Residency in Pediatrics

The Pediatrics residency is a three-year program to train medical doctors to become general pediatricians. The Program provides the residents with the foundation competencies to be ready to practice general pediatrics in different clinical settings (in hospital and/or in ambulatory care) or to continue their post-graduate medical training in pediatric sub-specialties (e.g. Pediatrics Clinical Fellowships) or research.

During year-1 and year-2, residents rotate through different in-patient pediatric sub-specialty departments in addition to be exposed to high quality outpatient longitudinal experiences. During year-3, residents focus their training and curriculum on specific areas of clinical and/or research interest.

This Program reflects the NU SOM commitment to the development of physician-scholars, who are comfortable with evidence-based patient care and medical practice, integrating the clinical work at the bedside with the research of pathological and molecular mechanisms of diseases in the laboratory. All that is possible thanks to the academic and clinical integration between the University Medical Center (UMC) and NU SOM Facilities, in addition to the cooperation with several Pediatric Hospitals in Nur-Sultan and our strategic partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and, in particular, with the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital.

Career: Specialist in Pediatrics (attending physician, general practitioner, clinical fellow in Pediatrics)

The aims of the Pediatric Residency program will be:

• To educate skilled pediatricians according to the six ACGME core competencies for the field of Pediatrics (patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, system-based practice, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills), according to the Pediatrics Milestone Project (see Appendix A);
• To train medical doctors to become general pediatricians, being able to apply their specialist knowledge and skills in research and clinical activities;
• To provide the program graduates with the foundation competencies in Pediatrics to continue their post-graduate medical training in pediatric sub-specialties (e.g. Pediatric Clinical Fellowships).

This Program will provide the residents with the foundation competencies to be ready to practice pediatrics in different clinical settings or to continue their post-graduate medical training in pediatric sub-specialties (e.g. Pediatric Clinical Fellowships). Additionally, this Program will offer the residents also the opportunity to do clinical and translational research, in order to educate physicians that will be able to undertake the academic career.

The Program Learning Outcomes (LOs) are consistent with the ACGME Pediatric Milestone Project, which provides a framework for the transversal and longitudinal assessment of the Resident’s progression in all key dimensions, skills and competencies required in Pediatrics and its subspecialties.

By the end of the Pediatrics Residency Program, the residents are required to achieve the graduation target in the majority of the ACGME Milestones for Pediatrics, as follows:

1. Patient Care:

• Gathering essential and accurate information about the patient;
• Organizing and prioritizing responsibilities to provide patient care that is safe, effective, and efficient;
• Providing transfer of care that ensures seamless transitions;

Making informed diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, resulting in optimal clinical judgment;

• Developing and carrying out medical management plans.

2. Medical Knowledge:

• Critically evaluating and applying current medical information and scientific evidence for patient care;

3. Professionalism:

• Demonstrating humanism, compassion, integrity, and respect for others based on the characteristics of an empathetic practitioner (Humanism);
• Demonstrating a sense of duty and accountability to patients, society and the profession (Professionalization);
• Achieving high standards of ethical behavior, which includes conserving appropriate professional boundaries (Professional Conduct);
• Developing the ability to use self-awareness of knowledge, skills, and emotional limitations to engage in appropriate help-seeking behaviors;
• Demonstrating trustworthiness that makes colleagues feel secure when one is responsible for the care of patients;
• Recognizing that ambiguity is part of clinical medicine and respond by utilizing appropriate resources in dealing with uncertainty.

4. Practice-based Learning and Improvement:

• Identifying strengths, deficiencies, and limits in one’s knowledge and expertise;
• Identifying and performing appropriate learning activities to guide personal and professional development;
• Systematically analyzing practice by using quality improvement methods with the goal of practice improvement;
• Incorporating formative evaluation/feedback into daily practice.

5. System-based Practice:

• Coordinating patient care within the health system relevant to their clinical specialty;
• Advocating for quality patient care and optimal care systems;
• Working in inter-professional and multi-disciplinary teams to enhance patient safety and improve patient care quality.

6. Interpersonal and Communication Skills:

• Communicating effectively with patients and families;
• Demonstrating the insight and understanding into emotion and human response to emotion that allows one to appropriately develop and manage human interactions.

Clinical rotation sites:

• UMC National Research Center for Mother and Child Health
• UMC Republican Diagnostic Center
• Children’s City Hospital #2
• Children’s Clinic for Infectious Diseases #2
• Cardiac Surgery Research Center

STEP 1. Create your personal account

Register on www.admissions.nu.edu.kz portal to create a Personal Account. Read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.

