Children are an integral part of the family, and the family physician graduating from this program will have learned to evaluate and manage problems of the newborn, young child and adolescent. The curriculum also includes well-baby care, preventive medicine, infant and child nutrition, family dynamics and the psychological development of children as well as the acute care of usual childhood illnesses. Opportunities are also available for the resident to gain familiarity or expertise with behavioral or emotional problems affecting children. Halifax Medical Center has a complete Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a full-time certified neonatologist who maintains a close relationship with residents.

The first-year resident on pediatrics works primarily in the newborn nursery and on the pediatric floor under the supervision of senior residents, the pediatric attending physicians and pediatric coordinator. The pediatric coordinator is a board certified pediatrician who is a full-time faculty member of the residency program. The resident has direct responsibility for newborn care as well as pediatric service admissions. The resident also sees pediatric patients in the Family Health Center from his or her own practice as well as patients referred from other sources. The Family Health Center is the provider in Volusia County for the Florida Healthy Kids Program, a state-subsidized program for pediatric primary care. Senior residents do an ambulatory pediatric rotation, seeing children with adjunct faculty members in their offices, the County Health Department, and Pediatric Subspecialty Clinics.

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