The Connecticut Children's pediatric surgery rotation allows residents the exposure to the unique aspects of pediatric surgery. The service is run and managed by a pediatric surgery fellow. He or she develops the resident call schedule and assigns duties and operating room coverage among the residents. The team also consists of a third year UConn surgical resident and one or two UConn surgical interns. Several hospitals in the state also have surgical residents that rotate on our team. This may be either a third year or second year resident. We have several nurse practitioners and physician assistants who also make up an important part of our team.
The goal of the rotation is not only to obtain the adequate number of pediatric surgical cases, but also to learn how to take care of pediatric patients in the perioperative setting. Junior level responsibilities include daily work of the service, for example, daily orders, TPN orders, and seeing consults. Senior level responsibilities may entail taking care of critically ill children in the PICU and NICU. In addition, Connecticut Children's is a level I trauma center and residents of all levels are expected to respond to traumas and follow the appropriate ATLS guidelines.
Tuesday is our teaching conference. We start at 8 a.m. with pediatric grand rounds and then move to our surgery specific conference at 9 a.m. The preoperative and emergency surgery list is reviewed and then presentations are given by the residents or fellow. The fellow is responsible for assigning topics for presentation. This conference time includes morbidity and mortality every fourth Tuesday and periodic journal reviews.
Common operative cases include, but are not limited to:
Appendectomy, pyloromyotomy, hernia (inguinal, umbilical, epigastric), ovarian torsion, cysts and lesions, head and neck surgery (thyroglossal duct cysts, branchial cleft cysts), gastrostomy tubes, ports and central lines, tumors of the chest and abdomen/pelvis, complex congenital surgery (trachea-esophageal fistula, intestinal atresia, malrotation, necrotizing enterocolitis, imperforate anus), lung biopsy, lobectomy, and chest wall correction, and bariatric surgery.
Faculty at Connecticut Children’s
Michael Bourque, M.D.
Attending Pediatric Surgeon, Connecticut Children’s
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
UConn School of Medicine
Brendan Campbell, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical Director, Pediatric Trauma Program
Pediatric Surgical Quality and Safety Officer
Connecticut Children’s
Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
UConn School of Medicine
Christine Finck, M.D.
Surgeon-In-Chief
Chief, Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery
Connecticut Children’s
Associate Vice-Chair of Surgery
UConn School of Medicine
Meghna Misra, M.D.
Director, Pectus Program
Attending Pediatric Surgeon, Connecticut Children’s
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
UConn School of Medicine
Christine Rader, M.D.
Surgical Director, ECMO Program
Attending Pediatric Surgeon, Connecticut Children’s
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
UConn School of Medicine
Richard Weiss, M.D.
Clinical Director, Division of Pediatric Surgery
Connecticut Children’s
Associate Professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, Traumatology
and Emergency Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine