CLINICAL TRAINING
The ABIM subspecialty boards in Infectious Diseases requires one-year devoted to in-patient clinical care and two-years of outpatient clinical continuity care. The first year of clinical training commences with a 4-week microbiology course. The remainder of the first year is divided among the following rotations that provide and coordinate clinical research training:
1. The Medical Infectious Diseases Consult Service. This service provides infectious diseases consultation for patients on the general medicine, medicine subspecialty, neurology, dermatology, and psychiatry services and the medical intensive care units with infectious disease complications. The consult team consists of an attending physician, Infectious Diseases Fellow, 0-2 Medical Residents, and 0-2 Medical Students. The service provides ~120 inpatient consults/month.
2. The Surgical Infectious Diseases Consult Service. This service oversees the care of patients on the general surgery and surgical subspecialty services, surgical intensive care units, hematology/oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, and rehabilitation medicine with infectious disease complications. The service provides care for patients with pre- and post-operative complications caused by infection. The consult team consists of an attending physician, Infectious Diseases Fellow, 0-2 Medical Residents, and 0-2 Medical Students. The service provides ~75 inpatient consults/month.
3. The Transplant Infectious Diseases Consult Service. This multidisciplinary service oversees the care of solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients with infectious disease complications. The consult team consists of an attending physician, Infectious Diseases Fellow, 0-2 Medical Residents, and 0-1 Medical Students. The service provides ~120 inpatient consults/month.
4. The Infectious Diseases Outpatient Clinic. This outpatient clinic provides clinical continuity care for patients seen on the Medical, Surgical, and Transplant Infectious Diseases Consult Services during their hospitalization and for patients referred by their primary physician for questions about the management of infectious diseases. Consultations are provided for patients with general infectious disease problems, primary care and consultations for patients infected with HIV, and the care of patients with illnesses and infections related to travel to or immigration from the developing world. The clinic has ~6,600 encounters/year.
5. The Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic. This outpatient clinic provides clinical continuity care for patients with sexually transmitted diseases on a walk-in basis. Services include evaluation and treatment of infectious diseases, Hepatitis A and B vaccines, counseling and testing for HIV, and information about safe sex practices. The clinic has ~300 encounters/year.
6. The Clinical Microbiology Rotation. This rotation provides the fellow with didactic and practical experience in the workup of clinical specimens. The fellow spends 4-weeks with a faculty mentor in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory.
7. The Clinical Pharmacology Seminar Series. This seminar series provides the fellow with a fundamental understanding of the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, mechanisms of action, and adverse reactions of antimicrobial agents. The fellow participates in the 4-week afternoon seminar series with a Clinical Pharmacologist.
8. The Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control Rotation. This 12-week elective rotation provides the fellow with the opportunity to work with the Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control team. A core curriculum introduces the fellow to the key aspects of hospital-based infection control and provides opportunities for hands-on infection control experience as well as integration with the Infection Control team.
9. The Global Health Program Rotation. This elective rotation in the second or third fellowship year provides the fellow with the opportunity to spend up to 8-weeks with a faculty mentor in a developing country. It is most appropriate for fellows who have a strong career interest in international health and related infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, and malaria.
