Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Welcome to the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Lincoln, accredited by the ACGME in April 2021. Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center is a 362-bed hospital in the South Bronx and part of NYC Health + Hospitals, a busy inner-city public facility known for its diverse patient population and very active pulmonary and medical intensive care services. Before accreditation of our own program, the division trained fellows in partnership with the Westchester Medical Center program in Valhalla, NY, beginning in July 2012.

Mission

We educate and train fellows to be excellent physicians in pulmonary and critical care medicine, with an emphasis on academic medicine and research. The program also fosters a community-based experience that prepares physicians who choose a career in community practice.

Goals and objectives

Our goals are aligned with the ACGME core competencies. Fellows are trained to demonstrate strong knowledge in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary and critical care disorders; to master the practice and technical skills — including advanced procedures — needed to evaluate and manage pulmonary disease and critically ill patients in academic and community settings; and to apply best clinical practices to improve outcomes and patient safety.

Recruitment

Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited Internal Medicine residency. We recruit through ERAS and the NRMP. The program has a total of six fellows; two are accepted each year.

Diversity

Our program serves a diverse patient population from around the globe, and we select fellows without bias as to race, sexual orientation, nationality, or religion.

Curriculum

Lincoln Medical Center is the primary training site. The 36-month program combines pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine training, with at least 18 months of clinical rotations: core rotations in the medical ICU and pulmonary consultation, and electives in non-medical ICUs and pulmonary subspecialties. Ambulatory pulmonary clinic continues throughout all 36 months, and research is an integral part of training.

Core rotations

Medical ICU/CCU — 11 months
Pulmonary inpatient and consultative service — 9 months

Non-core rotations

Non-medical ICUs — 4 months
Interventional pulmonology — 3 months
Sleep medicine — 1 month
Pulmonary subspecialty rotations — 1.5 months
Anesthesia / chest radiology — 1 month
Research — 4 months

Outside rotations

CCU and lung transplant at Montefiore Medical Center, NY
Interventional pulmonology at NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell
Neuro-ICU at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Sleep medicine at NY Sleep Disorder Center

Didactics and scholarly activity

Fellows routinely take part in an introductory core curriculum workshop and lecture series from July through September, with simulation training in airway management, bronchoscopy/EBUS, thoracentesis and thoracostomy, tracheostomy care, and point-of-care ultrasound; the core curriculum lecture series and clinical case conferences; journal club, grand rounds, and interdisciplinary tumor board; morbidity and mortality, quality improvement, and patient safety conferences; POCUS, radiology, and pathology conferences; and research conferences, including attendance at national meetings such as CHEST (ACCP) and the American Thoracic Society.

Resources

Seven core faculty members cover the comprehensive medical ICU service and the pulmonary outpatient, inpatient, and consultative services, giving fellows broad exposure to pulmonary and critical care patients. The MICU is staffed by dedicated critical care nurses and 24-hour respiratory therapists. The facility has a pulmonary function lab, state-of-the-art bronchoscopy and EBUS, and a simulation laboratory that augments fellow education.