USF Child Development
Student Orientation Handbook
Welcome to the Division of Child Development at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. The Division of Child Development is an integral part of the Department of Pediatrics and an academic center that addresses concerns of families and children with developmental delays and disabilities, behavioral and special health care needs through clinical services, training, and research.
Clinical Services
The Division of Child Development clinical programs focus on interdisciplinary diagnostic and intervention services related to referral concerns experienced by children from birth through 12-years-old, and their families. Some issues addressed by our clinic include failure to thrive, obesity, developmental delays, disabilities, behavior challenges, sleep disorders, educational challenges. Information gathered by the team is used for diagnosis and to develop intervention plans and supports for needed areas. Clinical programs include the Early Steps Program, Growth Clinic, NICU Neuro-developmental Clinic, and the School-Age Program. In addition, our clinic provides parent training classes and coaching using a behaviorally-based curriculum called Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS).
Early Steps Program
The Early Steps Program provides comprehensive assessment and evaluation services to identify infants and toddlers with delays and disabilities. Early intervention and service coordination are offered to eligible children and their families, and are funded through insurance, Medicaid, and Part C of IDEA. In addition, Early Steps collaborates with local school districts to help children and their families make the transition from Part C services to the public school programs. More information about the Early Steps Program can be found on http://www.cms-kids.com.
Growth Clinic
Infants and young children who fail to grow at expected rates due to under nutrition are followed through the Growth Clinic. Pediatric under nutrition is associated with decreased immunologic resistance, diminished physical activities, and may impair cognitive and academic development. Intervention to address under nutrition is quite complex, in that it often calls for a team approach that addresses nutritional and psychosocial factors, as well as individual development.
NICU Neuro-developmental Clinic
Babies born prior to 36 weeks gestation are at higher risk for developmental delays. NICU clinic provides a team approach headed by a pediatric neurologist, and evaluates neurological status, progress towards achieving developmental milestones, and eligibility for Part C services. Families leave with strategies to support their baby’s development and information regarding other community resources.
School-Age Program
The School-Age Program provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary team approach, individualized to a child’s characteristics and referral problems, during which information is gathered to aid in differential diagnosis and intervention planning. Data from a number of sources will be collected, to answer the referral questions, and may include history, behavioral observations, standardized testing tools, curriculum-based measurements, school observations, and medical tests. The evaluation process typically requires 2-3 visits to complete. A comprehensive report documents procedures utilized and recommendations for follow-up care, including medical, home and school interventions and supports.
HOT DOCS
HOT DOCS is a parent training model which utilizes a problem-solving process to understand and address child behavior problems. HOT DOCS helps caregivers to understand their child’s behavior within the context of development, encourages responsive parenting, and emphasizes teaching new skills. Classes are taught in both English and Spanish over the course of six weeks. Doctoral students function as behavioral coaches, to assist families in implementing these strategies within their homes.
Training
One of the primary missions of the Division of Child Development is interdisciplinary training. Graduate students from school psychology, psychology, nursing, and social work, medical students, and medical residents come together to advance their knowledge and skills regarding child development and children with special needs. During these training rotations which may extend to a full year, trainees will have opportunities to team in interdisciplinary settings, participate in research projects, and complete on-line coursework. This training offers opportunities for supervised training in their discipline as well as increased knowledge regarding evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, family-centered care, and research, issues related to treatment of developmental problems and chronic medical conditions, models of advocacy, ethical and decision-making. Opportunities to attend professional training workshops and seminars are provided.
Research
Research is interwoven into every aspect of the Division, and has produced nationally recognized expertise. Current areas of research include autism, behavior disorders, epilepsy, feeding disorders and obesity, positive behavior interventions, sleep problems, and family-based interventions. Opportunities for research leading to theses and dissertations span a wide range of behavioral and health topics. Our students are encouraged to submit proposals to present their research studies at national conferences and for the annual USF Health Sciences Research Fair.
Faculty Members
Carol Lilly, MD, MPh, Division Director
Maria Gieron, MD
Kathleen Armstrong, Ph.D., NCSP
Berney Wilkenson, Ph.D., NCSP
Alicia Truitt, ARNP
Scheduling Appointments
The scheduling book/calendar is located on the desk of Pam Lynch, the clinic nurse. All of the appointments must be scheduled through Pam, as she is the only person authorized to write in the scheduling book. This book will tell you which patients you have scheduled in a given day, and what time they have appointments with you. Students typically see up to 3 patients per day (with the exception of triage and NICU days) for either testing or follow-up appointments, which are appointments to review test results and recommendations with families . Patients are generally scheduled for 2-3 appointment sessions with you in order to complete all testing and provide feedback to parents in a timely manner.
A patient’s appointment must be written into the scheduling book and entered into IDX, the computerized scheduling system. If Pam is not available, place a post-it note specifying your name, the date and time of the appointment, the child’s name, and the type of testing (e.g., WISC, WJ-III-A, BDI-2) on the date in Pam’s scheduling book. Make sure to leave a note on Pam’s desk letting her know that you need for her to write the appointment into the scheduling book.
In IDX, patients are scheduled under one of the doctor’s schedules (i.e. Kathi Armstrong, Carol Lilly), and will contain a note indicating that a student will see him or her. In other words, you will not have patients scheduled under your name in the IDX system. Your patient will be scheduled most likely under Dr. Armstrong, and there will be a note next to the appointment stating that you will be evaluating or giving results for that patient. This is important to keep in mind when you are looking up future appointments in the IDX system.
Medical Records
All of the patient charts are located in the medical records department, which is at the very end of the examination rooms hallway on the left hand side. Nancy is the Records Clerk, and manages the patient charts. In the morning, all of the charts for the clinic visits of the day will be on Pam’s desk. You can pick up the charts that you will need for the day from her for review.
