The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship consists of core clinical rotations, clinical research opportunities and a variety of elective opportunities.

Clinical training

Core training experiences include:

• Inpatient and outpatient pulmonary consultation
• Critical care medicine
• End-stage lung disease, including lung transplant and lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS)
• Thoracic radiology
• Thoracic pathology
• Echocardiography and thoracic ultrasonography
• Sleep medicine
• Pulmonary function testing, physiology and exercise testing
• Flexible bronchoscopy, including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), transbronchial biopsy (TBBX), transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA), endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and other interventional procedures
• Continuity specialty clinic
• Research and quality improvement projects

Electives

A variety of elective opportunities allow a fellow to individualize the training program in order to best meet his or her career goals. Elective opportunities are available in related specialties, including thoracic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, pathology, allergy and radiology.

Research training

Understanding research and quality improvement methods is essential for all physicians and is an integral part of the fellowship. Mayo Clinic has extensive research support infrastructure, with a focus on clinical and translational research.

All trainees are required to be engaged in clinical research and quality improvement projects that will result in a successful peer-reviewed publication. Presentations of projects at national conferences are fully supported institutionally.

Call frequency

The residency call schedule is different for each rotation. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science strictly follows the recommendations of the ACGME.

Teaching opportunities

Pulmonary medicine trainees are encouraged and expected to participate in the education of others. Fellows may be asked to participate both formally and informally in the educational activities of other training programs, including internal medicine, general surgery, anesthesia and family medicine.

This participation may take the form of lecture preparation and presentation, journal club moderation, mentoring residents, and informal teaching rounds. Additionally, fellows present lectures in the continued ongoing education of allied medical staff, such as nurses and respiratory therapists.

Moonlighting

Moonlighting is permitted for licensed fellows who remain in good academic standing. However, moonlighting activities are restricted in key rotations and must strictly adhere to guidelines set by the ACGME's duty-hour rules. Internal moonlighting opportunities are available.

Evaluation

To ensure that you acquire adequate knowledge and develop your technical skills, your performance will be monitored carefully during the course of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship. Your supervising faculty member formally evaluates you after each clinical rotation. In addition, you regularly evaluate the faculty to ensure that your educational needs are being met.

As communication skills as well as leadership and team skills are essential to pulmonologists and intensivists, there are additional reviews performed by non-faculty members of the care team. A formal review is performed by the fellowship semiannually by the Clinical Competency Committee and reviewed with the program directors.