
been a required 6-month component of the pediatric residency curriculum at
the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, since 1979, with
second-year residents providing weekly on-site consultations to public
school districts and participating in a weekly school health seminar
series. In this study, graduates from this program were surveyed to
determine their evaluations of the training and extent of current school
involvement and to use their evaluations for curriculum evaluation.
Residents who participated in the school consultation from 1979 through
1988 were surveyed. Seventy-eight pediatricians responded, a 79% return
rate. Ratings by the graduates reveal that both pediatric generalists and
subspecialists highly value their training experiences. Ratings were not
related to the specific site to which the resident consultant had been
assigned. Of these pediatricians, 41% are currently consulting with school
personnel. These findings are discussed as they relate to other reports of
physician involvement in schools and provide clues to curriculum design for
school health training in pediatric residency.
