Welcome to the Pediatric Residency Program at Advocate Children’s Hospital – Oak Lawn (ACH-OL), a distinguished institution within the renowned Advocate Health Care network. For almost half a century, our program has been committed to fostering well-rounded pediatricians, equipped to excel in a diverse and evolving healthcare landscape. Located on the campus of Advocate Christ Medical Center (ACMC), our free-standing children’s hospital offers a unique and comprehensive training experience.
Our enduring mission is to cultivate future pediatric leaders through a balanced curriculum that harmonizes rigorous academic instruction with extensive clinical exposure. We are dedicated to providing our residents with rich opportunities in both hospital and community settings, encompassing primary, secondary, and tertiary care. This holistic approach ensures our residents gain invaluable experience serving patients and families from a wide spectrum of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. We firmly believe in personalized attention, nurturing each resident’s growth, and providing a supportive yet challenging environment where they can maximize their strengths and achieve their full potential.
Leveraging the Advocate Health Care Advantage
As part of Advocate Health Care, one of the nation’s largest and most respected not-for-profit health systems, ACH-OL provides residents with unparalleled opportunities. Our program expertly combines the close-knit atmosphere of a community hospital with the vast resources and expertise of a major healthcare network. This distinctive training environment ensures a comprehensive pediatric experience, laying a robust foundation for a successful career as either a primary care pediatrician or a specialized subspecialist.
Serving a Diverse Community in Oak Lawn and Chicago
Advocate Children’s Hospital – Oak Lawn is strategically located in Oak Lawn, a vibrant suburb bordering the city of Chicago. This location is pivotal, placing our residents at the heart of a remarkably diverse patient population. We serve families not only from Chicago’s underserved South Side but also from the expansive south and southwest suburbs, extending into northwest Indiana and rural north central Illinois. This broad geographic reach exposes our residents to a rich tapestry of clinical cases, cultural nuances, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic circumstances.
Our dedicated faculty are committed to delivering exceptional primary and subspecialty medical and surgical care. Our residents are integral members of this care delivery system, actively participating in the educational process within our high-volume, child-centric facility. Crucially, our training extends beyond the hospital walls. Residents gain profound insights into community health by engaging with patients in their homes and schools, fostering a deep understanding of wellness that encompasses far more than just disease diagnosis and treatment.
Fostering Education, Research, and Leadership
Our program is deeply engaged in medical education, collaborating with medical students from Rosalind Franklin University’s Chicago Medical School and Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as fourth-year students from across the nation. This collaborative environment provides ample opportunities for residents to develop their teaching skills and participate in impactful quality improvement projects and clinical research initiatives, all under the mentorship of our experienced faculty.
We take immense pride in the commendations we have received from the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for our innovative Community and Advocacy and Evidence-Based Medicine curricula. Furthermore, our residents consistently achieve outstanding American Board of Pediatrics Certification Exam pass rates and secure competitive placements in Pediatric Fellowships, Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine, and Pediatric Primary Care upon completing our program.
Our Program Aims:
- To prepare trainees with foundational experiences for competent and confident transitions into their chosen career paths as lifelong learners in pediatrics.
- To provide specific training in Community and Population Health, equipping trainees to effectively care for medically underserved populations.
- To empower trainees to prioritize and optimize their professional well-being and resilience.
- To develop trainees into effective collaborators and leaders within clinical, scholarly, quality improvement (QI), and patient safety interprofessional teams.
- To actively promote the recruitment and comprehensive training of inclusive and diverse resident cohorts.
- To continuously enhance the national recognition of our training program, our accomplished trainees, and our dedicated faculty.
The Pediatric Residency Program at ACH-OL is dedicated to shaping residents into exceptional pediatricians – critical thinkers, compassionate advocates, and caring leaders. We invite you to explore our website further to discover more about our free-standing children’s hospital and the comprehensive opportunities within our Pediatric Residency Program. We appreciate your interest and look forward to welcoming you to Advocate Children’s Hospital – Oak Lawn.
