The Pain Medicine Fellowship Program's multidisciplinary approach provides you with an educational and clinical experience in which you will:
- be prepared to function as a pain management consultant
- become an expert at fluoroscopic guided procedures by performing a wide range of interventional injections along with learning cutting edge procedures.
Fellows are expected to emerge from the 12-month program fully capable of leading a pain management practice group, in any type of private or academic setting.
Service Duties
Interventional Pain
A strong emphasis is placed on interventional pain management with fellows getting strong exposure to fluoroscopic-guided interventional pain management techniques, including somatic blocks, sympathetic blocks, neurolytic blocks, radio-frequency ablation procedure, spinal cord stimulator trials, and implants. Approximately 5,000 interventional procedures are performed annually (approximately 20 Fluoro-procedures/day). Along with fluoroscopic guided procedures, the clinical is equipped with multiple ultrasound machines and there is a strong emphasis of on ultrasound guided procedures and examination.
Chronic Pain
Fellows are exposed to a wide spectrum of pain conditions ranging from chronic back pain to complex neuropathic pain conditions. You will work side by side with the pain attending physicians as a team and offer consultation services, formulate diagnoses, and implement treatment plans that have a multidisciplinary philosophy and are cost-effective.
Acute Pain
You will learn the organization and management of a postoperative inpatient pain service, and develop the capability to lead such a treatment team. Fellows will fully understand the pharmacology and clinical use of intraspinal opioids and local anesthetic infusions for acute pain management, including epidural PCEA. Fellows also get training in peripheral nerve catheter insertions for management of acute pain. A heavy emphasis on regional anesthesia with ultrasound guidance is implemented and relied upon.
Other Rotations
Multiple electives are offered throughout the year including rotations with Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Radiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Regional Anesthesia, Psychiatry and Pain Psychology. These rotations are constantly changing due to the fellow feedback with new rotations added to meet the needs and expectations of the fellows and educational goals.
Call
Fellows currently do not take overnight call. They are expected to round on the acute pain service, in conjunction with an attending, on the weekends when on call, but in most circumstances their clinical responsibilities for the day ends once they are finished with their rounds/work for that day and sign-out to a resident.