The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at West Virginia University is the newest division in the Department of Emergency Medicine, formed in the fall of 2020, in anticipation of the opening of WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital. The division aims to provide cutting edge, evidence-based, and family centered care for all acutely ill and injured children throughout the state of West Virginia. The faculty of the division are passionate about educating the next generation of physicians both at the bedside and during didactic and simulated sessions to provide the best care possible for children.
The Division is housed in the brand-new, state of the art, 11 bed Pediatric Emergency Department located at the newly constructed WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital (projected opening February 2022). It is fully equipped with everything needed to provide top-notch emergency care to all of West Virginia’s children, including point of care ultrasound, spacious resuscitation bays, and video laryngoscopy. Embedded within the unit, a dedicated Rapid Care Unit, open 12 hours a day, allows minor emergencies to be seen in an expedited manner
The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine has partnered with the residency leadership team in the Department of Emergency Medicine to ensure a longitudinal model of pediatric education for emergency medicine residents. In order to ensure that emergency medicine residents are exposed to the wide variety of pediatric acute illnesses and injuries that can occur in a seasonal pattern, EM residents complete 3-4 pediatric shifts every time they are on a Ruby-based EM rotation. With this longitudinal construction, residents can be assured that they will see every facet of PEM—from RSV in the mid-winter, to traumatic injuries in the summer, and croup in the fall—our educational model has it covered!
The division also partners with the Pediatric and Family Medicine residency programs to provide high quality educational rotations for residents in both of those specialties to ensure they are ready and prepared to care for acutely ill and injured children in any setting upon their graduation.