Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Educational Experience

The Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship is designed to fulfill the ACC COCATS requirements. Our yearly program will have 13, 4-week block rotations.

The first two (2) years of the fellowship will focus on the required 24 months of clinical training.

The third year of fellowship will include rotations allowing completion of COCATS level 2 training in echocardiography and nuclear medicine, clinical consultative cardiology, and up to 6 months of elective time, tailored to each fellow’s career choice.

Rotation Schedule


Core Minimum Requirements for
Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship

Numbers represent required number of 4-week blocks
ACGME Minimum Requirement MHS Core Minimum Requirement Memorial Hospital West Memorial Regional Hospital
Cardiac Cath - 4 4 2 2
Echo/TEE – 3 6 6
CHF/Transplant – 1 2 2
EP – 2 2 2
Consults – 6 6 4 2
Nuclear/CT/MR – 3 5 4 1
Stress/Holter/ECG - 1 1 1
Adult Congenital - none 1 1

The 4 weeks of yearly vacation can only be taken during echo, nuclear/CT/MR, stress/ECG, and elective rotations. Only one week of vacation can be taken at a time.


First Year Fellow Sample Rotation Schedule
Rotation Number of 4 Week Blocks
Cath Lab 2
Echo 3
Consult Service 2
Nuclear/CT/MRI 2
CVICU 1
EP 1
Stress /Holter/ECG 1
CHF/Transplant 1

Block 1 2 3 4 5 6
Rotation Name Consults Echo CCL CCU HF Nuclear/CT/MRI

7 8 9 10 11 12 13
EP Consults CCL Stress testing Echo Nuclear/CT/MRI Echo

Second Year Fellow Sample Rotation Schedule
Rotation Number of 4 Week Blocks
Cath Lab 2
Echo/TEE 3
CVICU 1
Adult Congenital 1
EP 1
Consult Service 2
CHF/Transplant 1
Nuclear/ CT/ MRI 2

 
Block 1 2 3 4 5 6
Rotation Name Consults Echo CCL CCU HF Nuclear/CT/MRI

7 8 9 10 11 12 13
EP Consults CCL Adult Congenital TEE Nuclear/CT/MRI Echo

Third Year Fellow Sample Rotation Schedule
Rotation Number of 4 Week Blocks
Consult Service 2
Echo/TEE 2
Nuclear/ CT/ MRI 1
Elective – Echo, CT, MRI, Cath, EP,
Research, Adult Congenital, ICU, CHF/Transplant		 6-8

Block 1 2 3 4 5 6
Rotation Name Consult TEE Elective Elective Nuclear/CT/MRI Echo

7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Elective Consult Elective Elective Elective Elective Elective

Curriculum

Outpatient Training

All fellows will spend one-half day per week in their supervised cardiology continuity clinic, except when rotating through CVICU. Clinical decision making and graduated autonomy through the three (3) years of training will be emphasized.

Fellows will also participate in subspecialty outpatient cardiology specialty clinics when they rotate on those services, including:

  • Adult congenital heart disease
  • Advanced heart failure/transplant
  • Electrophysiology, including pacemaker/ICD/ILR device clinics

Electives

Elective blocks in the 3rd year will be tailored to each fellow, and the service(s) they wish to rotate on. The 6 – 8 four week blocks of elective time may include:

  • Cardiovascular imaging, including echo, CT, MR and nuclear
  • Advanced heart failure/transplant
  • Cardiac cath lab
  • Electrophysiology
  • Clinical research
  • Adult congenital heart disease
  • CVICU

Conferences

  • Wednesday Morning Cardiovascular Grand Rounds
    45 minute lectures with Q and A to follow, presented by all divisions of Memorial Cardiac and Vascular Institute. All fellows are expected to attend, whether they are rotating at Memorial Hospital West or Memorial Regional Hospital. Fellows will be assigned to give lectures throughout their 3 years of fellowship.
  • Core curriculum lecture series
    This will consist of lecture given by general cardiology faculty and board review videos.
  • ECG lecture series
  • Journal Club
  • Invasive/Noninvasive correlation conference
  • Thursday 7:00 – 8:00 weekly Heart Team meetings
    All fellows rotating on the Cardiac Cath lab rotations are required to attend. Fellows rotating on all other services, especially imaging, are encouraged to attend.
  • PD/APD town hall meeting monthly
  • Advanced CHF/Transplant weekly conference*
  • Weekly EP conference*
  • Morbidity/Mortality conference*

* When on specific rotation and as cases arise.


Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

**EP Conference

General cardiology Conference

Clinical case conference

Board Review

Invasive/Non-invasive Correlation Conference

Mayo Clinic lecture series

 **HF Conference

**EP Conference

General cardiology Conference

Clinical case conference

ECG Session

 Mayo Clinic lecture series **HF Conference

**EP Conference

General cardiology Conference

Clinical case conference

Journal Club

Invasive/Non-invasive Correlation Conference

Mayo Clinic lecture series

 **HF Conference

**EP Conference

General cardiology Conference

Clinical case conference

**Town hall meeting

*M&M Conference

Mayo Clinic lecture series

 **HF Conference

**Town hall: Fellows, PD, and APD only
**Required attendance when on that rotation
*Conference occurs as cases arise


Call

Call will be taken at Memorial Hospital West.

PGY-4 Cardiology fellows will average 13 weekend calls per year (including all holiday weekends) and 1-2 weekday calls per week (including weekday holidays).

Weeknight call starts at 5:00 pm and continues through 8:00 am the following morning. Weekend call starts at 5:00 pm Friday and ends 8:00 am Monday morning.

Fellow call responsibilities include seeing any urgent consultations (routine consultations can be seen in the morning by the rounding clinical cardiology consultation team), performing appropriate STAT echoes and interpreting them with the echo attending on call, and insertion of emergent temporary pacemakers or pulmonary artery catheters with appropriate supervision by the ICU or Interventional Cardiology attendings.

General cardiology fellows will not be required to take STEMI-CODE HEART consultations, but certainly may participate if interested.

At 5:00 pm each weekday, the cardiology fellow on the consultation service will contact the fellow covering that night, and sign out appropriately.

At 8:00 am each weekday, the fellow covering overnight/weekend will appropriately sign out to the fellow on the consultation service.