Curriculum

The UConn Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary training experience designed to develop expertise in patient care, procedures, and leadership within critical care environments. Fellows rotate through diverse ICUs across UConn Health, Hartford Hospital, and The Hospital of Central Connecticut, gaining exposure to a broad range of critically ill patient populations.

Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
(ACGME-Accredited – 1 Year)

Core Rotations:

  • 4 Blocks – Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
  • 4 Blocks – Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU)
  • 1 Block – Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NSICU)
  • 1 Block – Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
  • 0.5 Block – Critical Care Ultrasound / Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)
  • 0.5 Block – Research / Scholarly Activity
  • 1 Block – Electives (two half-blocks; select two):
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Palliative Care Medicine
    • Emergency Critical Care Unit (ECCU)
    • Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
    • Nutrition
    • Miscellaneous elective of fellow’s choice

Emergency Medicine Critical Care (EMCC) Track – Year 1

(ACGME-Accredited Training as required by the American Board of Anesthesiology for EMCC Fellows)

Core Rotations:

  • 5 Blocks – Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
  • 2 Blocks – Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU)
  • 1 Block – Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (NSICU)
  • 1 Block – Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
  • 1 Block – Acute Care Surgery or equivalent experience
  • 1 Block – Trauma Surgery or equivalent experience
  • 1 Block – Surgical subspecialty of choice or equivalent experience

Emergency Medicine Critical Care (EMCC) Track – Year 2

(Non-ACGME Training; required for board certification through the American Board of Anesthesiology for EM-trained fellows)

Core Rotations:

  • 3 Blocks – Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
  • 2 Blocks – Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU)
  • 2 Blocks – Emergency Critical Care Unit (ECCU)
  • 2 Blocks – Electives
  • 1 Block – Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
  • 1 Block – Research / Education
  • 1 Block – TEE / Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Critical Care Boot Camp

The fellowship begins with a Critical Care Boot Camp conducted at the Center for Education, Simulation, and Innovation (CESI) — a 40,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art simulation center.
During this immersive orientation, fellows receive hands-on instruction in:

  • Recognition and management of shock, sepsis, cardiac arrest, and respiratory failure
  • Bronchoscopy, arterial/central/pulmonary artery catheterization, and ECMO cannulation
  • Advanced airway management, ECPR, and assessment of brain death
  • Hemodynamic monitoring (Swan-Ganz, continuous SVO₂, Pulse contour analysis, Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring, dynamic arterial elastance)
  • Advanced mechanical ventilation strategies (APRV, lung-protective modes, weaning protocols)
  • Surface echocardiography and TEE for hemodynamic and cardiac assessment

Fellow Teaching and Interprofessional Collaboration

Following Boot Camp, fellows actively engage in resident education as simulation instructors-in-training, leading modules on the recognition and management of shock, sepsis, traumatic brain injury, and vascular access techniques (arterial and central venous catheterization).

Daily ICU rounds are supported by an interprofessional team that includes nursing, respiratory therapy, and pharmacy, reinforcing a collaborative, team-based approach to critical care.

Core Procedural and Technical Skills

Throughout the year, fellows gain advanced experience in:

  • Hemodynamic monitoring – pulmonary artery catheterization, continuous SVO₂, stroke volume variation, pulse pressure variation, systolic pressure variation, dynamic arterial elastance, non-invasive cardiac output monitoring
  • Mechanical circulatory support – ECMO, IABP, VAD
  • Advanced respiratory therapies – APRV, various weaning and recruitment modalities
  • Ultrasonography – surface echocardiography and TEE
  • Procedural interventions – tube thoracostomy, bronchoscopy, paracentesis and ECPR

These skills are integral to the fellowship’s goal of producing highly competent intensivists capable of managing complex, multisystem critical illness.

Vacation

Fellows may take up to four weeks of vacation annually, typically one week per quarter, scheduled in coordination with clinical service requirements.