If you need a patient’s chart on a day that he or she is not scheduled to come in to the clinic, or if Pam in not working the day that you are seeing patients, you can retrieve the chart from the medical record’s department. Nancy will walk you through the process. In short, the charts that you will need are all in alphabetical order on the aisle furthest from the door. After you have found the chart that you want, fill out a notecard indicating the patient’s name, your name, and the date. Put the notecard in a red “out” folder and place it in the spot where you have removed the patient’s chart. Ask Nancy to show you where everything is located.
After you are finished with a chart, either return it directly to medical records, or place it in Nancy’s mailbox, which is located near the copying machine in the main office area. Medical records are never allowed to leave the CMS building. Never leave a medical record on the desk when you are away from your desk. Patient information is confidential and should always be in a locked drawer when not in immediate use. Always return records as soon as you are finished with them.
Patient Confidentiality
All patient records and information are confidential. Multiple steps must be taken in order to protect patient confidentiality. For example, the patient charts and related information must be kept within the clinic at all times. If you collect a piece of information that is not needed in the child’s chart, you must shred it in the paper shredder located in the mail/copier cubicle. Do not share patient information with any person unless you have a release from the parent or guardian to do so; this includes the child’s school or other physicians outside of USF’s Medical System. A release is also needed to speak with the child’s teacher or perform school visits. In addition, when leaving the clinic at the end of the day, make sure that you log off of your computer. This will keep electronic information secure during evenings and weekends. You will need to complete HIPAA training, which is training on medical privacy. You may access this link on http://hsc.usf.edu/is/training/HIPPALink.html.
Phone Access
Each cubicle is equipped with its own phone. As a practicum student or graduate assistant, you have access to that phone in order to make calls to families and other agencies with whom you wish to collaborate (i.e. schools, medical community). If you wish to call a number outside of the university system, remember to dial 9 before dialing the direct number. If the number you need to call is long distance, an access number is required. You can ask Pam or Dr. Armstrong for the access number.
If you have your own phone: To activate the voicemail, first send an email to: . In the subject line, type “Reset voicemail password”. In the message portion of the email, type “Please reset my voicemail password and email me the new password for phone line 974-xxxx (insert your phone number).
When you receive your new password via email, dial ext. 4-1300 from your phone. Then enter the last 5 digits of your phone number (4-xxxx). Then enter your new password (which was emailed to you)followed by the pound key (#). Then listen to the menu options to set your voicemail. After you set your voicemail, dial 5, then 4 – to reset your password. Press *3 to delete voicemail messages that you have on your phone.
Voice Mail: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I log into the voice mail system?
Dial 4-1300. When prompted to enter your extension number, enter the last five digits of your telephone number followed by the # key (Your initial password is the # sign).
How do I know that new messages are waiting?
Your message waiting lamp (looks like an envelope) will light up. Depending on which model you have, you will have either a steady or a blinking red light.
How do I retrieve my voice mail messages?
Log into the voice mail system and from the Main Activity Menu, press 2 to get your messages, then 0 to listen to the messages. When finished listening to the message, you may delete the message by pressing *3, or skip to the next message by pressing #. The voicemail system will automatically purge all messages after 10 calendar days. Once purged, the messages cannot be restored.
How do I record a personal greeting with my voice?
Log into the voice mail system and from the Main Activity Menu, press number 3 for personal greeting, and then the greeting number you want to record. Once your personal greeting is recorded, press # to approve and press 1 to use this greeting for all calls.
How do I change my existing voice mail password?
Log into the voice mail system and from the Main Activity Menu, press 5 for passwords, and then 4 to change your password. Now enter your new password; re-enter new password for confirmation. Your password is now changed. From this point on, this new password should be used when the system prompts you for your password.
What happens if I enter the wrong password?
A subscriber gets locked out when the extension and/or password are incorrectly entered three times in a row during one phone call. Be careful to enter your five-digit extension number. To get your mailbox unlocked, call the IT Support Services Help Desk at 4-9000.
How do I exit or lot out of the voice mail system?
Press **9 and the voice mail system administrator will say “goodbye”, then you can hang up. If you just hang up without logging out, you cannot re-enter your voice mailbox until the system times out your previous log in.
Common Phone Features
v Call Forward – This feature forwards your call to an extension of your choice
To activate: Get dial tone, dial *2 followed by the 5-digit extension number where you want to call forwarded. Listen for the confirmation tone, and then hang up.
v Hold – This feature allows for a call to be placed on hold.
To activate: Ask party to hold, press the “hold” button, and hang up if using the handset and not the speakerphone.
v To return to held caller: Press the blinking line button and begin talking.
If you have any questions, call the IT Support Services Help Desk at 4-9000 or 813-974-4000 during normal business hours (7:30-5:50 Mon-Fri).
HSC Account
As an employee of USF Health, you will receive an HSC account and email address.
Allscripts
Allscripts is a web-based system that contains all of the patient records, demographic details, and scheduling information. The website to access Allscripts is: https://ahsworks.umsa.usf.edu/ahsweb/
You can use Allscripts to read notes from visits children have had in the past, check to see when they are scheduled for future appointments, send notes to other staff members regarding a patient, and to write reports for the patients that you have evaluated. Every computer at the clinic has Allscripts access.
In order to use Allscripts, you first need a login and password. Contact Daniel in the Allscripts department at 974-4869 (or his pager at 201-8218), and he will assign you a login and password. You also need to schedule an appointment with Daniel for an Allscripts training session. Allscripts training is provided to all students who work at the clinic.. The Allscripts department is conveniently located across the street from the clinic.