Most of us decided on a career in medicine because we wanted to help people. However, the long and winding road through pre-med studies, med school, and residency means that it can be many years before one feels that one is truly “helping” people – at least, that was my experience.
One of the positive changes in pediatric residency curricula is the fairly recent requirement for residents to participate in community advocacy. This can take many different forms, depending on the size and geographic location of the residency program.
This week, one of the articles being early released in Pediatrics, is an article by Dr. Christin Traba et al that describes an innovative collaborative of pediatric residency programs and community organizations to provide services for the community while providing advocacy training and opportunities for residents (10.1542/peds.2020-012252). In New Jersey, all 10 pediatric residency programs came together in 2013 to form the New Jersey Pediatric Residency Advocacy Collaborative (NJPRAC) and have developed a collaborative curriculum in advocacy and community health that is used at all programs. They have built statewide partnerships with Family Success Centers (FSCs) throughout the state that provide resources and support centered around child abuse prevention for children and their families. Each residency program works with their local FSCs to develop and implement interventions that are both evidence-based and targeted to the specific community needs.
However, most of these interventions were dependent upon in-person contact. When the COVID-19 pandemic required FSCs to close their doors and pediatric residents and faculty to shoulder additional clinical responsibilities, the NJPRAC realized that they needed to rapidly shift gears and come up with alternative activities.
They decided, along with the FSCs, to host webinars, “Virtual House Call,” for the communities. What started as a single webinar, during which pediatricians addressed community members’ questions and concerns about COVID-19, evolved into something more expansive. They asked for and received topic suggestions from attendees, and they have had webinars on topics ranging from advocating for your child’s educational needs to healthy eating to dental care. The webinars occur biweekly, and they have involved partners from other fields, including lawyers, social workers, chefs, educators, and dentists.
You will enjoy reading this article. The consistent back-and-forth between NJPRAC and the community members is something that does not happen as often as it should between health care professionals and the communities they serve. Additionally, you may get ideas for advocating in your own community!