STEP 2. Complete your Application Form and attach the required documents

Fill out the application form and attach the required documents:

1. Scanned copy of a National ID card or passport;
2. Scanned copy of secondary school or higher education institution certificate (attestat/diploma) with final academic performance or certificate from the school (spravka) according to the sample in the personal account;
3. Motivation letter in English;
4. Valid copies of certificates. The results oaf standardized tests must be sent directly to the University through test administrators.

STEP 3. Pay an application fee

The application fee is paid online via your personal account with a bank card.

The application fee is 10 000 tenge and it is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially approved deadline and/or during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process. This amount is non-refundable.

Step 4. Finish the registration process

Finish the registration process by pressing the “Submit application” button. After submission applicants can’t change their applications.

Step 5. Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates

Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates in your personal account in the section "Upload IELTS/TOEFL" and fill up the required information about the certificate.

Further steps

Check your e-mail for notifications from the NU Admissions Department and your personal account to learn about your application status.

If you experience any difficulties with the registration or online application, please contact info_admissions@nu.edu.kz. Refer to your IIN and/or Applicant ID while sending us your requests.

Online application deadline for the residency program for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan and for international applicants - May 16, 2025, inclusive (2 pm Astana time).

All registered candidates can check the status of their application in the Personal account. Description of the status below is presented in the order of assignment to the candidate in the Personal account.

Application in processing. This is interim status, which means that the application is being processed. Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the candidate on further steps/stages. Notification on final results will be sent to your email address.

Does not meet entry requirements. The status is assigned to the candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements. It is given after checking the application forms and the documents by the Admissions Department.

Disqualified. The status is assigned to candidates who are disqualified for gross violations of the conditions of the competition. For example, provided deliberately false information.

Rejected by Admissions Committee. At one of the competition stages, the Admissions Committee decided to reject the candidate’s application.

Transfer to another program. At the stage of an application screening the Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for consideration by the Admissions Committee of another program within the same School.

Pending. Candidate’s application is pending.

Waiting list. The Admissions Committee has finished reviewing the candidate’s application and made a decision to put you on a waiting list. Such candidates should expect notification from the University, as there is a possibility that if other candidates reject to study, they may be sent an invitation letter to study.

Recommended for admission to program. Admissions Committee has decided to recommend candidate for the program without going through the Zero Year of Graduate programs.

Recommended for conditional admission. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend a candidate for the conditional admission with a requirement to fulfill the condition by the deadline specified in the notification.

Withdrawn. Candidate decided to withdraw from the competition.

Accepted Program admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Refused admission offer. The candidate was recommended for admission, but refused to study.

Refused in favor of another NU program. The status is applicable for those candidates, who applied for several graduate programs at NU. The status is assigned when the candidate chooses another program.

Deferred. The status is assigned to candidates who were accepted for the program, but decided to postpone their studies until the next year.

Did not submit the documents/Refused. The status assigned to candidates who did not provide originals of the documents by the stated deadline, which means that the candidate refuses to study at University.

Did not come to Orientation week/Refused. The status is assigned to candidates who accepted the offer letter, provided hard copies of documents, but did not participate in Orientation week. The vacant place, if available, can be offered to the candidates in the Waiting list.

Enrolled to program. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the main program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

Year 1

The 1st year Residents focuses on the clinical experience with patients affected with acute and chronic illnesses and admitted into several inpatient departments, with appropriate supervision from UMC Attending Physicians and/or NUSOM Faculty.

The residents will pass through a series of 8-week rotations on inpatient departments

1. Pediatric Gastroenterology (NRCMCH)

2. Pediatric Rheumatology (NRCMCH)

3. Pediatric Hematology (NRCMCH)

4. Neonatology (NRCMCH)

5. Nephrology (NRCMCH)

6. Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU, NRCMCH)

Year 2

The second year will be devoted to acquire additional clinical skills, develop more independence, and gain more experience in leadership and supervision.

These clinical skills are developed through a series of 8-week rotations on inpatient departments

1. Pediatric Neurology (NRCMCH)
2. Pediatric Oncology (NRCMCH)
3. Allergy/Immumology (NRCMCH)
4. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU, NRCMCH)
5. Pediatric Infectious Disease (extra-UMC hospital to be agreed)

Year 3

The third year will emphasize supervisory experiences in the inpatient general and subspecialty pediatric teams, as well as in primary care centers

1. Pediatric endocrinology (NRCMCH)
2. Pediatric radiology (NRCMCH)
3. Ambulatory medicine (Republican Diagnostic Centre)
4. Emergency care (extra-UMC hospital to be agreed)
5. Electives (NRCMCH)