The Internal Medicine Critical Care Fellowship is a two-year, ACGME-approved training program accredited by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The program offers 10 positions each year for physicians who have completed a two-year training program that is an ACGME-accredited residency in Internal Medicine or Emergency Medicine and who are board-eligible or board certified in their respective specialties. A one-year fellowship may be possible for internal medicine-trained candidates who have completed an ACGME-accredited residency in an Internal Medicine subspecialty.
Fellows will gain in-depth medical knowledge and technical skills necessary to care for a full range of critically ill patients. Areas of focus include cardiothoracic diseases, trauma and neurotrauma, transplantation, and surgical critical care as well as general care of patients with sepsis, acute respiratory failure, and other forms of critical illness.
- Applications, Interviews and Match
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APPLICATION
Applications for the fellowship are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Please visit ERAS for application requirements, deadlines, ERAS tools and worksheets, and submission. Applicants will be invited to interview virtually from August through October.
INTERVIEWS
In-person interviews typically occur from late August through late September. Highly qualified applicants will be contacted by our Office of Education to schedule an interview date.
AFTER ACCEPTANCE
All trainees must obtain a graduate medical training license. We will contact successful candidates shortly after acceptance to begin this process.
- Goals and Objectives
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MULTIDISCIPLINARY TRAINING IN CRITICAL CARE
Trainees will be part of our pioneering Multidisciplinary Critical Care Training Program, in which physicians from the specialties of Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Surgery, and Neurology receive advanced clinical training in an integrated environment. This innovative approach enables an expansive clinical experience supported by a collaborative learning environment. Our multidisciplinary training program employs a mix of hands-on clinical experience, interactive workshops, medical simulation, and didactic education.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Trainees obtain hands-on clinical experience and advanced instruction in:
- Management of acute cerebrovascular disease, shock, sepsis, acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, and other critical illness syndromes
- Pathophysiology of critical illness, including advanced neurological monitoring, cardiopulmonary physiology, hemodynamic monitoring, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Care of patients with acute neurological conditions, multisystem organ failure, acute infection, traumatic injury, and post-surgical critical illness
- Communication skills, including patient and family interaction, end-of-life care, and care of the geriatric patient
- Mechanical ventilation, extra-corporeal life support, intracranial neurological monitoring, and point-of-care ultrasound
- ICU procedures including endotracheal intubation, central venous catheterization, and chest-tube placement
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Unique educational activities include:
- Hands-on simulation workshops including difficult airway management, central venous catheterization, chest tube placement, neurological devices, and point-of-care ultrasound
- Critical Care Leadership and Professionalism Course to develop knowledge and skills necessary to conduct teaching rounds, deliver feedback, direct an ICU, understand healthcare economics, negotiate for jobs, and succeed as an academic or clinical leader
- A three-day Critical Care Communication Course providing state-of-the-art training in end-of-life discussions with family members using trained actors
- Weekly interactive lectures in which trainees learn from international experts in the field
- Weekly department-wide educational conferences including Journal Club, Grand Rounds, and Morbidity & Mortality conference
- Clinical Rotations
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YEAR 1
There is a predominance of ICU time complemented with elective time to pursue other interests. Fellows take in-house call every five to six nights on average. The year is divided into 13, four-week blocks. A typical schedule includes:
- Medical ICU: 1-2 blocks
- Cardiac ICU: 1-2 blocks
- Surgical/Trauma ICU: 1 block
- Specialty ICUs: 5-6 blocks (fellows rotate through all at least once)
- Neurovascular ICU
- Cardiothoracic ICU
- Abdominal Transplant ICU
- Veterans Administration ICU
- Elective: 2 blocks
- Research/Scholarly project: 2 blocks
YEAR 2
The goal of Year 2 is to achieve mastery of critical care skills and knowledge as well as academic development and expansion of leadership skills. There are also numerous elective training opportunities. Second year trainees are paired with an academic mentor and complete a scholarly project in the area of quality improvement, education, or research. Opportunities for more advanced research training are available through one of our NIH T32 awards. The year is divided into 13, four-week blocks. A typical schedule includes:
TRAINING HOSPITALS
- UPMC Presbyterian: Cardiothoracic/Surgical ICU, Neurovascular ICU, Neurotrauma ICU, Surgical Trauma ICU
- UPMC Montefiore: Transplant ICU
- UPMC Mercy: Mercy Medical Surgical ICU, Mercy Medical-Neuro ICU
- VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System: VA ICU
- Contact
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For inquiries about the Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine Critical Care Fellowship program, please contact Mackenzie Coffy, GME Academic Manager.
Pittsburgh CCM Fellowship (@pittsburghccm) • Instagram photos and videos
- Social Media
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Pittsburgh CCM Fellowship (@pittsburghccm) • Instagram photos and videos