Great Falls Pediatric CCU Great Falls, Montana - Peds 666 P

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Before arrival in Great Falls:
If you have questions about the clerkship that need to be answered before you arrive, please contact Dr. Colleen Marron (1-406-771-3256, colleen.marron@gfclinic.com). Everyone needs their own oto-opthalmoscope and stethoscope. White coats and ties (males) are not necessary, but nametags are required. A pager is provided for you while you are here.

B. Upon arrival in Great Falls
Keys to the apartment(s) are located in the Intensive Care Nursery at Benefis East (5th Floor). If there are any problems getting into the apartments or if you have questions after you arrive, contact Dr. Marron. You may call her at home or page her. If she cannot be reached, contact the Pediatrician on call via the answering service (1-406-454-2171). Meet Dr. Marron at 0800 at the 5th floor nursing station just as you get off the elevator on the first day of your rotation for orientation.

Faculty & Staff Contacts

C. Living Arrangements:
Apartments (two bedroom) within walking distance to the Great Falls Clinic and the hospital are provided. Both are furnished apartments with full-sized beds. Basic kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies, sheets, vacuum cleaners, irons and ironing boards are provided. Both apartments have a microwave oven, a VCR and a color t.v. You are encouraged to bring “specialty” cooking items. There are coin-operated washers and dryers in the apartment complex. One assigned parking space is provided for each apartment. It is easiest to get mail here at the clinic. Have it addressed to you, in care of Dr. Marron, Dept of Pediatrics, 1400 29th Street South, Great Falls, MT 59405. Please call the apartment manager at 1-406-453-8505 with questions about the apartment.

D. Transportation in Great Falls:
A car or bike is recommended for travel in town. Shopping is close by so it is possible to get along without a car. If you bring a car in winter, it is essential that anti-freeze level be safe to –30 degrees F. Snow tires are helpful. There is a bus system. It operates Monday thru Friday 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Buses do not operate on Sundays. The only taxi service in town is Diamond Cab. (1-406-453-3241).

E. Miscellaneous:

1. Meals are available in the Great Falls Clinic main building (breakfast and
lunch) and in the hospital cafeteria.
2. Clothes should be professional. No jeans are allowed except on weekends.
3. A medical library is available. Call Pat Mueller at 1-406-455-5594 for assistance or information. The library is located in the Doctor’s Plaza. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It can be accessed after hours with a code. (ask Dr. Marron for the code). When the building is locked you can get into it from the hospital tunnel system. You need your Benefis Hospital badge to access the tunnel system.
4. During this rotation, each student is required to take call one weekend in addition to one night per week. Weekend call is from 8:00 a.m. Saturday to 5:00 p.m. Sunday. Weekday call is from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next morning.
5. A pediatric literature search is required. This should result in a two or three page paper. You will need to do an informal presentation of this topic to the pediatricians and other interested parties in your last week here.

F. Hospitals:

1. Benefis East 1-406-761-1200
1100 26th St. So.

2. Benefis West 1-406-727-3333
500 15th Ave. So.

G. Hotels:

1. Great Falls Inn 1-406-453-6000
1400 28th St. So.

2. Holiday Inn 1-406-727-7200
400 10th Ave. So.

3. Town House Inn 1-406-761-4600
1411 10th Ave. So.

4. Heritage Inn 1-406-761-1900
1700 Fox Farm Road

II. LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

A. Hospital Care:

All students rotate through days working as a “hospitalist” with on of the pediatricians. During those days, you will do new born checks, attend c-sections, round on all the children on the pediatric floor and be involved in hospital admissions. Daily progress notes should be in the SOAP format. Admission history and physical need to be done within 24 hrs of admission .

B. Office Evaluations:

1. Well-child visits include complete examinations, anticipatory guidance, growth and development problems, behavior and learning problems and immunizations.
These examinations are done on infants, toddlers, school-aged children and adolescents.

2. Illness examinations

3. Care of children with chronic diseases

C. Other Activities:

1. Specialty Clinics

a. Cardiology, pulmonology, genetics, ophthalmology, endocrinology, neurology
and developmental specialty clinics are held at the Great Falls Clinic.
b. When WWAMI professors visit, they hold clinics in their specialty.

2. Educational opportunities available outside the hospital and clinic

a. Cascade county child abuse committee
b. Sexual abuse committee
c. Montana State School for the Deaf and Blind (contact Kim Schwabe 1-406-771-6017)
d. Skyline High School (nontraditional/alternative high school)
e. Head Start Program
f. Planned Parenthood
g. Hutterite Colony – contact Joe Waldner, manager of Fairhaven Colony in Ulm, MT. Phone number is 1-406-866-3350.

GREAT FALLS EVENTS:

A. January
Blue Jean/Black Tie
PRCA Rodeo Finals

B. February
Wine and Cheese Festival
Dance of Love
Chili Cookoff

C. March
C.M. Russell Art Auction
Look for the “Hot Ticket” in each C.M. Russell Art Auction Friday’s newspaper.

D. April
information on Great Falls and Ice Breaker surrounding area events.
Testicle Festival

E. May
Rockin Kabob
Missouri River Dance Company Performance

F. June
Governor’s Cup (in Helena)
Spring Fling Hoop Thing (Basketball tournament)
Lewis & Clark Festival
Taste of Great Falls
Farmer’s Market (all summer)
Lewis & Clark Days (June/July)

G. July
Renaissance Faire

H. August
Montana State Fair
Shakespeare in the Park

I. September
Rankin Run
Blues and Brews

J. October
Art Extravaganza

K. November
Christmas Collection Bazar
Festival of Trees
Harvest Howl

L. December
Christmas Stroll

V. CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES:

VI. HISTORICAL SITES:

C.M. Russell original studio
Helena State Capital and historical museum (85 miles)
Ft. Benton (40 miles)
Lewistown, Charlie Russell Choo-chew (100 miles)
Virginia City, Restored Gold Rush town (200 miles)
Marysville, Ghost Town (90 miles)

VII. RECREATIONAL POSSIBILITIES:

Minor League Baseball (Chicago White Sox)
Tennis (summer only)
Golf (4 courses)
Water Skiing (Holter Lake)
Weight Lifting (Nautilus, Universal Athletics, Salvation Army, Heisey Youth Center, Peak)
University of G.F., open swimming and open gym
River’s Edge Trail (15-mile trail along the Missouri River)
White Sulfur Springs (90 miles)
Little Belt Mountains – Alpine skiing at Showdown and cross country skiing at
Silvercrest. Biking and hiking in summer (60 miles)
Highwood Mountains – mountain biking and hiking in summer (40 miles)
Bob Marshall Wilderness (85 miles)
Gates of the Mountains Wilderness (near Helena)
Yellowstone National Park – snowmobiling, skiing and hiking (265 miles)
Glacier National Park – hiking (145 miles)
Gibson Park
Giant Springs State Park
Stock car racing (summer)
Horse racing (summer)

> Go To Faculty & Staff Contacts

7-02/04