Pediatric Surgery Quality and Safety Fellowship
Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware

Clinical Call Required?: Yes

Clinical Call Requirements: approximately 5-6 calls/month on the General Pediatric Surgery Service

Program Length: 2 years

Location: Wilmington, Delaware

Program Director: Loren Berman, MD

Contact: Loren.berman@nemours.org

Source of Support: Institutional Grant

Program Description: The Nemours Children's Hospital - Delaware, Division of General Pediatric Surgery is accepting applications for a Quality and Safety fellow. In June 2021 we were accredited as a Level 1 Children's Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons. As a Level 1 Center we have a large portfolio of ongoing quality improvement initiatives which the quality and safety fellow will have the opportunity to expand, further develop, and lead, according to his or her interests. The fellow will gain hands-on experience in QI methodology and project design, supported by Nemours QI specialists and data analysts. At Nemours we have standardized surgical M&M to identify opportunities for improvement and support loop closure, and our Quality and Safety fellow will participate in this process.

The Fellowship is a partnership between Nemours Children's Hospital-DE and the Jefferson College of Population Health (JCPH) designed to educate surgical trainees in the fundamentals of health services delivery, public health and population health. It combines clinical care, mentorship, and training with a formal education program. Year one of the fellowship includes tuition for five courses leading to a Graduate Certificate from JCPH with a concentration in Quality and Safety. The candidate may independently pursue a Master of Science (MS) in Healthcare Quality and Safety. The MS degree requires coursework and a Capstone project.

At completion of the two-year Fellowship, it is expected the resident will have gained experience using data to drive improvements and leading multi-disciplinary teams to create and sustain culture change, and will be well-equipped to lead surgical quality and safety work throughout his or her career. It is expected that the fellow will present at national society meetings and publish in peer-reviewed journals, and represent Nemours as a participant in national quality collaboratives. Clinical opportunities include division educational conferences as well as on-call opportunities in a busy freestanding children's hospital. Applicants should have completed a minimum of an ACGME-accredited PGY 2 General Surgery Residency by start of the Fellowship. Residents should send CV with a one-page cover letter outlining their experience, interests and career goals to Dr. Loren Berman ( Loren.berman@nemours.org ). Selected applicants will be asked to provide letters from their Department Chairman and Program Director.