Overview of the Neurocritical Care Fellowship
Loyola Medicine's Neurocritical Care Fellowship program offers a two-year fellowship position and is accredited through the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS).
The full spectrum of neuroscience services is available on the Loyola University Medical Center campus in Maywood, IL.
Loyola University Medical Center is a state-of-the-art medical center with 570-licensed-bed facility with abundant research opportunities encouraged at the translational, basic science and clinical level.
The 13-bed neuro-ICU at Loyola treats a variety of patients with neurological and neurosurgical disease including hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, brain neoplasms, status epilepticus, complex spine disease, encephalitis, isolated brain, spine trauma and more.
This fellowship focuses on the comprehensive critical care management of patients with neurologic and neurosurgical disorders in the intensive care unit (ICU). Fellows will receive excellent general critical care training in medical, surgical and transplant ICU as well as ample elective time for research and supplementation on training in EEG, TCD and other areas of interest.
Fellows will demonstrate the ability to perform numerous procedures by the end of their fellowship including, intubation, management of mechanical ventilation, central venous and arterial lines, critical care ultrasound, interpretation of bedside continuous EEG monitoring, diagnostic bronchoscopy and lumbar puncture. Research and teaching are required component of the fellowship program.
Fellows will work with a progressive team of dedicated neurocritical faculty:
- Michael Schneck, MD, Professor, Neurocritical Care Fellowship Program Director
- Sean Ruland, DO, Professor, Medical Director of NICU
- Sarkis Morales Vidal, MD, Associate Professor
- José Biller, MD, Professor and Chairman
- Rick Gill, MD, Assistant Professor
For information on compensation, benefits and plans for fellows in any Loyola Medicine graduate medical education program, please contact Loyola Medicine's Graduate Medical Education Office.
Eligibility and Application Process
Applicants must:
- Have a current valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the US or Canada.
- Be a graduate of a residency program in neurology, neurological surgery, internal medicine, anesthesiology, surgery or emergency medicine accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).
Additional qualifications also include the following.
Each trainee achieving provider and/or instructor status in the following:
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Certification in one or more of the following is desirable:
- Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS)
When applying, please provide the following to Rocio Chavez, the fellowship's Program Coordinator:
- Current 2 x 3 photo
- Curriculum vitae
- Copy of your medical school transcript
- Three letters of recommendation (your current program director or supervisor must provide a formal letter upon your behalf)
- Personal statement
- Copies of USMLE Step 1, USMLE Step 2 CK and USMLE Step 2 CS examination scores (COMLEX scores are accepted by the program)
- Copy of your current, active license
- ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
- VISA status information (if applicable)
The Loyola Medicine Neurocritical Care Fellowship program participates in the San Francisco Match (SF MATCH).
Please visit the SF Match for Neurocritical Care web site to gather important dates for the recruitment season.
If you inquire outside the traditional recruitment period, please refer to the documents listed above to be considered for a position. Once the documents are sent to our Program Coordinator, the fellowship coordinator will forward the Loyola Medicine application and consent/release form. Applicant's portfolios are not reviewed by the recruitment committee until all documents are received.
Program Goals and Objectives
The goal is for the neurocritical care fellow to build upon his clinical knowledge and skills base in the NSICU rotations longitudinally from the first year into the second year.
The following specific objectives related to the Neurosciences (NSICU) rotations are listed below (these apply to both the first and second year rotations):
| a) |
To understand and participate in triage of neurological and neurosurgical patients including indications for admission to the NSICU and appropriate criteria for discharge from the NSICU. |
| b) |
To be able to obtain an accurate and complete medical and neurological history and examination, allowing rapid assessment of emergent or critical disease states, either in the primary management of patients in the NSICU or in consultation within other intensive care unit settings. |
| c) |
Develop clinical skills in the comprehensive management of all aspects of neurologic and neurosurgical emergencies and critical illness included (but not only): |
| d) |
To understand indications of central venous catheter placement, management, and complications. |
| e) |
To understand indications for ICP monitoring devices, placement of these devices, and thorough knowledge and use of parenchymal and ventricular monitoring devices. Furthermore, to understand the indications for urgent utilization of lumbar puncture and lumbar drains, and properly perform the techniques for these procedures. |
| f) |
To understand and actively participate in the use of mechanical ventilation in critically ill neurology patients, the parameters used to monitor respiratory status, and the changes in mechanical ventilation implemented in response to medical and neurological changes. |
| g) |
To understand and actively participate in the ethical discussions of neurological illness in the NSICU and other consultative settings. |
| h) |
To understand and actively participate in end-of-life decision making processes and know the criteria for brain death and the techniques of performing a brain death examination, including the apnea test. |
| i) |
To understand the proper utilization of urgent neuro imaging studies including plain films of the spine, CT non-contrasted and contrasted head and spine studies, CT angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) MRI and MRA studies, conventional angiography and neurovascular ultrasound (Carotid duplex and transcranial Doppler imaging). |
| j) |
To understand and utilize other neurologic diagnostic tests such as EEG, video-EEG monitoring, and EMG NCVs, in the NSICU setting. |
| k) |
To understand indications for endovascular procedures such as intra-arterial thrombolysis, angioplasty, mechanical thrombectomy, stenting, and coiling of aneurysms. |
