ADVOCACY TRAINING DURING PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY

Despite broad concerns about the welfare of children, most pediatric r esidents are not able to engage in child advocacy during their busy tr aining years. Yet residency can provide an opportunity for young pedia tricians to learn valuable advocacy skills by undertaking an independe nt project with an experienced mentor. We describe the University of W ashington Pediatrics Residency Program's experience in training intere sted residents in child advocacy. Basic requirements are that advocacy projects must not interfere with clinical training, resident particip ation must be voluntary, and faculty with advocacy skills must be avai lable to help guide the residents. Four resident projects are outlined and guidelines for instituting such programs are presented.