Pediatric Nephrology Education
Pediatric nephrology fellows, residents, and medical students all benefit from the academic excellence and leadership embodied by our faculty. Our Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program ensures that fellows effectively evaluate and manage patients. Much of the success of this program relies on faculty providing one-on-one bedside teaching and delivering didactic lectures in clinical nephrology.
Medical Students
At Children’s Medical Center Dallas Division of Pediatric Nephrology, we are committed to providing a rich and engaging educational experience for medical students at all levels of training.
Our inpatient nephrology service offers students hands-on exposure to a wide spectrum of pediatric kidney disorders, fostering both clinical competence and compassionate patient care. Second-year medical students spend two weeks on the inpatient nephrology service, where they encounter a diverse range of conditions, including but not limited to:
- Proteinuria and hematuria
- Acute kidney injury
- Kidney transplantation
- Chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease on dialysis
- Hypertension
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Glomerulonephritis
- Tubular disorders
- Nephrolithiasis
- Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract
During this rotation, students actively participate in the day-to-day management of patients under the close supervision of the attending physicians and residents. They gain valuable experience in bedside clinical skills, patient assessment, and presentation, while learning to integrate clinical findings with laboratory and imaging data.
Fourth-year medical students have the opportunity to undertake a more advanced four-week sub-internship on the inpatient nephrology service. This experience allows students to refine their clinical reasoning, strengthen presentation and bedside examination skills, and take on greater responsibility in patient care, all of which serve as excellent preparation for residency in pediatrics.
Throughout both rotations, students are encouraged to attend renal case conferences, clinical case discussions, and renal physiology and pathology teaching sessions, which provide deeper insight into kidney function and disease mechanisms.
Medical Student Rotations
Course Descriptions
Pediatric Residents
Our goal is to provide an enriching educational experience for pediatric residents, designed to strengthen their understanding of kidney function and disease management in children.
During their four-week nephrology rotation, residents gain an advanced, practical education in renal physiology, fluid and electrolyte balance, and the evaluation and management of common and complex kidney disorders as outlined above.
Residents spend two weeks on the inpatient nephrology service, where they actively participate in the care of children admitted with a wide range of renal conditions. This setting allows residents to deepen their clinical skills in diagnosis, fluid management, and interpretation of laboratory findings while learning from close collaboration with attending nephrologists, fellows, and multidisciplinary team members.
The two remaining weeks are spent in the outpatient nephrology clinic, where residents gain exposure to the long-term management of children with kidney diseases. This experience helps them appreciate the continuum of care from hospital to home and the importance of family-centered, longitudinal management.
In addition, residents may choose an individualized elective rotation tailored to their specific learning goals and future career plans. Elective opportunities may include focused training in dialysis care, renal transplantation, or research in pediatric nephrology.
Our goal is to ensure that every pediatric resident leaves the rotation with a solid foundation in the principles of renal medicine, equipped with the knowledge, confidence, and clinical judgment needed to manage children with renal disorders in any pediatric setting.
Fellows
The goal of our Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program is to train exceptional postdoctoral fellows for successful and fulfilling careers in academic pediatric nephrology. Our program provides a comprehensive educational experience that integrates clinical excellence, scholarly development, and research mentorship in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Fellows receive in-depth training in the evaluation and management of children with kidney diseases. Through a combination of didactic sessions, multidisciplinary conferences, and day-to-day patient care, fellows build a strong foundation in both the science and art of nephrology.
A highlight of the program is hands-on teaching at the bedside and in outpatient settings, where fellows learn advanced diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to pediatric kidney disease. Training also includes experience in dialysis modalities (hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy) and transplant medicine, preparing fellows to manage even the most complex cases.
In addition to clinical training, fellows are encouraged and supported to pursue academic and research interests. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, fellows participate in basic, translational, or clinical research projects, gaining skills in study design, data analysis, and scientific communication. Many fellows present their work at national meetings and contribute to peer-reviewed publications.
Our ultimate goal is to develop well-rounded physician-scientists and clinical leaders who will advance the field of pediatric nephrology through patient care, education, and discovery.
Learn more about the Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program.