ROLES AND KEY COMPETENCIES IN PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE

DEFINITION

Pediatric critical care medicine is a multidisciplinary field concerned with infants, children and adolescents who have sustained, or are at risk of sustaining life threatening, single or multiple organ system failure due to disease or injury. Pediatric critical care medicine seeks to provide for the needs of these patients through immediate and continuous observation and intervention so as to restore health and prevent complications. A specialist in pediatric critical care medicine is a physician or surgeon who is competent in all aspects of recognizing and managing acutely ill pediatric patients with single or multiple organ system failure requiring ongoing monitoring and support.

GOALS

The rapidly expanding body of knowledge regarding the treatment of the critically ill, the continuing introduction of new technology for life support, and more complex societal issues (legal, moral, ethical) have created a need for specialists trained in the recognition and management of this patient subset. To develop such specialists individual residency programs must focus on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes pertinent to the expected roles and competencies of the pediatric critical care medicine specialist.

Residents training within the unique interactive environment in which the critically ill are managed must respect the rights of the patient and family and acknowledge the importance of age, gender, culture, and ethnicity.

PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE COMPETENCIES

The Royal College of Canada objectives of training for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine can be viewed here.