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For information on Covid-19, please see the NEJM Coronavirus (Covid-19) Topic Page,Covid-19 in Children in the Pediatric ID rotation guide, and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (pARDS)in this rotation guide.

In the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), you will care for the sickest children in the hospital. Many PICUs provide care for both medical and postsurgical patients with a multidisciplinary team of intensivists, surgeons, subspecialists, specially trained nurses, and technical personnel. The goal of this rotation guide is to introduce important concepts and literature that will help you understand, make, and support decisions regarding care for critically ill children.

The following topics are addressed in this rotation guide:

Other relevant topics in Pediatric Critical Care are covered in the following rotation guides:

If you are interested in a career in critical care, see Next Steps for more information about conferences, training, and other opportunities.

A brief history of pediatric critical care medicine can be found here.

Michael R.  Flaherty, DO
Michael R. Flaherty, DO, is an attending intensivist in the pediatric intensive care unit at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. He is also Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

This rotation guide was developed by a collaborative team of contributors including:

Writers: Megan L. McBurnie, MD; Nathaniel Mosley, MDPeer Reviewers: Zelda Ghersin, MD; Arianne Baker, MD; Youyang Yang, MD; andElizabeth Perzanowski, MDSection Expert: Michael R. Flaherty, DOSenior Editor: Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, MDLast updated: June 2023 by Lisa Bartucca, MD

Brief Case Presentations with Videos
Pediatric Critical Care Videos