About

World-class care with compassion and skill

In collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR), our division is dedicated to patient care and thorough educational training that advances the field of pediatric emergency medicine (PEM). The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine has operated a separate area for the emergency care of children for more than 25 years and our PEM doctors and nurses staff the ED at all times.

While we pride ourselves on the quality of medical care we provide to our patients, there is more to what we do than just fixing injuries or prescribing medications. This is why we perform family-centered care, with experts including social workers, child life specialists and physical and occupational therapists available day and night, all of whom are trained in the science and art of caring for kids.

The pediatric emergency department also serves as the clinical site of the VCU Child Protective Team, which is devoted to the care of physically and sexually abused children.

Mission

The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine’s mission is to give compassionate, family-centric emergency medical care to every patient we see, to provide comprehensive, competitive training for future leaders in the field of pediatric emergency medicine and to elevate the level of pediatric emergency care for our entire community.

By the Numbers

patient beds, including clinical care and trauma rooms

patients seen annually

ambulance arrivals annually

patients admitted to the hospital

staffing by pediatric emergency medicine specialists

Message from the Chair

At the pediatric emergency department at CHoR, our team works tirelessly to care for every child that comes through our doors, day and night. Whether the child is a medically complex organ transplant recipient or has a simple cut that needs stitches, our team will not only provide world-class care, but will do so with compassion, skill and caring. The ability to reassure a worried parent or put a sibling at ease is as crucial to our practice as the ability to diagnose and perform a procedure.

In addition to providing exceptional care to our patients, we take pride in training the future of our specialty, teaching medical students, residents and fellows the art and science of pediatric emergency medicine. – Frank Petruzella, M.D., M.S.

Education

The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine educates medical students, residents and fellows through bedside clinical teaching, didactic lectures, workshops and other learning opportunities.

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship

We offer a fellowship for graduates of emergency medicine and pediatric residencies located at VCU Medical Center and CHoR. Fellows treat patients in the busiest Level 1 trauma center in Virginia, gradually gaining more autonomy and leadership responsibility throughout the two to three years of training.

Resident Rotations

Emergency Medicine and combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine (EM-IM) residents have a dedicated pediatric EM rotation each year, and a longitudinal pediatric EM experience with Pediatric EM shifts during adult EM blocks. Those interested in pursuing a career in pediatrics can choose the subspecialty as a longitudinal track, which allows focus on a defined Pediatric EM curriculum.

Medical Student Opportunities

Fourth-year medical students get hands-on emergency medicine experience through our four-week EM clerkship. Students function as acting interns, with direct patient contact and responsibilities that include evaluating and developing assessment plans, presenting patients to the attending physician and using full electronic medical records (EMR) access to write notes on, enter orders for and disposition patients.