Critical care medicine

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine offers a four-week elective rotation in Danville, Pa., with the Department of Critical Care Medicine. The department provides care for critically ill adults from local and more distant referral areas in northeastern and central Pennsylvania. We provide comprehensive intensive care that includes management and recognition of shock, sepsis, multiple organ system failure, post operative management and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Patients are managed collaboratively in multiple specialty ICUs including medical, surgical, trauma, neuroscience and cardiac. New technological innovations are used, including advance mechanical ventilator modes, critical care point-of-care ultrasound, mechanical circulatory support, ECMO (venovenous and venoarterial) and ultrasound guided procedures.

Integration into our service happens as you become active in the daily care of our patients. You’ll be expected to become thoroughly familiar with your patients, present them on rounds and provide daily care under the supervision of the ICU physician team leader. You’ll acquire skills in the management of shock, ventilator management, post-operative management and acute respiratory failure. Experience with bedside procedures will be provided. Procedures performed in our ICUs include arterial line, central line, airway management, chest tube insertion, paracentesis, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis and lumbar puncture.

The Department of Critical Care Medicine is proud of this exciting educational opportunity. We’re confident you’ll have an enjoyable and rewarding educational experience.

Geisinger has fellowship programs in the following areas:

• Critical care
• Hospice and palliative care
• Pulmonary critical care
• Surgical critical care 

Goals and objectives

• Learn to evaluate the critically ill medical and surgical patient with sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ system failure, trauma and neurosurgical emergencies.
• Acquire an appreciation for the complexities of managing end-of-life care.
• Understand the risks and benefits of vascular, airway and other invasive procedures.
• Understand the basics of ventilator management, noninvasive ventilation, hemodynamic support, intracranial pressure monitoring, interpretation of ABGs and radiologic studies. 
• Acquire a basic understanding to perform ultrasound guided procedures, airway management, chest tube insertions and management of mechanical ventilation.
• Take advantage of opportunities to participate in bedside procedures.
• Understand the collaborative model of ICU care by observing and working with consultants, primary care physicians, social workers, physical, occupational and speech therapists, dieticians, respiratory therapists, clergy, palliative care/hospice and pharmacy personnel.