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Application Process

Congratulations on being at this point in your medical training! We are incredibly excited for this coming year's recruitment season and about your interest in our program.  

We are committed to reading all applications in a complete and holistic way in order to understand who applicants are, their unique strengths, backgrounds, and journeys to medicine. We are committed to recruiting a diverse class for all the reasons we know it matters, including representing the diverse patients, families, and communities we proudly serve.

Because of this, we plan to extend invitations to interview by late October for interview dates in November, December and January. We are incredibly excited to meet you, welcome you, share more about your program, and answer questions you have.  

We believe in the national recommendations that support virtual interviews and will be conducting all of our interviews virtually. Each interview day will consist of:  

Your interview day will start either at morning report or our weekly department wide case conference, followed by a welcome and introduction from our Program Director, followed by a program overview. All applicants applying for categorical peds will have two interviews. Additionally, the day will include a virtual tour, opportunity to spend time and ask questions of residents, and time with other program leaders.   

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at pedsres@luriechildrens.org 

Applications for residency should be sent only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our program is listed as McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Program, program number 3201621070.

Required Materials

  • Dean's letter
  • Transcript (including first quarter senior grades)
  • USMLE Step 1 scores
  • USMLE Step 2 scores
  • At least three letters of recommendation (a letter from Department of Pediatrics Chairperson or his/her designee is encouraged; include at least one letter from a pediatrician or subspecialist with whom you have worked closely)

2023-'24 Interview Dates

  • November: 6, 9, 10, 15, 17, 20, 28, 29
  • December: 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14
  • January: 8, 10, 12

Frequently Asked Questions

 Where can I find more information on program procedures, stipends and benefits?

Housestaff for all Northwestern University affiliates (including Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago) are employed by and receive benefits through the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. The McGaw site offers a sample contract, housestaff manual and information on stipends and benefits.

 What are the minimum requirements of the resident position?

We do no have any minimum requirements

Pediatric Residency Program Technical Standards for Trainees

The following sections are based on the McGaw Institutional Technical Standards for GME Trainees (approved by the McGaw GMEC 9/2016) with the addition of data specific to the Pediatric Residency Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Although there are generic portions to this document, the term “trainees” refers to pediatric residents.

Overview

Graduate Medical Education (GME) training is an essential dimension of the transformation of the medical student to the independent practitioner along the continuum of medical education. It is physically, emotionally, and intellectually demanding, and requires longitudinally-concentrated effort on the part of the trainee.

The specialty education of physicians to practice independently is experiential, and necessarily occurs within the context of the health care delivery system. Developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes leading to proficiency in all the domains of clinical competency. For the trainee, the essential learning activity is interaction with patients under the guidance and supervision of attending physician who give value, context, and meaning to those interactions. As trainees gain experience and demonstrate growth in their clinical competency, they assume roles that permit them to exercise those skills with greater independence. This concept, graded and progressive responsibility, is one of the core tenets of American graduate medical education. Supervision in the setting of graduate medical education has the goals of assuring the provision of safe and effective care to the individual patient; assuring each trainee’s development of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to enter the unsupervised practice of medicine; and establishing a foundation for continued professional growth.

From an institutional standpoint, GME Trainees (Trainees) include all Residents and Fellows participating in graduate medical education at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. This includes those programs not accredited by the ACGME (i.e. “non-standard programs”).

Prerequisites

  • Trainees must conform to any and all requirements documented in their training contract.
  • All trainees must have passed Step II of the USMLE
  • Trainees must maintain a valid medical license in the State of Illinois.

Professionalism

  • Trainees must be familiar with and comply with McGaw Medical Center (McGaw) policies and procedures, as well as those additional policies and procedures specific to the Pediatric Residency program.
  • Trainees must be familiar with and comply with any hospital specific policies and procedures while on rotations at those training sites.
  • Trainees must comply with all documentation and educational requirements of the ACGME, McGaw, or any hospital at which they are training in a timely fashion.
  • Trainees must exhibit a high degree of professionalism when communicating and interacting with all members of the medical community and patients.
  • Trainees must exhibit a high degree of professionalism when documenting or utilizing the electronic medical record (EMR).
  • Trainees must comply with the Safe and Healthy Learning policy of McGaw.
  • Trainees must honestly and accurately track, document, and report duty hours worked.
  • Trainees must report any variance from ACGME or program duty hour limits to the Program Director and if recurrent then to the DIO/Associate Dean of GME.
  • Trainees must report any problems with fatigue, illness, or any other impairments that could affect their ability to perform their duties to the Program Director in a timely fashion.
  • Trainees must refrain from all illicit or illegal drug use.

Clinical Duties

  • Trainees will participate in training activities following a rotation schedule as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees will demonstrate an increasing degree of autonomy and independence as defined by the program.
  • Trainees will carry a standard patient case load as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees will take night call on a schedule as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees will supervise and participate in the education of other trainees and/or medical students as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees will supervise other trainees as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees must perform skills (medical, procedural, and other) as defined by their program with progressive competence and independence appropriate to their training level (ability to perform skillfully, safely, independently, and with the appropriate indication) as defined by the program.

Other Education

  • Trainees will actively participate in the program specific didactic curriculum as assigned by the program.
  • Trainees will engage in adult independent learning while off site, which may include some nights and weekends to augment the program’s didactic curriculum including reading and preparation of presentations.
  • Trainees will participate in any self-evaluative processes including “in-service examinations” or simulation exercises.
  • Trainees will participate in any remediation process as assigned by the program under McGaw disciplinary action policies.

For more information on McGaw Policies and housestaff resources including benefits, stipend, licenses and visa, and educational resources please visit:

http://mcgaw.northwestern.edu/benefits-resources/index.html

 Can I send a Universal Application for Residency?

No. The only applications we review are those submitted through the ERAS.

 

 When is your deadline for applications?

While we do not have an actual deadline for applications, we do recommend that you submit yours as soon as possible. We are unable to interview every applicant due to the volume of applications we receive, so it is in the best interest of applicants to submit early.

 

 Do all my letters of recommendation need to be from pediatricians?

We would like letters from individuals who know you well and are able to comment on your skills, abilities, accomplishments and suitability for a residency position.

 

 Is there a maximum number of letters of recommendation you will accept?

No, we will review and consider any letter of recommendation that comes to us through ERAS.

 What are your requirements for international medical graduates?

International medical graduates must hold the Standard Certificate of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. Our parent program, McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, sponsors both J-1 and H-1B visas. More information on licenses and visas can be found on the McGaw site. We do not have firm cutoffs for USMLE scores, though most applicants who match in our program score in the 90th percentile or above. We prefer that there are no interruptions in training.

 

 How will I be notified if I am offered an interview?

Applicants will be notified by email of their interview status: an offer of an interview, a denial of an interview or being placed in a holding category until we have received your dean’s Letter that is transmitted by ERAS.

 

 When are interviews held?

Our interviews begin in late-October and continue through mid-January. We interview up to fifteen applicants per interview.

 Match Day Video


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