A structured genetics rotation for pediatric residents: an important educational opportunity

Purpose: As the integral role of genetics in health and disease becomes increasingly understood, pediatricians must incorporate genetic principles into their care of patients. Structured exposure to genetics during residency may better equip future pediatricians to meet this goal. Methods: Pediatric interns in the Johns Hopkins pediatric residency program have the option to spend one week immersed in clinical genetics by attending outpatient clinics and seeing inpatient consults. A pretest assessing clinical genetics knowledge is given before the rotation and compared with an identical post-test. Interns have a “scavenger hunt” to introduce genetic resources useful to pediatricians and complete a logbook of patient experiences. An evaluation is completed at the end of the rotation. Results: Since the selective started in July 2016, 50 interns have participated. Average pretest score was 2.5/5 compared with a post-test score of 4.3/5, p < 0.0001. Interns saw on average ten patients and four different diagnoses. Overall evaluation was 4.4 on a 5-point scale, 5 being “excellent.” Conclusion: This experience suggests that a structured rotation in genetics provides pediatric interns with an opportunity to learn basic clinical genetics knowledge and skills and see patients whom they may otherwise not encounter during residency.