Curriculum

Overview

The fellowship is 24 months in duration with a majority of that time devoted to hands-on clinical training. During the 24 months, each fellow will complete:

  • 12 months of inpatient nephrology consultation
  • 5 months inpatient transplant service
  • 2 months research time
  • 2 months of chronic dialysis rounds
  • 2 months of elective time
  • 1 month vacation per year

Time is spent evenly between CBMC and NBIMC. Fellows on inpatient service are expected to attend daily rounds. Fellows review renal biopsies, laboratory values, and radiologic imaging for their patients. Weekly case conferences and journal clubs are expected. Fellows will have weekly didactic lectures in Nephrology and Renal Pathology. Other didactics include monthly Board Review, Nephsap Review, and yearly in-service exams. Fellows also spend significant time teaching the medical house staff and students.

Nephrology Fellowship Program of Barnabas Health

All Rotations

Fellows are expected to be on rotation from 8 am until 5 pm. Any late arrival or early leave must be preapproved by the program director.

Call

On-call responsibilities are distributed evenly among four fellows. Fellows will be on call one weekday night during the week. Fellows will be on call for the weekend once a month, beginning Friday night and lasting until Monday morning. Fellows will work with the attending on call, notifying them at 5 pm that they are on call. Formal sign-out rounds will occur every afternoon between the fellows on different services. Call will be taken during research block. Call will not be scheduled during vacation time.

Vacation

Vacation should be split equally between campuses, two weeks at each site. Only one fellow may be on vacation at a time. If emergencies (maternity leave, family leave, etc.) coincide with a scheduled vacation, vacation may only be taken as a two-week block.

Nephrology Fellowship Clinics

Nephrology Fellowship Program of Barnabas Health

Fellows participate in four clinics during the fellowship:

Renal Hypertension Clinic

All fellows will spend one half day each week in the continuity clinic. This clinic is supervised by a nephrology attending physician, with whom each case will be discussed. Fellows will become familiar with diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease.

Transplant Clinic

All fellows will rotate through Renal Transplant Clinic on both campuses. They will become familiar with post renal transplant care, transplant dysfunction, and post-transplant infectious diseases.

Peritoneal Dialysis Clinic

Fellows at NBIMC will attend monthly peritoneal dialysis clinic at Hillside Dialysis Center.

Private Practice Office

Fellows at CBMC will attend the private practice office of the faculty weekly to learn about management of chronic kidney disease.