The goal of the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program is to provide an educational setting in which the trainee gains concentrated experience in all aspects of the care of the critically ill (resuscitation, emergency management of life-threatening illness or injury, and long-term support for single or multi-system organ failure), administrative direction of an intensive care unit, development of educational programs and teaching skills, and clinical research.
The trainees will learn the specific content (knowledge and procedures) by direct patient care under the guidance of the faculty. They will also participate in managing the units, including bed allocation, quality assurance monitoring, brain death certification, decisions regarding goals of therapy as well as end-of-life care and nursing care.
The fellow receives a salary equivalent to a PGY-6, and professional liability insurance, and four weeks of vacation. Rhode Island Hospital provides a portion of health, disability and life insurance.
Clinical Experience
During the fellow's one year program, additional didactic clinical education is provided through several weekly conferences, including two specifically for the fellows: the Critical Care Fellow's Conference and the Multidisciplinary Critical Care Conference. Fellows participate in a variety of curricula, courses and seminars as outlined below and may attain the appropriate credentials to become course directors in these educational endeavors if desired ATLS instructor/course director ATOM (advanced trauma operative management) instructor FCCS (fundamentals in critical care support) instructor Critical Care and Trauma Ultrasound/ECHO.
Fellows are closely mentored by the program director during their training and encouraged to define and develop areas of interest that will enable clinical, research, educational, and administrative skills to be concentrated into a particular niche for long term academic growth and success. Numerous opportunities are available, some are illustrated below.
Surgical Infectious Diseases
Educational programs and clinical research initiatives are provided in the area of surgical infectious diseases offering unique research opportunities for Critical Care Fellows. Several faculty members have a particular interest and expertise in research in surgical infectious disease. A large database of nosocomial infections exists to support research endeavors.
Surgical Nutrition
The adult nutrition support service consults all patients on TPN and provides consultation on complex GI dysfunction and critical illness as well as combined TPN/TEN nutrition therapy. Divisional members serve as co-directors of the nutritional support service.
Research
The division has a very active program in clinical and basic research. Ongoing NIH funded clinical research provides access to research opportunities for fellows. The Division also participates in numerous multi-center trials in the areas of trauma, critical care, burns, and surgical infectious diseases. The Division maintains a Surgical Critical Care database and an extensive trauma registry.
How to Apply
Candidates must submit the application and supporting materials, including a C.V., one letter of recommendation from the Chairman of the Department of Surgery, and 2 letters of recommendation from other faculty in the Department of Surgery, to the Division of Surgical Critical Care.