Education
The Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy & Immunologic Diseases Section has responsibility for education at all levels of medical training. We provide didactic education and clinical training for medical students, residents, fellows, physician assistant students, pharmacy students and residents, and many levels of community CME. Our faculty are leaders in the education arena, with nearly all faculty receiving nominations by the internal medicine residents as “Teacher of the Year”. We are proud that the Teacher of the Year for the past five years has been one of our faculty members. Education is a priority within our Section. All faculty members participate in educational experiences and three faculty members have a significant commitment to specific each level of training, Dr. Chatterjee as our liaison to the medical school, Dr. Pascual as a member of the internal medicine executive committee and Dr. Moore as our fellowship Program Director. Below is a summary of educational experiences offered by our Section based on level of training.
Medical Students
The Wake Forest University Medical School is an integrated program; students are exposed to our faculty and fellows throughout the four years of their training. The faculty is responsible for didactic teaching of basic pathophysiology in the preclinical years (Phase IIb), as well as clinical education as attending physicians for upper level students on selected 4 week rotations in the ambulatory, inpatient medicine and intensive care settings (Phases III and IV). Our fellows are actively involved in hands on education of students serving as clinical mentors during the clinical years. Internal and external medical students may also choose a month long elective classified in the catalog as Med12. This rotation may range from basic science rotations in our bench laboratories (see Research Section) to clinical rotations with faculty members.
Residents
The faculty and fellows educate the housestaff on many levels throughout their training experience. The internal medicine residents are required to complete 1-2 rotations in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) as well as one selective month on the pulmonary inpatient consultation service. One month electives are individualized for residents on a one-to-one basis and range from basic laboratory experiences to the ambulatory care setting.
The MICU is a busy closed bed system where two separate MICU teams round daily on 15-20 patients. Each MICU team consists of a faulty member, fellow, 2 upper level residents, 2-3 interns and 1 medical student. These teams are interdisciplinary with house officers from internal medicine, emergency medicine, anesthesia, family practice and neurology residency programs. A didactic lecture series occurs daily.
A dedicated faculty member and fellow staff the inpatient consultation service with 2 upper level internal medicine residents. Housestaff participate in the consultative process including evaluation of patients, interpretation of radiographic and physiologic studies (pulmonary function testing) and performance of procedures such as bronchoscopy. Residents take part in weekly radiology and pulmonary conferences, as well as, small group lectures on pertinent topics of interest.
Fellows
See our Fellowship Section)
Sectional Conferences
All interested students, residents, fellows and faculty are welcome to attend the below conferences. Conferences are mandatory for Pulmonary Fellows.
Pulmonary Fellow’s Conference:
Weekly conference scheduled by the fellows held on Mondays from 12:00-1:00 PM. This multipurpose conference includes review of pulmonary radiology and pathology cases, journal clubs and preparation for Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine board certification.
Research Conference
Monthly conference held on Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 PM, predominantly in the summer. Faculty members present a casual review of current research projects. Basic cell and molecular biology are reviewed as a background for future research projects. This conference serves as an introduction to opportunities in research in the Section in preparation for the second year of fellowship.
Thoracic Oncology Conference:
Weekly conference held on Tuesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 PM. This is a multidisciplinary conference attended by medical and radiation oncology, thoracic surgery, pathology and pulmonary medicine where evaluation and management of patients with newly diagnosed bronchogenic carcinoma is discussed in detail. This conference provides the opportunity to learn all facets of the care of pulmonary oncology patients.
Pulmonary Grand Rounds:
Weekly clinical conference held on Wednesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 PM. State-of-the-art clinical and research topics presented by our faculty, other relevant internal faculty and visiting professors, both nationally and internationally known.
Critical Care Grand Rounds:
Weekly clinical conference held Fridays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. This is a multidisciplinary conference attended by anesthesia, surgery and pulmonary/critical care residents, faculty and fellows. Topics include critical review of relevant clinical topics, journal clubs and discussion of ongoing clinical research projects.