(Madera, California) – Interviews are now underway for Valley Children’s new Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellowship program. It officially received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) earlier this year. PHM fellowship focuses on the care of children in a hospital setting, and occurs after a doctor has completed undergraduate studies, medical school and a three-year pediatric residency program.
“I am incredibly proud of our Valley Children’s hospitalists and the amazing care that we provide our patients,” says Valley Children’s PHM Fellowship Program Director Dr. Nicole Webb. “We have a long-standing history of working with others throughout the organization to provide exceptional patient and family-centered care that is delivered in strong interprofessional collaboration. We have long known that having a hospital medicine training program would be a way to continue to build on that work and further improve the care of kids in the Valley.”
Valley Children’s pediatric hospital medicine team started discussing a fellowship program in 2017. The following year, Dr. Webb joined the national Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Directors’ Council and started participating in their activities, including presenting at annual meetings. In February 2022, the Valley Children’s team officially submitted their application to the ACGME and received accreditation two months later.
“Everything we do is to improve the health and well-being of children,” says Dr. David Christensen, Valley Children’s senior vice president, chief physician executive and Medical Group president. “As the Valley’s only hospital dedicated to providing care to children, the success of our mission requires that we take the lead in teaching the doctors and specialists who will continue to provide high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services for years to come.”
The first PHM fellowship launched in 2005, and today there are more than 70 PHM fellowships nationwide. However, PHM fellowships did not begin receiving accreditation from the ACGME until January 2020.
“In addition to allowing us to continue to provide the best care possible to our kids in the Valley, this newly accredited program also allows us to help fill a critical need,” explains Dr. Webb. “Currently there are far more applicants than open fellowship spots, and each year many qualified applicants go unmatched. This program serves a dual purpose: to provide exceptional training for physicians and bring qualified compassionate doctors to tend to the children of the Central Valley.”
Valley Children’s PHM fellowship program is set to welcome the first two fellows in July 2023. Learn more about Valley Children’s Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship at valleychildrens.org/phmfellows.