Division of Pediatric Surgery

The Division of Pediatric Surgery at Saint Louis University Medical Center is based at the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Patients from birth through age 18 are seen in consultation and cared for as inpatients.

Problems ranging from elective outpatient surgery (e.g., inguinal hernia) to the most complicated surgical problems, requiring care in an intensive care unit, are managed by the attending surgeons on this service.

Pediatric Surgery Fellowship

The teaching and supervision of pediatric surgery is an integral part of the general surgical, transplant, trauma/surgical critical care, and cardiothoracic residency programs at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Our two-year pediatric surgery residency is designed to train future academic and/or private practice-orientated pediatric surgeons of the highest caliber. The provides a university residency experience in both primary and tertiary pediatric surgical care. In addition to qualification for the examination for the Certificate of Special Competence in Pediatric Surgery, our residents are prepared for independent management of pediatric surgical problems and conducting surgical research.

Unaccredited Pediatric Surgery Fellowships:

• Pediatric Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program
• Pediatric Surgery Trauma Fellowship Program

Residency Highlights

SLU’s pediatric surgery residency includes a significant operative experience with both common and unusual or difficult pediatric surgical cases. Residents experience:

• Specialized training in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for both newborn and older children with respiratory failure.
• Complete management of the pediatric surgical patient in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit.
• Primary responsibility for the management of the multiply injured child at a Level I pediatric trauma center.
• Ongoing clinical research, in which the pediatric surgical resident actively participates, frequently in collaboration with other surgical or medical services.

Residents also become competent in performing infant and child laparoscopic, thoracoscopic and laser therapies.

First-year pediatric surgery residents spend nine months on the pediatric surgery service, alternating call with the senior resident. The other three months are utilized for rotations on neonatology (one month), pediatric urology (one month), and pediatric critical care/ECMO (one month). The second year of residency is spent entirely on the pediatric surgery service acting as chief resident. A considerable amount of independent clinical and operative management is offered during the second year as well.

Pediatric surgery residents are evaluated on a routine basis by a committee of attending surgeons through the pediatric surgery in-training exam and by an invited oral examiner. Feedback regarding educational and clinical experiences are encouraged from residents. Every effort is made to provide each resident with an excellent clinical and educational experience.

Curriculum

Conferences

A series of 52 basic science lectures are given through the two-year residency to expose students to recent advances in clinical and research topics relevant to pediatric surgery. Each pediatric surgery resident conducts an outpatient clinic, closely follows common and uncommon pediatric surgery problems on an outpatient basis and makes decisions regarding further operative therapy for these patients.