Colorado Child Health Diversity Stipend and Experience
Application Information
Purpose
The University of Colorado’s School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital Colorado believe that diversity is a value that is central to their educational, research, service and health care missions. Through recruitment, training, and education, our Pediatrics Residency Training Program strives to build a diverse pediatric workforce that acknowledges and understands the ways in which systemic and medical racism and other forms of oppression have impacted and continue to impact our minoritized peers, patients and their families. Committed to working toward equity and justice for all, we recognize many forms of diversity including (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, religion, nationality, education, and socioeconomic status.As part of this mission, “ the Colorado Child Health Diversity Stipend and Experience” (previously the Commitment to the Medically Underserved Externship Stipend) was designed to help offset the costs of an away externship rotation for fourth year medical students, with a preference towards those whose backgrounds and lived experiences will contribute to our institutional mission of improving the health of the communities we serve and eliminating health disparities among children and families in Colorado.
We believe the chance to experience Colorado, work with our diverse patient population and engage with your future mentors, can help highlight the opportunities for you here. We CU here!
Unique Program Highlights
In addition to their assigned rotation, scholars have the opportunity for an immersion experience in an outpatient underserved clinic
Additional unique experiences can also be crafted to meet the scholar’s interests
Each scholar will have an assigned resident mentor and/or faculty advisor to assist with connecting with the greater University of Colorado and Denver/Aurora community.
Disclaimer: Being accepted for an externship rotation with our institution does not constitute or imply an endorsement by our residency program and sponsoring faculty. Application approval and participation in a rotation does not guarantee an invitation for an interview for a residency position. In addition, availability for a preferred sub-specialty rotation is left to the discretion of each division considering the division’s resources and the needs of learners who are already part of the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics.
Eligibility
Any medical student attending a United States medical school (allopathic or osteopathic), other than the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who will be a fourth-year student at the time of their externship is eligible to apply for this stipend.
Applicants shall meet the following criteria:
- Intention to apply to the University of Colorado Children’s Hospital Pediatric Residency Training Program, or any of the combined Pediatrics residency training programs (Peds-Neuro, Peds- Rehab, Med-Peds, etc.) offered through the University of Colorado.
- Successful completion of Core Pediatrics rotation
- Successful completion of USMLE Step 1 examination
Award Details
Stipends of $5,000 will be awarded to selected students who meet the above criteria. Stipend scholars also have the opportunity to request additional funds to cover any University of Colorado fees specifically related to their visiting student experience (i.e. application or tuition fees). All funds will be distributed in one disbursement to the award recipient near the end of their externship experience.
- There are currently three different categories of Stipend Opportunities:
- Traditional Stipend Experience (This can be with any Department of Pediatrics externship, with additional opportunities to experience local Primary Care Pediatric Safety Net or Child Abuse clinics.)
- Pediatric Pulmonary Stipend Experience (A customized month including a combination of ~2 weeks of inpatient acting internship [Sub-I] experience and 2 weeks of a variety of outpatient clinic experiences in Pediatric Pulmonary medicine. You must select the Pediatric Pulmonary Elective as an option in VSLO for this stipend opportunity.)
- Pediatric Gastroenterology Stipend Experience (A Pediatric Gastroenterology Elective which incorporates a component of inpatient Gastroenterology service and outpatient Gastroenterology clinics. We would also work to incorporate brief exposure to a primary care or child abuse pediatric clinic experience. You must select the Pediatric Gastroenterology Elective as an option in VSLO for this stipend opportunity.)
- If you are interested in doing a Pediatric focused rotation in another area (i.e. Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Anesthesia, Pediatric Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, etc), please outreach us (see "Additional Information" tab) to discuss how these opportunities may align with our current stipend offerings.
Application Requirements
Applications will be accepted from May to October 1st of each year. Completed applications must be received no later than 2 months prior to the externship start date.
You can complete your application online using this Colorado Peds Stipend Application form.
PLEASE NOTE: you must still apply to be a visiting student at the University of Colorado and be approved for the actual externship through the AAMC's Visiting student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) website. The “Colorado Child Health Diversity Stipend and Experience” is only a financial award to support the cost of being away from home, along with the enhancement to your extern experience (with the supplemental clinics, etc.). For more information, please contact us at DIPC@Childrenscolorado.org or visit the Department of Pediatrics 4th year student website.
Your application will be reviewed when we have received all of the following:
- Completed Application Form (online submission including uploaded CV/Resume).
- Letter of Recommendation from your Pediatric Clerkship Director (must be sent separately by email to DIPC@childrenscolorado.org)
- Confirmation from your medical school that you have successfully completed your Core Pediatric rotation and USMLE Step 1 examination. This may come in the form of an official transcript, a letter from your pediatric chair or clerkship director, or incorporated into your letter of recommendation.
Additional Information
For additional information, you may visit the Department of Pediatrics’ Diversity and Inclusion website, or contact
the Resident Diversity in Pediatrics Committee at: DIPC@childrenscolorado.org
You will be notified of
the status of your application via email. If you have questions about your application, or if there is a status change in your externship rotation application, please contact us at the email above.
Note: the stipend application
process is completely independent from the Department of Pediatrics externship application process. Semi-finalist status for the stipend does not guarantee the student will be offered an externship spot. Students must be accepted to do an externship
at The University of Colorado School of Medicine in order to have their stipend award status finalized.