Clinical rotations during our fellowship are characterized by exposure to high severity of illness and heterogeneity of patients. Specific areas of faculty expertise in clinical practice include interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, COPD, sleep medicine, ECMO, ICU care of solid organ transplant recipients and obstetrical critical care, among others. Inpatient settings include Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix (BUMCP) and the Phoenix VA Medical Center (VAMC) inpatient wards and ICUs and the BUMCP sleep lab. Fellow clinics are located at hospital-based and private-practice settings. Electives occur at various preferred sites across the city as we are the only Pulmonary Critical Care fellowship in Phoenix.
Our philosophy during clinical rotations is that fellows need to be have reasonable patient service responsibilities to allow enough time for them to take advantage of unique learning opportunities and act as teachers to our residents and medical students. The fellowship balances progressive autonomy with supervision needed to ensure patient safety. We have no overnight in-house call, but fellows participate in a night-float ICU coverage approximately five days per year.
Core Rotations
- Pulmonary inpatient consult service – BUMCP and Phoenix VAMC.
- Intensive care unit – BUMCP and Phoenix VAMC.
- Trauma intensive care unit – BUMCP.
- Neuro-critical care unit – BUMCP.
- Medical toxicology – BUMCP.
- Ambulatory – BUMCP
Electives
- Sleep medicine – Phoenix VAMC and BUMCP.
- Radiology – BUMCP.
- Infectious disease – Phoenix VAMC.
- Palliative care – BUMCP.
- Radiology – Mayo Clinic.
- Anesthesia – BUMCP.
Rotation Schedule
July | ICU BUMCP | ||
August | Pulm VAMC | Continuity Clinic | |
September | Research | Continuity Clinic | |
October | Pulm Path | Continuity Clinic | |
November | ICU VAMC | Continuity Clinic | |
December | Advanced Lung Disease | Continuity Clinic | |
January | Rads | Continuity Clinic | |
February | Pulm BUMCP | Continuity Clinic | |
March | ICU BUMCP | ||
April | Research | Continuity Clinic | 5 Days Night-Float |
May | Trauma | Continuity Clinic | |
June | Sleep | Continuity Clinic |
Procedures
Simulation and supervised patient-care are used to teach procedures. Fellows attain proficiency in:
- ACLS direction.
- Point of care ultrasonography.
- Bag-masking.
- Endotracheal intubation.
- Central line placement.
- Inhalational challenge (PFT).
- Right-heart catheterization.
- Diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy.
- Chest tube placement.
- Percutaneous tracheostomy.
- ECMO.
- EBUS.
- Navigational bronchoscopy.
- Cariopulmonary exercise testing.
- Pulmonary function testing.
- Sleep studies.