AI: Critical Care, VAH

School of Medicine

This acting internship in the MICU/CCU at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital is intended to expose medical students to a variety of important diagnostic and management issues in critical care medicine. The student should have prior general ward experience in medicine and surgery. The student will function in the combined MICU/CCU as an acting intern under the supervision of a medical resident, pulmonary/critical care fellow and attending, and cardiology fellow and attending. The student will actively participate in both general medical intensive care and cardiac intensive care rounds. The student will mirror the schedule of interns in the ICU, working three weeks of days and one week of nights with one day off per week. Students will take primary responsibility for patient assessment, documentation and order entry. Students may have a higher patient census than in prior ICU rotations and will assume increasing responsibility for patient care as the month progresses. During the rotation, the student will learn how to evaluate complex critically ill patients and formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. The student will become familiar with the principles and techniques of invasive and non-invasive monitoring. Major areas which are stressed include cardiopulmonary pathophysiology, crisis management, ICU and CCU pharmacology, airway management and mechanical ventilation, fluid/electrolytes management, nutritional intervention, and ICU ethics. By the end of the rotation, the student should be comfortable in the initial assessment and treatment and ongoing care of the most common ICU/CCU admitting problems and will be prepared for residency ICU rotations. Fulfills the acute care course requirement. VA system access is required. Students cannot take this course if they have not received VA access at least 2 weeks before the course starts.