The Unit

Description

The foundation of training occurs at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH), the 740 bed tertiary care teaching hospital and Level I trauma center for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Pitt County Memorial Hospital is the sole tertiary care facility in rural Eastern North Carolina, serving a 29 county catchment area bound by Interstate 95 to the west and the Outer Banks to the east.
The fellowship is comprised of one year of surgical critical care (SCC) followed by an optional year of SCC and trauma. Eleven months of the first year are focused in the 24 bed Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), which is subdivided into eight bed Neurosurgical, Trauma, and Surgical intensive care units. The SICU experiences an annual volume of approximately 1,500 critically ill surgical and trauma patients. As the sole tertiary facility in the region, PCMH receives a diverse breadth of complex surgical critical illness. The Trauma and Surgical Critical Care (TSCC) service is staffed by seven fellowship-trained surgeons managing critically ill trauma, general and vascular surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, urology, orthopedic, plastic, and obstetric/gynecology patients. The SICU operates at 95% capacity, with a typical TSCC service census of 15-20 patients. A one-month burn elective at the University of North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center is available and encouraged. During the second optional year of the program, the fellow will serve as Instructor in Surgery, functioning as an attending in the Department of Surgery. The second year will focus on development of further expertise in SCC and operative trauma surgery.

Research Activities

All faculty in the Division of TSCC are actively involved in clinical research. Research within the division is supported by a National Trauma Registry for the American College of Surgeons database as well as a novel Trauma Physician Documentation System database. Divisional research is primarily clinical and includes of breadth of focus ranging from retrospective trauma studies to prospective surgical critical care projects. Support is available from medical students, residents, and advance level practitioners. Multiple projects have been presented at national forums in trauma and surgical critical care. 

Fellowship Program

Clinical Responsibilities

First year responsibilities include assistance with management of patients on the TSCC service, such that all phases of the care of the severely injured and critically ill surgical patient are mastered. The SCC fellow will serve as both liaison between faculty and the SICU and educational resource to the surgical housestaff. With progression through the fellowship, each fellow will assume greater responsibility and autonomy, functioning in the capacity of junior attending in charge of the SCC service. Operative experience is available commensurate with the guidelines established by the RRC and ACGME. The SCC fellow will take approximately five in house calls per month, during which the fellow will supervise management of the SICU. During the burn elective, the fellow will serve in the role of burn fellow at the UNC Jaycee Burn Center.

Second year responsibilities include participation in the attending trauma and SCC call schedules and further growth of research pursuits. Second year fellows will function as Instructor in Surgery within the Department of Surgery, and have full attending responsibilities for trauma and SCC while on call. In addition, fellows will serve as attending of the week for the SCC service on a rotating basis with other faculty. The second year will focus on development of advanced operative and management skills in trauma and SCC. Approximately four calls per month are anticipated, with SCC attending of the week duties every sixth week.

Research Opportunities

Fellows will be expected to complete a novel prospective clinical project, and participation in ongoing projects is available and encouraged. 

Teaching Responsibilities

Teaching represents a clear emphasis of the division of TSCC. Fellows will be expected to be active teachers, both at the bedside and in formal settings. Fellows will be responsible for orchestration of multidisciplinary critical care conference and the daily fellow’s conference. Overall, fellows will be expected to serve as an exemplary educational resource for ancillary staff, student, and residents.

Salary

$47,000 - $50,000

Applicant Requirements

Completion of at least three years of an accredited general surgery residency

Contact

Eric A. Toschlog, MD FACS

The Brody School of Medicine
600 Moye Boulevard




Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4354
United States

Phone: 252-847-5715
Fax: 252-847-8208

Email:

Sep 26, 2006