Critical Care Fellowship

About the Fellowship

The Critical Care Fellowship is a 16-week course which includes approximately 160 classroom hours, and 430 clinical hours. The Fellowship includes four weeks of five eight-hour days of classroom instruction.  The clinical hours are completed through 12 weeks of three twelve-hour shifts per week.  The clinical hours consist of working in the ICU setting with an assigned preceptor.   Work days will vary between day and night shift to provide experience in the routines and expectations of both shifts.

The Critical Care Fellowship is longer and more comprehensive than most critical care training programs. Nurses accepted into the Critical Care Fellowship are required to sign a contract stating they will work in critical care for a minimum of two years after the sixteen-week training.  Once the fellowship is completed, this additional two years experience provides the most comprehensive opportunity for nurses to gain proficiency.  Upon completion of the Fellowship, nurses may have the opportunity to continue working in the ICU, CVICU, or Critical Care Float Pool.

About the ICU

Our Intensive Care Unit is a 28-bed unit known for high-tech care at the bedside. Although technology is important, it is the soft touch and astute interventions of the critical care nurse that makes a difference in our patients’ outcomes. Today, the critical care R.N. must become an expert at using technology while keeping the real focus on the patient and his or her family. Critical care nursing has become the perfect blend of both the art and science of nursing.

The ICU serves an acutely ill patient population with diagnoses including, but not limited to, acute myocardial infarction, sepsis, stroke, congestive heart failure and renal failure.  The unit has a comprehensive focus that continually challenges the health care team and presents learning opportunities on a daily basis.

About the CVICU

The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) was developed for the immediate recovery of open-heart and vascular patients following surgery. The unit served over 850 patients during the last year. CVICU also serves patients recovering from thoracotomies, lobectomies, esophagectomies, and vascular procedures including carotid, femoral artery bypass and extensive aortic aneurysm repairs.

CVICU is a fast-paced, challenging work environment, allowing for autonomy and development of critical thinking skills. Patient acuity determines the staffing ratio, which is typically at a one-to-one ratio with patients during the immediate recovery phase. We care for patients with ventricular-assist devices, intra-aortic balloon pumps and continuous dialysis at the bedside.

Contact

ICU Nurse Manager: Brandy Price
Phone: (606) 408-5438
brandy.price@kdmc.net

CVICU Nurse Manager: Falissa Birchfield
Phone: (606) 408-4835
falissa.birchfield@kdmc.net

Educators: