University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School Program

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, is a comprehensive three-year program crafted to develop proficient physicians in the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine. The program emphasizes educational excellence, offering a robust clinical environment that allows fellows to gain experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Fellows are trained through a dual hospital model that includes collaboration with both academic and private hospitals, permitting exposure to a diverse patient population and a variety of clinical scenarios. The curriculum aims to equip trainees with the skills necessary to tackle systemic challenges in healthcare while providing individual patient care. It is essential for fellowship applicants to be graduates from an internal medicine residency program or equivalent, and the application process is conducted via the National Residency Match Program (NRMP) and the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) 1.

Curriculum

The fellowship curriculum meets Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) standards, ensuring that graduating fellows qualify to sit for the critical care medicine and pulmonary medicine board certifications. It comprehensively integrates both inpatient and outpatient experiences over the course of 36 months. This includes dedicated rotations in various subspecialty areas such as pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, and advanced asthma 3.

Fellows will also engage in procedure months where they learn basic and advanced techniques such as bronchoscopy and right heart catheterization. In addition, the fellowship offers extensive exposure to both general pulmonary procedures and critical care consultations throughout their training 3.

Training Sites

The program utilizes various training facilities to provide comprehensive clinical education. Key sites include:

• Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin: A tertiary referral center where fellows learn various procedures and manage critically ill patients, gaining exposure to advanced techniques such as ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation).
• Dell Seton Medical Center at UT: The city’s Level 1 trauma center where fellows command medical intensive care unit services and provide pulmonary and critical care consultations.
• Medical Park Tower: This serves as the primary outpatient clinic site, where fellows gain a continuous understanding of chronic pulmonary diseases through a proctored continuity clinic spanning most of their fellowship.

Research and Scholarly Activity

A significant aspect of the fellowship is the allocation of 10 protected months dedicated to completing a scholarly activity. This provides fellows the opportunity to engage in meaningful research projects and contribute to the field of pulmonary and critical care medicine 2.

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The fellowship program is highly competitive, welcoming applications from U.S. citizens and green card holders who have completed their internal medicine residency or are in their final year of residency. Applicants must demonstrate eligibility for certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine by the completion year of their application. A complete application packet is required, including:

• Medical school transcripts.
• United States Medical Licensing Examination transcripts.
• Professional color photograph.
• Letters of recommendation (one from the residency program director and three additional letters).
• Personal statement.

Only complete packets will be reviewed, and qualified applicants will be invited for virtual interviews, where selection for the fellowship will be finalized 2.

Visa Support

The program sponsors J-1 and H-1B visas for internationally trained physicians, enabling them to apply for the fellowship without immigration concerns 1.

Unique Aspects of the Program

The fellowship emphasizes a culture of collaboration, mentorship, and high-quality education. A key feature is the partnership with Texas State University’s Department of Respiratory Care, allowing fellows to engage in advanced training and simulation exercises specifically tailored to pulmonary and critical care 3. Additional highlights include:

• Hands-on experience with various ventilatory support devices.
• Collaborative training involving interprofessional interactions that strengthen the physician-respiratory therapist relationship.
• Access to multidisciplinary conferences and educational resources that enrich the learning experience.