Clinical Rotations

clinical rotations setting

Clinical rotations are arranged in 2 -week blocks with time divided between the inpatient service, the echocardiography lab, and the catheterization lab. Over the 3 year fellowship, fellows will spend approximately 8 months on the inpatient service, 2 months in the cardiac ICU, 5 months in the cath and EP labs, and 6 months in the echocardiography lab. There are 6 additional months of elective time that can be used to pursue clinical or research interests. General duties during each clinical block are listed below.

Clinical Service

  • Daily rounds on all patients on the Pediatric Cardiology service
  • Combined daily rounds on post-operative patients with the PCICU and surgical teams
  • Perform consults throughout University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital as needed
  • Weeknight home call
  • Assist with resident and medical student education
  • First call for all phone consults or patient questions
  • Inpatient team also supported by dedicated ACHD, Heart Failure/Transplant, and Single-Ventricle teams

Catheterization Lab/Electrophysiology Service

  • Assist with all cardiac catheterization performed during this rotation
  • Assist with all EP procedures performed during this rotation
  • Weeknight home call one night per week

Echocardiography

  • First year fellows learn to perform and interpret transthoracic echocardiograms. This is accomplished during a protected 1-month echo rotation at the start of first year and then 3 additional months to help fellows master this skill. 
  • Second and third year fellows learn advanced echocardiogram techniques and learn fetal and transesophageal echocardiograms during their dedicated echo blocks as senior level fellows. 
  • There is ample opportunities to learn cardiac MRI and cardiac CT

Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

  • Four total 2-week blocks distributed in first and second year
  • Integrated into the PCICU team 
  • Increasing responsibility based on experience, interest, and comfort

Electives

  • Fellows can elect to spend time in the following areas depending upon interest and career goals. A total of 6 months of elective time is available
  • Electrophysiology
  • Interventional cardiac catheterization
  • Echocardiography (transthoracic, transesophageal, fetal)
  • Cardiac MRI and Cardiac CT
  • Transplant Cardiology
  • Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (PCICU)
  • Cardiothoracic surgery
  • Neonatal Hemodynamics
  • Research