By Luciana Berg, MD, MBA and Deena Berkowitz, MD, MPH
Pediatric Acute/Urgent Care (PAUC) fills a critical gap between primary care and emergency medicine. With the rapid expansion of urgent care centers, PAUC has become a unique discipline and pediatricians with acute care skills not routinely acquired during residency are in demand. To address this need, PAUC fellowships have emerged to bridge training gaps and cultivate future leaders in this growing field. The existence of PAUC fellowships also reinforces PAUC as an appealing career path for pediatricians-in-training seeking careers in academic medicine.
There are currently five academic PAUC fellowships operating in the United States with additional programs in development. These programs aim to strengthen and refine fellows’ clinical acute care skills, while also providing essential training in medical education, research, and operations, positioning graduates as the next generation of PAUC leaders and ensuring successful careers in academic medicine or private practice.
As interest in and number of PAUC fellowship training programs has grown, a path for accreditation of these fellowships has been developed under the auspices of the Academic Pediatric Association (APA). The accreditation process aims to elevate PAUC fellowship programs, recognizing those meeting established quality and consistency criteria, and mirrors successful accreditation efforts of specialties like hospital medicine. This process also lays groundwork for eventual ACGME accreditation, board certification and recognition of PAUC as a unique specialty.
By promoting consistent educational standards and fostering scholarly development of trainees, the accreditation process advances PAUC as an independent discipline, facilitates delivery of high-quality care and develops the leaders of tomorrow for this rapidly expanding field. APA accreditation for PAUC fellowships is a supportive and collaborative process which includes completion and review of all necessary written documents and culminates in a virtual or in-person accreditation site visit by two PAUC fellowship leaders from other institutions. There are currently two accredited PAUC fellowships in the United States with additional programs beginning the accreditation process.
If you are interested in starting a PAUC fellowship at your institution or pursuing APA-accreditation of an existing academic PAUC fellowship, please reach out to Luciana Berg MD, MBA, and/or Deena Berkowitz MD, MPH, or visit APA’s PAUC accreditation website HERE.
