Hospital Medicine

We are a group of pediatric hospitalists, colleagues, and friends with pretty much just one thing in common – our love for this job. Some of us have always been in Arkansas and some come from other states and countries, but we’ve all made Little Rock our home. We have a variety of interests in addition to hospital medicine, ranging from education to informatics and everything in between.

Our hospitalists are here 24 hours a day, every day of the year, caring for patients from their first days in the world up through adulthood, whether it’s their first and only hospital visit or one of many stays.

• Our hospitalists cover 3 teaching teams (including residents, interns, medical students, and APRNs) and one direct-care hospitalist-only team
• Our hospitalist-only team can flex from 2 to 4 hospitalists in times of high acuity or census to help preserve an optimal educational census for students and residents on teaching teams
• We discharge >5,000 patients per year, ranging from acute illness to chronic complex to critical disease

We take great pride in contributing to the education of medical students, residents, and fellows.

• We have the first and only pediatric hospital medicine fellowship in the state! Our 2-year, ACGME-accredited program offers a comprehensive training in hospital medicine including a wide variety of clinical and research experiences
• Our section includes multiple finalists for the Jacobs Teaching Award, nominated by pediatric residents
• In 2022, 80% of our hospitalists were specifically named by medical students as outstanding educators
• We’re home to the first-ever PHM board-certified hospitalists in Arkansas!
• Twice-monthly continuing medical education sessions focusing on pediatric hospital medicine topics (with CME!)

Scholarship:

• Quality Improvement
  • Local projects include work on safe sleep, crucial care billing, ED/hospital throughput, inpatient influenza vaccines, resident feedback
  • A hospital-wide QI project to improve influenza vaccination rate in children was created and led by a hospitalist for the past 2 years and won the prestigious Diane S. Mackey Quality Award in 2021
  • Participation in national QI projects including VIP Network – BASiC, HIFLO
• Research
  • Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS): We have multiple database studies in publication and in progress
  • Clinical Trials: Hospitalists are co-PIs on two clinical trials in collaboration with our pediatric emergency medicine colleagues and an NIH-funded trial through the IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network

Recent publications:

• Abu-Rmaileh M, Smith ES, Edgar-Zarate C. Rapid Facial Swelling in a 15-Year-Old Female. Clinical Pediatrics. 2022;61(8):573-577. doi:10.1177/00099228221091431
• Cox C, Patel K, Cantu R, Akmyradov C, Irby K. Hypokalemia Measurement and Management in Patients With Status Asthmaticus on Continuous Albuterol. Hosp Pediatr. 2022 Feb 1;12(2):198-204. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2021-006265. PMID: 35018439.

Research doesn’t end with publication – we believe in sharing what we learn, both with colleagues and the community.

• • Listen to 3 of our hospitalists discuss procalcitonin on the PHM From Pittsburgh podcast
  • Our hospitalists are frequent invited guests for educational sessions for Arkansas Children’s and local news outlets

Leadership: Our hospitalists are involved in committees and leadership roles throughout the hospital system

• The Operations Center Medical Director, Acute Care Medical Director, Vice Chair of Education, Peds Residency Associate Program Director, Med-Peds Residency Associate Program Director, Peds Clerkship Associate Director, and ABP MOC Portfolio Physician Manager are all hospitalists!
• We sit on numerous committees including Trauma Council, Admissions Workflow QI, Infection Prevention & Control, Emergency Management, Hospital Flow and Throughput, Medication Safety Council, Inpatient Antibiotic Stewardship, Patient Experience Workgroup, Escalation of Care, Adverse Drug Event, Patient Care Oversight

We are constantly striving to improve the health and lives of our patients through the practice of evidence-based medicine and high-value care, family-centered care.

Are you considering a career in pediatric hospital medicine? Consider joining our team or check out or fellowship page for more information.

Rebecca Cantu, M.D.
Chief, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Section
Associate Professor of Pediatrics