Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program Curriculum and Schedule
The curriculum of UT Southwestern's Pediatric Nephrology Fellowship Program is designed to ensure that graduates develop expertise in:
- Disorders of the kidney and urologic system
- Hypertension
- Renal replacement therapy
- Fluid and electrolyte disorders
Training emphasizes both the scientific foundations of nephrology and their application to patient care. Fellows learn to integrate clinical findings, laboratory studies, imaging, pathology, and current evidence to formulate thoughtful diagnostic and therapeutic plans.
In addition to developing clinical expertise, fellows receive training in teaching, research, quality improvement, communication, professionalism, and multidisciplinary care.
Education occurs through direct patient care, individualized bedside teaching, outpatient continuity experiences, multidisciplinary collaboration, conferences, and formal didactic instruction.
Fellows work closely with supervising faculty to evaluate patients, develop differential diagnoses, interpret diagnostic studies, and formulate treatment plans. Responsibility increases progressively throughout fellowship as trainees demonstrate greater knowledge, skill, and independence.
Faculty members provide frequent direct teaching and feedback, allowing fellows to refine their clinical reasoning and develop the confidence required for independent practice.
Clinical Experience
Fellows are exposed to the full spectrum of pediatric kidney disease through inpatient, consultation, dialysis, transplant, and ambulatory experiences.
Clinical training encompasses:
- Acute kidney injury
- Chronic kidney disease
- Glomerular disease and nephrotic syndrome
- Hypertension
- Fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base disorders
- Congenital and inherited kidney disorders
- Kidney and urinary tract abnormalities
- Hemodialysis
- Peritoneal dialysis
- Continuous renal replacement therapy
- Kidney transplantation
- Renal complications of systemic and rheumatologic diseases
Fellows participate directly in the evaluation and management of patients and develop increasing autonomy and responsibility throughout training while remaining closely supervised and mentored by faculty.
Chronic Dialysis and Acute Care Nephrology
Training in kidney replacement therapy is a major strength of our program. Fellows gain extensive experience caring for children receiving chronic hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and learn all aspects of dialysis prescription, access management, adequacy assessment, fluid management, and the treatment of complications related to kidney failure.
Our Acute Care Nephrology Program provides fellows with broad exposure to acute kidney injury and kidney support therapies for critically ill children. Fellows work closely with multidisciplinary teams in the pediatric and cardiovascular intensive care units and learn evidence-based approaches to the management of complex patients requiring acute kidney replacement therapy.
This combination of chronic and acute dialysis experience allows graduates to develop confidence managing kidney replacement therapy across a wide range of clinical settings.
Multidisciplinary Training
Pediatric kidney disease frequently requires collaboration across specialties. Fellows work closely with colleagues in:
- Pediatric Critical Care
- Cardiovascular Intensive Care
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Urology
- Rheumatology
- Diagnostic Radiology
- Interventional Radiology
- Pathology
- Solid Organ Transplant Program
- Transplant Immunology and Histocompatibility
- Adult Nephrology
These relationships provide fellows with broad exposure to complex patient care while reinforcing the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.
Rotations
Through the first year of fellowship, our fellows complete 28 to 32 weeks of inpatient rotation on the floor and on consult. First-year fellows also have 12 weeks of outpatient, during which fellows participate in research, dialysis, and transplant, and six weeks of elective rotation.
Second-year fellows have 36 weeks dedicated to research and four to eight weeks of inpatient rotation and four weeks of dialysis or transplant.
In their final year of fellowship, fellows complete eight weeks of inpatient and 40 weeks of research.
Fellows have four weeks of vacation every year of fellowship.
Conferences
The Department budgets for fellows to attend at least one conference a year. We strongly encourage fellows to attend Kidney Week, the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology.