Pediatric education in emergency medicine residency programs--10 years later

The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in the pediatric emergency medicine education of emergency medicine (EM) residents over the last decade. Questionnaires were mailed to the training directors of all EM residency programs. Sixty-five programs (79%) responded. While children represent 29 +/- 2% of all patients seen in the institutions surveyed, only 17 programs (26%) provide more than six months of pediatric education, ie, no increase in the last decade. EM residents frequently rotate through pediatric emergency departments (72%), inpatient pediatric wards (51%), and pediatric intensive care units (88%). Most physicians in charge of pediatric emergency medicine education are emergency medicine trained (75% vs 29% in 1981), and only 12% are pediatric emergency medicine fellowship trained. Despite several improvements and the increased satisfaction of program directors, the pediatric component of EM residents' training continues to be disproportionate to the number of children in the emergency medicine patient population. Specialists in pediatric emergency medicine should strive to play a more significant role in the pediatric education of EM residents.