Fellowship Structure

Nine fellowship positions are offered. Three fellows will be selected each year for a three- year program that qualifies the trainee to take the Boards of Cardiovascular Disease.

Typical Fellow's Schedule

Outline of Fellowship

Required of all Fellows:

1. Clinical (8 months)
    a. Clinical: Two months in year one and one month each of years 2 and 3.
    b. CCU: Two months in year one and must elect to do one month in each of years 2 and 3.

2. ECG/Holter (included in all rotations)

3. Cardiac Catheterization (4 months)

4. Noninvasive Laboratory/Echocardiography (3 months)

5. Stress Testing (as part of other rotations)
One month (year 1 as part of 3-month non-invasive lab rotation)

6. Nuclear Cardiology (2 months)

7. Arrhythmia/Pacing (2 months)

8. Research (6 months)

9. Electives (11 months)

In addition to focused additional training in any rotation, the following additional electives are available:

   a. Children’s Hospital/ Congenital Heart Disease
   b. Heart failure/transplantation
   c. Vascular disease
   d. Cardiac surgical care

SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

1. Weekly Cardiology Clinic:

Wednesdays - 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Fridays - 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
During one of these half-days, fellows see their own outpatients in a referral clinic under the supervision of the assigned attending. They should also assist the attending in the instruction and supervision of the residents and students assigned to clinic. This experience takes precedence over all other activities. Besides clinic at WHC, there is the opportunity at the Washington VA, which is on the same campus as the hospital.

2. Cardiology Consultations:
Fellows are responsible for cardiology consultations directed to the staff service. Evening and weekend referrals are to the on-call fellow. The fellow assigned to the "consult service" is responsible for the initial evaluation of such referrals during normal duty hours.

3. Night and Weekend Call:
A roster will be developed for alternating calls, ordinarily every ninth day. The on-call fellow should remain in the hospital (call room provided) over-night for WHC but take call from home for Georgetown.

ERP (non-private) Admissions:
The fellow is "first call" for ERP admissions to the cardiology service nights and weekends. ERP cardiology admissions are those to CCU, the intermediate care unit, and the chest pain triage unit. Medicine house staff are assigned to all but the last. The house staff will be instructed to notify the fellow of each ERP admission and to discuss diagnosis and management of the presenting problem with him or her. Appropriate management may require the fellow personally to evaluate a patient. He/she should always notify and consult with the ERP attending. The fellow should pass on the responsibility for the ongoing care of these admissions to the fellow on the clinical rotation and/or the ERP physician at the end of his/her coverage.