Education/Conferences
Core Conferences
Fellows attend a weekly core conference on key clinical or basic science/physiology topics in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine prepared and presented by either P/CCM faculty, fellow, or guest faculty from another division or department. Fellows are typically assigned to two such presentations per year along with a faculty mentor.
Case Conference
Each weekly case conference is based on several interesting or problem patient cases from the faculty and fellows’ own patient experiences, including review of relevant chest radiographs, CT’s, pathology specimens, PFT’s and other clinical studies. Each attending and fellow is responsible for several case conferences per year and includes a short didactic on some element of evidence-based treatment, pathophysiology, and/or key literature. The conference is relatively informal, with lively discussions and diverse opinions.
Journal Club
Fellow’s review and critique relevant articles from the medical literature at the monthly Journal Club, which is attended by all division members. Typically, two fellows share the conference time. Senior fellows are responsible for one or more “expanded journal club” conferences, with increased emphasis on interpreting the medical literature, such as a more in-depth study critique, a didactic on selected statistical methods or design features, or a critique of several related studies.
Fellows’ Monthly Research Meeting
The fellows meet once in three months with the program director and selected other P/CCM faculty to discuss plans for research and related scholarly activities and review progress on active projects. Issues covered include ideas for studies, study design, navigating the IRB, and how to overcome roadblocks. For each meeting, the fellow completes a research update sheet describing work completed to date and specific goals for the coming month.
Fellows’ Monthly Meeting with Program Director
The fellows meet monthly with the Program Director to explore fellow concerns or feedback and review policies, procedures and administrative responsibilities.
Morbidity and Mortality Conference
Fellows and faculty attend the monthly Pulmonary and Critical Care M&M Conference aimed at improving quality of care, patient safety and system based Practices.
UAMS/VA Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Tumor Board
Fellows on the Pulmonary Consult services attend the weekly lung cancer conference. The conference is chaired by Interventional Pulmonology specialist Dr. Thaddeus Bartter and is attended by faculty and trainees in Pulmonary Medicine, Thoracic Surgery, Oncology, Radiology, Interventional Radiology, and Radiation Oncology to provide multidisciplinary care for patients with known or suspected lung cancer.
ICU Ethics Conference
Fellows on MICU, and others as desired, attend a monthly multidisciplinary UAMS ICU Ethics Conference comprised of physicians, nurses, other medical personnel and students. The conference is a case-scenario-based discussion led by Hospital Ethics Committee, P/CCM faculty member, UAMS MICU Medical Director, and covers common ethical principles and decision-making dilemmas encountered in the MICU. Other attendees and guest commentators include Chaplains and faculty from Palliative Care Medicine and the Medical Humanities Division.
Internal Medicine Grand Rounds
The weekly Internal Medicine Grand Rounds features excellent presentations by a variety of distinguished UAMS faculty as well as invited guest speakers. A significant percentage of lectures are on topics within the P/CCM core curriculum.
New Fellow Orientation Week
We have instituted a new-fellow orientation week so that for the first week of July, a second- or third-year fellow serves as the “primary” fellow for each Consult service while the first year fellow “shadows” the more senior fellow and Consult team, learning the ins and outs of the assigned hospital and participating in selected consultations and procedures. During this week, a daily agenda for new fellows includes one or more orientation sessions, including meeting with the Program Director to review key practices, policies and procedures as published in the Fellows’ Handbook; several core “survival” lectures; scheduled training in the each institution’s Electronic Medical Record Systems and related computer functions; and bronchoscopy simulation lab. The first year fellow then takes over the Consult service starting the second week of July. This orientation and transition week proved very successful with new trainees and we expect to continue and expand the offerings.
VA MICU Senior Fellow Month
In the final year of training, each fellow does a VA MICU rotation as a sort of “junior attending” with an increased level of responsibility for the MICU team and for all aspects of patient care, communication and teamwork. During this month, the fellow independently leads morning MICU team rounds on most days, though the attending is available if needed. The fellow is responsible for teaching during rounds and for providing feedback to the more junior team members regarding their performances. After “fellow rounds” each day, and additionally as needed, the fellow and attending review all the patients, plans and team performance and modify as needed.