4 year programme                         January or July

The Department of Child and Adolescent Health offers a full-time post-graduate degree leading to the award of a Doctor of Medicine in Paediatrics. The Programme aims at providing exit qualifications for graduates to practice independently at the level of Consultant Paediatrician. The DM (Paeds) programme has graduated over 100 Paediatricians since inception with many of these graduates remaining in the region, caring for children and adolescents of the many Caribbean islands. Other graduates are employed in the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Entry Requirements

Undergraduate medical degree – M.B.,B.S. degree or its equivalent and completed at least 1 year as a Senior House Officer or Medical Officer. Applicants should have completed their internship programme with post internship experience in paediatrics under supervision. The duration of post internship paediatric experience is specific to each campus.

Programme Structure

• During the first 2 years residents rotate through various clinical areas covering ambulatory and inpatient settings inclusive of the newborn special care nursery and paediatric casualty. Progression to the 3rd year is dependent on successfully completing the DM part 1 examinations at the end of year 2.
• Clinical Research Project (CRP): all residents in training are expected to identify their research question and begin the preparation of the research proposal within the first year of the programme. The CRP is aimed at engaging the resident in the critical areas of original research – relevant literature review, proposal submission to the ethics review board, data collection, data analysis and full write up of a research thesis (CRP). Successful completion of the CRP is a requirement to sit the final exit examination for the DM (Paeds) programme.
• Years 3 and 4 in the programme are spent obtaining exposure to subspeciality core rotations, some of which are chosen by the residents as electives and can be spent at other locations locally or abroad. Additionally, residents are placed in a senior supervisory role so enhancing their clinical decision-making, management and leadership skills. Final exit examinations are completed at the end of year 4.

Training Sites

• Training sites for the DM Paediatrics programme at the UWI, Mona include the University Hospital of the West Indies, Bustamante Hospital for Children, Spanish Town Hospital, and the Cornwall Regional Hospital.

• On completion of the programme, the DM Paediatrics graduate is equipped for independent practice in the community and/or hospital-based settings (inpatient and ambulatory). He/she should be able to collaborate with other members of the health team (including subspecialists and allied health workers) as well as community resource personnel. He/she should be an advocate for the health of all children and adolescents within the region and globally, one who is sensitive to the cultural, social and ethnic needs of the community. A DM Paediatrics graduate must have a commitment to lifelong learning and personal development even as they care for each child and adoescent.

 Assessment

• Continuous assessment of the candidate’s academic, clinical and professional performance is carried out by his/her supervisors, who are members of the Specialty Board in Child and Adolescent Health. Continuous assessment in their penultimate and final years will include long case assessments which will contribute to the final mark of their clinical examination.

Clinical Research Project

• The candidate must submit a Clinical Research Project on Child and/or Adolescent Health or a related area six months prior to the written DM 2 Examination
• The Clinical Research Project should form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject presented. It must be of satisfactory literary standard and should attain standards suitable for publication in a peer reviewed journal.
• The Clinical Research Project must be checked by the candidate and his/her supervisor, using the method currently recommended by the University, to ensure that no plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is evident in the Clinical Research Project. A report that provides evidence that the Clinical Research Project is free of plagiarism must be attached to the Clinical Research Project on final submission.
• The acceptance of the Clinical Research Project by the Specialty Board is a requirement for eligibility to sit the Part II examination.