Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Curriculum

Education and Training Overview

First Year – Surgical Critical Care

The first year of the Acute Care Surgery fellowship is dedicated to the training of Surgical Critical Care (SCC).

We provide a rich and diverse educational environment that includes ten trauma surgeons with added qualifications in SCC working in a large tertiary care Trauma and Surgery Intensive Care Unit (TICU/SICU) that produces a wealth of diverse and complex critical illness.

Serving as additional learning resources, the multidisciplinary team includes:

• Nursing
• Respiratory therapy
• Physical therapy
• Nutritional specialists
• Dedicated ICU pharmacist

SCC fellows are responsible for the management of populations including:

• Critically ill and injured
• Burn
• General surgical
• Neurosurgical
• Orthopedic

Each fellow becomes competent in managing all organ systems in critical illness including:

• Neurologic
• Cardiovascular
• Pulmonary
• Gastrointestinal
• Musculoskeletal
• Metabolic
• Nutritional
• Endocrine
• Hematologic

Fellows become facile with parenteral and enteral nutrition, including selection and placement of access:

• Formulations
• Calorimetry
• Bedside nutritional assessment

SCC fellows participate in the selection and application of all novel critical care technologies utilized within the SICU.

Administrative

The SCC program prepares fellows to become leaders in critical care regionally and nationally. In addition to intellectual preparation, this goal is achieved through development of administrative and research expertise. SCC fellows work closely with the Director of SCC within the scope of all administrative duties.

Critical skills in ICU directorship are acquired, including:

• ICU design
• Evidence-based protocol development
• Database development and management
• ICU performance improvement

Research

The program provides resources commensurate with the resident’s level of need. All SCC faculty are involved in research, with fellows encouraged to associate with projects of interest.

Conferences and Didactics

To supplement the curriculum, attendance is required at multiple conferences, including:

Second Year – Acute Care Surgery

Second year fellows receive training in trauma surgery and emergency general surgery that allow them to become leaders at local and national levels. Training in advanced injury management is supported by a busy Level 1 trauma center which admits approximately 3,000 patients each year from throughout western North Carolina. Fellows oversee initial assessments and resuscitations as well as provide operative management.

Additional Learning

While continuing to obtain the traditional advanced training in trauma, the ACS fellow also receives additional education in emergency general surgery as well as fields such as

• Thoracic surgery
• Vascular surgery
• Orthopaedics
• Neurosurgery
• Hepatobiliary surgery
• Interventional radiology

During this year, the ACS fellow assumes a leadership role on the busy trauma and emergency surgical services. Intensive Care Unit and Trauma Center administration is also taught, and research endeavors are encouraged and highly supported.

For detailed information on the curriculum please download our Acute Care Surgery Fellowship Curriculum Overview (PDF).