Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program

Critical Care Medicine at the University of Minnesota

The Critical Care Medicine (CCM) Program at the University of Minnesota is a one-year program that received initial ACGME-accreditation in 2023 with the first fellow starting in July 2024. The program provides a pathway for graduates of Internal Medicine subspecialty fellowships to continue their training in one of two tracks: general critical care, which is open to graduates of any two- or three- year IM program; or cardiology critical care, which is open to cardiology fellowship program graduates. Trainees will be board-eligible in Critical Care Medicine upon successful completion of the program.

Training in the University of Minnesota program takes place at three clinical sites to provide a diverse training experience through varied patient populations, levels of patient acuity, service-delivery arrangements, and academic professional relationships. Participating sites include: University of Minnesota Medical Center, Southdale Hospital, and St. John's Hospital.

Important: Please note, our program only considers applicants who have completed a 2-3 year fellowship in an internal medicine subspecialty and are eligible for appointment at the F2 level per the ACMGE Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Critical Care Medicine, section 3.2.a.

Cardiac Critical Care Track

Generally, fellows with prior training in Cardiology are admitted to this track (case-by-case review for special circumstances can be considered). The Cardiology IM CCM fellowship track is a one-year program that focuses on on preparing trainees to practice in cardiac and/or cardiovascular ICUs. There is extra emphasis on mechanical circulatory support, heart failure and lung transplant management, hemodynamic evaluation of cardiogenic shock, etc. Elective opportunities include experiences to enhance procedural skills necessary in the CICU/CTICU and care for conditions typically encountered there. Outpatient experiences include time in the post-arrest, heart failure, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, transplant, and LVAD clinics.

General Critical Care Track

A fellow with any prior fellowship training can enter the General IM CCM fellowship track. This track is a one-year program with a broad focus on critical care medicine with an extra emphasis on medical ICU time. Elective opportunities are focused on general critical care skills. Outpatient experiences include time in the pulmonary clinic and skilled nursing facility (SNF) outpatient care centers. This track efficiently prepares fellows to become well-rounded intensivists capable of managing patients in any setting.

Dual-Track Options

For trainees seeking to complete two one-year fellowships sequentially, the challenge of securing positions in both specialties at the same institution can create uncertainty. Additionally, relocating for a single year of training can present logistical difficulties. To address this, the University of Minnesota Division of Cardiovascular Medicine is proud to uniquely offer two dual-track fellowship pathways, providing guaranteed admission to both programs at the time of acceptance. Available dual track pathways include Advanced Heart Failure/Critical Care Medicine and Critical Care Medicine/Interventional Cardiology. For more information please see our dual-track pathway pages.

Program Highlights & Unique Features

Cardiology Critical Care Program Director with program housed in the Cardiology Division
Rotations that support learner maintenance of cardiology skills
Opportunity to gain experience in ECMO cannulation and management
Availability of a wide breadth of critical care procedures
Support to attend professional conferences (time and money)
Opportunity for certification or maintenance of certification in ACLS, ATLS, and brain death
Robust simulation curriculum to develop procedural and communication skills
Dedicated difficult airway course
Well-rounded program; fellows work with multi-disciplinary teams in a variety of settings
Rotations designed to provide experience working at a Junior attending level

Applicant Corner

We are delighted that you are interested in the field of Critical Care Medicine and are considering our program for post-graduate training! We hope you find this site useful, but if after reviewing it you find you have unanswered questions yet, please reach out to ccmfellow@umn.edu. Please see the Application to the Program page for details about applying for the next academic year. To get to know the area, see the Explore the Twin Cities page.

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