Curriculum

The program provides flexibility in curriculum focus to allow achievement of each trainee’s individual learning needs:

Gainesville Rotations:

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit – 3 months
  • Medical Intensive Care Unit Night Float – 2 months
  • Pulmonary inpatient consults – 2.5 months
  • Pulmonary procedures – 1.5 months
  • Pulmonary ambulatory medicine – 0.5 month
  • Elective and Research* – 2.5 months

* Rotation site depends on the elective chosen

Gainesville Rotations:

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit – 1 month
  • Medical Intensive Care Unit Night Float – 1 month
  • Pulmonary inpatient consults – 1 month
  • Pulmonary procedures – 1 month
  • Pulmonary ambulatory medicine – 1 month
  • Neuro ICU (Critical Care elective) – 0.5 month
  • Surgical and Trauma ICU (Critical Care elective) – 0.5 month

Braselton Rotations:

  • Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Unit – 1.5 month
  • Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Unit Night Float – 1 month
  • Pulmonary inpatient consults – 1.5 months
  • Elective and Research * – 2 months

* Rotation site depends on the elective chosen

Gainesville Rotations:

  • Medical Intensive Care Unit Night Float – 1 month
  • Pulmonary inpatient consults – 0.5 month
  • Pulmonary procedures – 0.5 month
  • Pulmonary ambulatory medicine – 1.5 months
  • Neuro ICU (Critical Care elective) – 0.5 month
  • Surgical and Trauma ICU (Critical Care elective) – 0.5 month
  • Cardiovascular ICU (Critical Care elective) – 1 month

Braselton Rotations:

  • Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Unit – 0.5 month
  • Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Unit Night Float – 1 month
  • Pulmonary inpatient consults – 0.5 months
  • Elective and Research * – 4.5 months

* Rotation site depends on the elective chosen

  • Sleep
  • Radiology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Oncology/Cardiothoracic Surgery
  • Heart failure/Pulmonary hypertension
  • Rheumatology
  • Transplant ICU
  • Burn unit

Rotation site depends on the elective chosen.

The core curriculum conference series will be delivered in a weekly academic half-day format. Our academic half-day sessions will take place on Thursdays from 12 PM to 3 PM. During this protected time, fellows will be relieved of all clinical duties, with either faculty or an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) handling the pager.

The sessions will feature faculty-led didactic lectures and a variety of conferences, including thoracic oncology case conferences, thoracic radiology case conferences, lung pathology case conferences, clinical case conferences, board review series, journal club, and ultrasound case conferences. Additionally, fellows on inpatient consults and bronchoscopy rotations are expected to attend the chest board/lung nodule conference every other Thursday morning from 7 AM to 8 AM.

Moreover, simulation sessions, research and quality improvement conferences, and morbidity and mortality conferences will be conducted quarterly.

Fellows are expected to actively engage in scholarly activities, working closely with the GME Research & Quality Improvement and Scholarly Activity teams. Dedicated research blocks are allocated throughout all three years of training.

Fellows attend a pulmonary continuity clinic one half-day per week throughout all three years of their fellowship. This clinic experience is conducted at the NGPG (Northeast Georgia Physicians Group) Pulmonary Office. Clinics are canceled during non-elective ICU and night float blocks.

The resident/fellow-run Diversity Committee will work with the GME Director of Diversity to advocate for a strong and diverse fellowship as well as for the experiences of our minority patients. Topics such as unconscious bias, health disparities for black patients and other patients of color, and LGBTQ health will be incorporated throughout our didactic series.

Fellows will have education sessions by the GME Director of Wellness periodically as part of their didactic series. Additionally, fellows will have a chance to participate in a GME level wellness-committee that will focus on advocating for resident/fellow wellness.

Core Rotations

A key strength of the training program is the presence of two closed Medical Intensive Care Units: a 16-bed unit at NGMC-Gainesville and a 24-bed unit at NGMC-Braselton. Fellows serve as junior attendings, with the Critical Care team assuming overall responsibility for patient care direction and implementation.

Fellows also rotate through other ICUs, including the Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Neurointensive Care Unit, and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit during their elective critical care time. They receive extensive procedural experience through direct bedside supervision and simulation, and they can gain proficiency in bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for diagnostic and clinical decision-making. Additionally, fellows gain experience managing various types of mechanical life support, including V-V and V-A ECMO, LVADs/RVADs, extra ventricular drains, and ICP monitoring.

We have dedicated night float blocks at both sites.

Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville is a well-established tertiary referral center that provides care to a demographically diverse and medically complex patient population. Pulmonary consult service offers extensive experience in diagnosing and managing conditions such as obstructive lung diseases, pulmonary infections, thoracic malignancies, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension, and sleep-related disorders. The pulmonary consultation team consists of an attending, fellow, and residents, ensuring comprehensive learning and patient care. Fellows gain proficiency in independently evaluating chest imaging (X-ray, CT, PET/CT), pulmonary function tests, and other diagnostic testing.

Northeast Georgia Medical Center at Braselton is a 188-bed hospital located approximately 30 minutes from NGMC Gainesville campus. This is also the principal site of exposure to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

Fellows become proficient in flexible bronchoscopy, linear and radial endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), navigational/robotic bronchoscopy, indwelling tunneled pleural catheter insertion, thoracentesis, and small and large bore chest tube insertion. They also gain exposure to rigid bronchoscopy, tumor debulking, airway stenting, and endobronchial valve insertion and removal.

NGMC Gainesville serves as the primary site for pulmonary procedures and bronchoscopy rotations. Additionally, fellows perform bronchoscopy procedures during their inpatient consult rotations at NGMC Braselton.

Fellows attend a pulmonary continuity clinic one half-day per week throughout all three years of their fellowship. This clinic experience is conducted at the NGPG (Northeast Georgia Physicians Group) Pulmonary Office. Clinics are canceled during non-elective ICU and night float blocks.

We are developing Niche Subspecialty Clinics, which will be available to PGY6 fellows during their elective and research blocks. These niche clinics will focus on Interstitial Lung Diseases, Pulmonary Hypertension, Interventional Pulmonology, Sleep Medicine, and Obstructive Lung Diseases.