Fellowship commences with a month of orientation, during which the first year fellow will become competent in basic ICU procedures, including central lines, arterial lines, and chest tubes gaining an understanding of the indications and complications of these procedures. The fellow will work alongside an attending and senior fellow during this month in both the medical intensive care unit and pulmonary consult
service.
Each first year fellow will also participate in:
Ultrasound training sessions are conducted in the MICU.
The pulmonary consult rotation is a dedicated teaching service with 2 fellows per month, rotating residents, medical students, and a teaching attending. During this rotation the fellows gain competency in clinical knowledge, management skills, and procedural skills in all aspects of pulmonary medicine, including but not limited to the following: Asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, infections, interstitial and inflammatory lung diseases, pleural disease, sleep disorders, vascular and neoplasms. Fellows are responsible for coordinating treatment plans, procedures and for the subsequent follow up of these patients. The most senior fellow on rotation will serve as a “junior attending” and lead the team of residents and medical students. 9 months of consults will be required over the 36 months of training. A cap has been created to ensure the educational experience is of the upmost importance.
The lab rotation is dedicated to learning and gaining competency in all aspects of bronchoscopy, including diagnostic, therapeutic, endobronchial ultrasonography, and navigational bronchoscopy under the direction of our interventional pulmonary team. The fellow will perform bedside tracheostomies and PleurX catheter placement. The fellow will also gain competency in pulmonary function testing, methacholine challenge testing and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. There are weekly one on one sessions with an attending with special interest in pulmonary physiology.
Our fellows generally have 6-7 months of MICU training, which
encompass all aspects of critical care, including ARDS, PE, shock, respiratory failure, upper and lower GI bleeds, liver failure, hematological/oncological emergencies, toxic and metabolic disorders, and renal disorders. During these months, fellows will learn conventional and unconventional modes of mechanical ventilation including, Bilevel, APRV, and PAV. As the fellow progresses their role will become that of a Junior Attending leading MICU team rounds. This graduated responsibility provides the fellow more autonomous growth and confidence in handling an ICU upon graduation.
Fellows will rotate through our Trauma Unit which is a Level One Trauma Center. Fellows will learn primary and secondary surveys, respond to trauma codes with the trauma team, participate and lead trauma rounds, and perform critical care procedures.
The fellow will gain experience with VA and VV ECMO, pulmonary artery catheters, mechanical devices, post-operative care of cardiothoracic patients, and the management of those patients admitted to the intensive care unit following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, valvular heart surgery, thoracic surgery, and solid organ transplant.
AGH is a comprehensive stroke center and has a robust neurosurgical service. Six of our current faculty members are also boarded in Neuro-critical Care. The fellow will rotate daily with the neurosurgical and neurology team.
Pulmonary Critical Care Fellows rotate through the Sleep Disorders Center at AGH during their second year. This is a multidisciplinary program that evaluates, diagnoses and treats all sleep disorders, including sleep disordered breathing, narcolepsy, insomnia, and restless limb syndrome, among other entities. The fellow will interact with many medical discipline including Sleep Dentistry, OMFS, ENT, and sleep psychiatry. Fellows will also be asked to spend time in the Sleep Laboratory to observe basic PSG set up and interpretation.
Working with AGH Thoracic Imaging Radiologists, fellows will obtain instruction and knowledge in the indications, interpretation, and differential diagnosis of the key chest imaging procedures including chest radiographs, chest CT scan, MRI, and ventilation-perfusion lung scan.
This rotation allows the fellow to gain airway skills in the non-emergent
setting. Skills include bag mask ventilation, LMA insertion, and endotracheal intubation with direct laryngoscopy and glidescope.
Fellows are encouraged to select research projects based on their interests. The Medicine Institute provides research coordinators statisticians and medical writers. Fellows are required to present research at national meetings and participate in quality improvement projects.
Faculty Offices
Fellows are assigned to a “clinic attending” for 36 months of their training. Through these half or whole day sessions, the fellow will develop graduated responsibility and autonomy as competency is acquired. The faculty offices allow the fellow to gain knowledge in the diagnosis, management and longitudinal follow up of patients with various types of lung diseases.
Breathing Disorders Center
Fellows will have the opportunity during their ambulatory care experience to rotate through the Breathing Disorders Center, a full service pulmonary practice with a strong focus on the management of chronic respiratory disorders through evidence based protocols.
Tuberculosis Clinic
Fellows are also provided experience at the Allegheny County Health Department Tuberculosis Clinic, under the direction of Dr. Eric Bihler. This is a rather unique opportunity to care for local and international patients who have latent and active TB.
Interventional Pulmonary Clinic
While fellows are on their lab rotation, they will attend IP clinic. Procedures performed include thoracentesis, lymph node aspiration, and pleurX management. In IP clinic, the fellow will also evaluate and manage nodules, evaluate patient for endobronchial valves and stent placement.
Our comprehensive conference schedule enhances to the fellows clinical training. Conference schedule includes:
