The goal of the first year of fellowship is to acquire diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic skills through participation in direct patient care in supervised inpatient and outpatient settings. For a list of facilities see clinical care. A typical year includes:
- Two months on East Jefferson General Hospital Inpatient Consults
- One to two months on East Jefferson General Hospital Abdominal Transplant
- Two months on UMCNO Inpatient Consults
- Two months on VA Inpatient Consults
- Three to four months of Research
- Four weeks of vacation (taken during elective time)
- Two/three half-day clinics per week
- Transplant clinic for at least 3 consecutive months
- Dialysis Shifts throughout the year
- At least one PD clinic monthly during research months
The goal of the second year of fellowship is to extend knowledge to include more esoteric aspects of Nephrology (the genetic disorders leading to hypertension, for example). A typical year includes:
- Two months on East Jefferson General Hospital Inpatient Consults
- One to two months on East Jefferson General Hospital Abdominal Transplant
- Two months on UMCNO Inpatient Consults
- Two months on VA Inpatient Consults
- Three to four months of Research
- Four weeks of vacation (taken during elective time)
- Two/three half-day clinics per week
- Transplant clinic for at least 3 consecutive months
- Dialysis Shifts throughout the year
East Jefferson General Hospital
The Nephrology rotation is a consultation service. It covers the entire spectrum of renal inpatient practice. Patients included on the service are hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients from the dialysis units; consults from the Transplant Team; and patients from other services. Lakeside Hospital is considered an extension of East Jefferson General Hospital where obstetric cases are seen.
Abdominal Transplant
The Transplant Service is structured to care for a spectrum of renal transplantation and combined kidney-pancreas transplantation issues. The patient population is varied, as the service attracts patients from South Louisiana and Mississippi. The fellow is exposed to pre-transplant workup in the clinic and learns the basics of typing and cross matching. The fellow also performs renal biopsies when indicated. Fellows follow transplant patients following transplantation and learn to manage patient issues, such as rejection.
University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO)
UMCNO has a patient population that is primarily, though not exclusively, indigent. As most of the serious trauma cases in New Orleans are taken to UMCNO, the UMCNO inpatient consult service provides opportunity for fellows to participate in the care of complicated surgical cases. UMCNO also has acute dialysis facilities.
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System (SLVHCS)
SLVHCS is a brand new, state of the art hospital. Clinical coverage duties include inpatient dialysis and nephrology consults for veterans. Fellows also attend a half-day chronic kidney disease clinic administered by the VA on Tuesdays/Thursdays (when assigned to the VA Inpatient Consult Service and/or electives). The New Orleans VA also serves as a tertiary referral for nephrology problems from surrounding VA hospitals that do not perform biopsies or offer dialysis facilities. The goal of the rotation is to train the fellow in the nephrology consultative practice in a government setting.
