Indiana University School of Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you look for in a resident?

Acceptance at IU is highly competitive because of the excellent programs, location and benefits we offer. Applicants should be a good fit for a larger program - independent, confident, excited by different opportunities, etc. We look for:

  • Commitment to patients and serving others
  • Hard-working with a sense of duty/responsibility
  • Active learners who thrive by doing and getting involved
  • High personal expectations with a drive to improve
  • Caring and respectful of others
  • Team player

What is it like being part of a big residency?

The intern class size, with 24 categorical residents, is a large program but has a personalized feel with individualized experiences, personal connections and meaningful mentorships. There are, of course, many benefits of a large program for scheduling, call trades, leave switches, etc. Our program also provides a good diverse social network to join book clubs, volleyball teams, mini-marathon training groups, etc.

Because Riley is the only children's comprehensive care hospital in Indiana, our residents receive training in a wide range of pediatric problems. For most residents, this is an ideal way to learn and thrive. However, some students have educational and communication styles that may be better suited to a smaller program or a single hospital. Our residents are independent self-starters, are adaptive to different settings, and agree that they develop and master skills faster in a system of active learning and diverse experiences.

What are the unique opportunities special to IU/Riley?

  • Central academic Medical Center Campus: Our large, centralized medical campus provides diagnostic, cultural and socioeconomic breadth for your clinical experience that simply does not exist in many other programs.  IU Health operates Riley Hospital for Children as the main tertiary referral hospital for the state.  In addition, Methodist Hospital, Wishard Hospital and University Hospital (all located on the Medical Center Campus) provide experience in newborn units, urgent care, NICUs and ambulatory clinics.  All of which provide the experience and balance you need for your future career

  • Africa; Mexico; International Medicine: Other programs may offer an “international experience” but our Kenya program is truly unique. It is a 20 year bi-directional educational and clinical collaboration with the Moi School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya. This program has been nominated twice for a Nobel Prize. In Kenya, we have on-site Indiana University School of Medicine faculty, residents and researchers (Indiana-Kenya Partnership). In addition, the IUPUI- Hidalgo strategic partnership is ten year collaboration between IU and the village of Calnali, Mexico. We also provide opportunities in other locations for residents interested in international medicine.
  • Community Pediatrics Training Initiative: We are 1 of only 10 programs awarded the AAP/Dyson foundation grant. This program focuses on community involvement and patient advocacy, working with community organizations that aid families of children with special health care needs, those with a history of domestic violence and recent immigrants (Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative)
  • Green Scholars/Research Opportunities: Indiana University's Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research is one of the top biomedical facilities in the nation and an internationally recognized leader in pediatric research. IU Pediatrics is ranked #8 in the nation in NIH research funding in 2009. Unique to IU is the Morris Green Scholars Program which integrates research into the Pediatric residency. This program prepares residents and fellows for investigative careers in academic pediatrics and allows you protected research time and ABP pathways with opportunities for bench or clinically based research training (Morris Green Academic Scholars Program)

How much time will I spend at each of the 3 hospitals?

Over 75-80% of rotations are at Riley Hospital for Children which is the main base for the residency program. Each year residents have 1-2 months at Wishard, Methodist, or IU North based on their selective choices and career interests.  This ensures that our residents receive a balance of primary care and specialty experiences along with interactions with different staff and settings which will better prepare them for a variety of future careers.

How are the teams structured?

Riley services include subspecialty and hospitalist teams. These include larger services (Pulmonary and Heme-Onc) where 2-3 interns and 2 residents provide care for up to 20-30 patients. Other specialties such as Endo, GI, ID, Renal, etc. have smaller teams of 2-3 residents who care for inpatients while also providing consultations and outpatient services.  Riley Hospital also has two general pediatric hospitalist teams.  Rounding is led by senior residents with faculty teaching and family-centered rounds on most teams. 

How many electives do I get?

Two as a PGY1, two as a PGY2, and three as a PGY3. These 7 months are for you to tailor to your individual needs. Faculty advisors and program directors help residents design their experiences to explore careers options, evaluate fellowship interests and/or get involved in projects to expand their future career plans. We are committed to being creative, flexible and supportive so you get what you need for your individual path.Other selective choices allow you to tailor the program and explore different specialties earlier, to preference your NICU in a level 3 vs. community setting, and other options based on your career needs.

Do you offer part-time residency positions?

Some residents who have children or other family demands choose adapted schedules after the intern year with approval. Residents in the past have pursued full-time interrupted schedules in which they have taken month blocks of leave from the program (e.g. every 3-4 months off annually) and are allowed to complete residency over 3.5 – 4 years total time. One of the strengths of our large program is our ability to work with schedules and try to adapt to needs.

What is the patient population like?

Most residents are surprised at the diversity of patients in Indianapolis. We have one of the largest urban African-American populations in the U.S.; the growing Latino population is a major part of most Wishard clinics and one continuity clinic is housed at a fully bilingual office; referral patients from around Indiana include rural patients and a large Amish population. There are several immigrant groups from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe that are included in the patient population. Our patients vary from those that are well-educated and armed with internet information to uninsured low-income patients. In summary, you will see all types of patients from the common to the rare and from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.

Do you have an EMR (electronic medical records) system?

Yes- The IU Health system uses Cerner with a system for orders, progress notes, labs, radiology, etc. Our health system has dedicated significant resources including laptops, iPad accessibility, and home-accessible secure web-based systems to continuously help make residents more effective and efficient.

How diverse is the residency program?

We attract the best and brightest from around the country and around the world. Our current residents come from medical schools in 25 states. In addition, IU has one of the largest medical schools in the US and we choose to retain some of our top students who go into pediatrics. In addition we select a few outstanding international medical graduates, many of whom have gone on to become Chief residents and top fellows. We usually have a few osteopathic trained residents and MD/PhDs in each class.

As with most pediatric programs, about 75% of our residents are women. 33%-50% are married, some with families. We have several couples in the program and work hard to make scheduling coordinated. Our diversity reflects most pediatric numbers with a growing number of African-American, Latino, and under-represented minority residents in the program.

What are the IU Boards ABP pass rates?

Our graduates are very successful, including passing the ABP Board Exam.  Typically the range is 80-90% for first time Board pass rates, and last year was 91% for 2011 graduates who took the exam.

What is new?

As one of the top hospitals in the country, we continue to improve our hospitals and facilities.  In 2010, we opened the first phase of the Simon Family Tower, a new 10-story, $475 million expansion of Riley Hospital for Children houses most of the pediatric wards in a new state-of-the-art facility. It will benefit residents and staff by providing new space including physician work areas, conference rooms, and floors arranged by teams to allow more efficient rounding and communications. This space will consolidate services and provide family-friendly single patient rooms for all children.  In 2013, the remainder of the move-in will be completed with NICU, PICU, and ORs moving into the Simon Tower.

We have also expanded community offerings with a new senior resident hospitalist experience at IU North to work 1-on-1 with our academic hospitalists in this suburban setting.  We have also added a new community experience in Bloomington Indiana for residents who choose this option to experience primary care in a smaller community.  We continue to create new opportunities for all career types and develop individual pathways and options.

In 2010 IUSM opened a new Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall on the Medical Center Campus to provide high fidelity simulation in critical care settings and help teams work on communication during critical care scenarios.

2014 will see the opening of the new Eskenazi Hospital on the Medical Center Campus.  The new hospital will replace the current Wishard Hospital and is one of the few hospitals in the nation to be designated a ‘green’ hospital.

For those interested in research, in October of 2009, the new $83 million Walther Hall was dedicated adding 254,000 square feet of research space that connects existing research facilities to create a massive, integrated biomedical complex.    

We are committed to staying on the forefront of improvement and innovation in the world of pediatrics and rely on resident involvement and feedback in quality improvement projects and residency improvements to propel our dynamic program into the future.