GrandRapidsMedicalEducation

Curriculum

Throughout this one-year clinical fellowship, the fellow spends a significant amount of time caring for acutely ill surgical and trauma patients requiring intensive medical care. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, Spectrum Health-Butterworth Hospital provides services to a variety of blunt and penetrating trauma patients. Numerous patient populations are cared for including orthopedic, neurosurgery, cardiovascular, peripheral vascular, urology and general surgery patients. The blended ICU structure provides the fellows with a unique opportunity to care for a variety of patients and to learn from a dedicated team of general and specialty surgeons.

The Fellowship also provides each physician with significant experience in invasive procedures including central line placement, chest tube placement and intubation, bronchoscopy, percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement, and tracheostomy placement. These are all performed under the guidance of the critical care faculty members, who provide 24-hour coverage in the ICU.

In addition to clinical experience, the Fellowship also provides significant experience in the area of surgical nutrition and research. An integral part of the fellowship is research in the areas of metabolic response to stress, shock, and multiple organ system failure both in clinical and basic studies. Other activities required of the fellow include contributions to Quality Improvement activities and clinical protocol development.

Finally, each Critical Care Fellow has the opportunity to serve as a resource and teacher for junior residents in the General Surgery Residency Program. In this role, the fellow coordinates the care for each patient and acts as a resource for the PG I-III residents rotating through this area. In addition, the fellows take part in the weekly general surgery education conferences, routine Fellows and Director meetings, and SICU specific education and QI committee meetings. The fellowship year provides ample opportunity for study and preparation for the critical care board exam.

Research

The Grand Rapids/Michigan State University Surgical Critical Care Fellowship offers a one year Surgical Critical Care Fellowship. The physicians that enter this ACGME accredited fellowship spend a majority of their year in the 36 bed Surgical Critical Care Unit at Spectrum Health-Butterworth Campus, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Under the direction of a faculty of 12 critical care surgeons, each fellow has the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills required to become proficient in the area of critical care medicine.