Cardiovascular Medicine Critical Care Track

The Cardiovascular Medicine Critical Care track of the PHI PA/NP Fellowship program primarily focuses on the management of STEMI/NSTEMI, Cardiogenic Shock, Heart Failure, and Dysrhythmias (Ventricular Tachycardia, Complete Heart Block, etc.). The CICU is a 22-bed unit that provides the highest level of care for our critically ill population. In addition to the CICU, fellows will rotate through cardiovascular subspecialties including electrophysiology, advanced heart failure, cardiac surgery, valve/structural heart, and other critical care units. Elective rotations offer exposure to other subspecialties including advanced imaging techniques, interventional cardiology, or percutaneous valve therapy. There will be ongoing opportunities to obtain a Category I CME throughout the year.

As a CICU fellow, you will get to work alongside industry experts at one of the nation’s top hospitals for cardiac care. The CICU APP team is responsible for not only managing patients in the CICU. Other responsibilities include: responding to Code Blues, Code STEMIs, being the Central Line Team for the hospital, performing cardiology consults in other ICUs at Piedmont Atlanta, as well as responding to all decompensating Piedmont Heart patients on the tele floors needing transfer to the ICU. The CICU fellow with work with a variety of healthcare workers, not only in the various sub-specialities of cardiology, but also those outside of Piedmont Heart Institute in efforts to take complete and total care of their patients. Our goal is to create a well-rounded, cardiac critical care APP.

Core Curriculum

Didactic – 25%

• Difficult Airway Course
• Fundamental Critical Care Support Course (FCCS)
• Ultrasound Course
• Cardiac Surgical Unit Advanced Life Support Course (CSU-ALS)
• Present research project at Journal Club
• Rotation-based case presentations
• 3 exams
• Online learning modules
• Daily self-study
• Weekly readings
• Attend M&M meetings
• Attend educational “lunch and learns” (CME credit given)
• 2 CME weeks

Clinical – 75%

• Admit and manage patients in the CCU
• Present in daily multidisciplinary rounds
• Work directly alongside medical practitioners and consult with other specialties
• Learn core critical care management including hemodynamics, ventilators, mechanical cardiac support, advanced heart failure, sepsis, ARDS, multi-system organ failure
• Respond to “Code Blue” cardiac arrests
• Respond to “Code STEMI”
• Rotate through other cardiac specialties as listed below
• The fellows will be exposed to/credentialed for the following technical skills and procedures*
  • Placement of central line catheters
  • Placement of arterial lines
  • Placement of Swan Ganz catheters
  • Placement of Vascaths/Trialysis
  • Placement of temporary venous pacemakers
  • Intra-aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) removal
  • First assist in ECMO cannulations
  • Point of Care Ultrasound

Cardiovascular Medicine Critical Care Track Rotations

*order and timing of rotations will be determined at the start of the program and are subject to change.

Apply Now Fellowship Homepage

Contact Us

For more information, e-mail Chelsey Masters, PA-C at Chelsey.Masters@piedmont.org