Frequently Asked Questions:

Do you offer combined Critical Care/Cardiac Anesthesia fellowship training?

Yes! Interested applicants (with a background in anesthesiology) for our combined program should contact our program coordinator Jeanne Rohrmeier at rohrmejm@ucmail.uc.edu for more information on the Critical Care application process and Ashley Stavermann, staveray@ucmail.uc.edu , for more information on the Adult Cardiovascular Anesthesia Fellowship.

What is the fellow’s role in the ICU?

Our fellows enjoy graduated autonomy in all units of rotation.  5 months of the year are spent with the Critical Care Anesthesia Team (CCAT) rounding in the CVICU, BSCU & ENT ICU.  Initially the fellow will round with the attending directing patient care however after the first 1-2 months the fellow is expected to assume the role of “leading” rounds with direct attending oversite.  As the fellowship draws to a close the fellow will lead rounds with attendings available at all times for consultation and oversite as needed.  Many times this will mean the fellow rounding alone with the ICU team.  From day one of fellowship the fellow is expected to assist residents and nurse practitioners with development of care plans and supervise ICU procedures. The degree of oversite needed will depend on the experience of the resident/NP and the acuity of the patient.

Who is CCAT?

CCAT stands for Critical Care Anesthesia Team.  We are a consultative service in the BSCU and ENT ICU and serve in both a consulting and admitting role in the CVICU.  The team is lead by critical care faculty with backgrounds in either Anesthesiology or Emergency Medicine. In addition to responsibilities in the 3 ICUs listed above, we are the primary team for all ECMO/ECLS consults within the health system. We are also the leaders of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) and lead the eCPR program for the health system. Finally, we run the regional transport (air and ground) of ECLS patients.

Who makes up the Critical Care Anesthesia Team (CCAT)?

The majority of ICU time during fellowship is spent with CCAT in the CVICU, BSCU and ENT ICU.  The rounding team consists of 2 critical care faculty, 1-2 critical care fellows, critical care nurse practitioners and residents.  Resident backgrounds include anesthesia, emergency medicine, ENT and cardiac surgery. 

Are the ICU’s “open” or “closed” units?

All ICUS at UCMC, apart from the medical ICU, are open units.  This means that our division works to manage critically ill medical and surgical patients in collaboration with other teams. The two primary units for fellow education are the Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) and the Surgical ICU (SICU).  In the CVICU collaborative teams include cardiac surgery, heart failure and thoracic surgery.  In the SICU collaborative teams are trauma surgery, surgical oncology, and transplant surgery.  CCAT is the primary/admitting team for all extracorporeal life support (ECLS) patients. The collaborative environment of the ICU’s at UCMC allows the fellow to learn on rounds from a multidisciplinary set of faculty including cardiac surgery, interventional cardiology, heart failure etc. This is a rare opportunity not available at many institutions with closed units.

Who cannulates patients for ECLS, will I be able to do this as a fellow?

Cardiac Surgery is the primary team that performs ECMO cannulation at UCMC.  Interventional cardiology also has a role in cannulation of VA-ECMO and eCPR patients. The CCAT fellow, while on service, will have the opportunity to “scrub in” during cannulation procedures performed in the operating room/cardiac cath lab should they wish, though this is not mandatory.  The main role of the CCAT fellow during bedside cannulation is hemodynamic and ventilatory management.  The CCAT fellow, with attending supervision, is responsible for leading/managing all eCPR cases from start to finish.

Is free parking provided?

Yes.

Do you provide an Educational fund?

Yes. $1500 to be used at the fellow’s discretion to attend meetings or purchase educational materials. 

If the fellow is presenting at a meeting (encouraged but not mandatory during fellowship) the department will pay all expenses (up to $2500). 

Additionally, each fellow is provided with an online critical care ultrasound course to enhance bedside didactics (a $350 value) and the Chest Seek board review course (a $600 value). 

Fellows receive paid professional memberships to the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), The Society of Critical Care Anesthesia (SOCCA) and the following additional subspecialty societies:

• Anesthesia trained fellows: American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA)
• Emergency Medicine trained fellows: American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

All fellows are expected to attend The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization’s annual adult ECMO simulation training course or their ECMO cannulation workshop. The department fully funds all fellows to attend one of these meetings during their fellowship.

Are there moonlighting opportunities?

Yes. Internal paid moonlighting opportunities are available for the fellow with a background in anesthesiology (weekend shifts in the OR or in OB).  External moonlighting for the Emergency Medicine trained physician is available in local community emergency departments.  The fellow may not externally moonlight in their current field of training (critical care) per ACGME rules. The fellow must be in good academic standing and moonlighting approved by the program director. All moonlighting hours must fall within work hour limits.

How much call will I take?

While rotating on CCAT and SICU the fellow will take home call with an anticipated return to the hospital of 2-3 times/month.  Home call is alternated nightly between the fellows on service. Both of these services have an in house faculty intensivist 24 hours a day. The NSICU and MICU are 12 hours shifts and no additional call is required.

Do you accept Osteopathic graduates?

Yes.

What does you program look for in fellowship applicants?

Critical Care is a team sport. Desirable characteristics in our applicants are those that demonstrate leadership skills, professionalism, adaptability, collegiality and innate motivation to succeed. Our ICU culture focuses on training the next generation of leaders in critical care medicine. In addition to providing exceptional, evidence-based care to critically ill patients, we expect our fellows to possess strong interpersonal communication and professionalism skills. 

What is the cost of living in Cincinnati?

Cincinnati is the “# 1 most affordable cost of living of any major metro area” (Bureau of Economic Analysis) – Median Household Income: $61,653, Median Home Sale Price: $164,000.

What other benefits do the fellows receive?

Free iPad (or equivalent E-Reader) and access to electronic books and resources, meeting and academic allowance, health, dental and life insurance. Residents are provided short and long term disability, professional liability insurance (malpractice) and worker’s compensation.  401K Match is available.  100% up to 1%, 50% on the next 5% contributed (3.5%).  

How much time do fellows get for vacations? Meetings?

Per ABA guidelines: Fellows receive 20 paid vacation days per year (counted as M-F days). Fellows are also allowed 5 meeting days per year to attend educational conferences. 

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