Comprehensive Surgical Critical Care Training
The Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center provides broad, multidisciplinary critical care exposure centered on a robust Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) experience. The curriculum is designed to deliver advanced training in the management of critically ill surgical patients while offering flexibility to support each fellow's individual academic and career goals.
Through a combination of core clinical rotations, specialty critical care experiences, elective opportunities, and individualized mentorship, fellows develop the expertise necessary to lead multidisciplinary teams and care for patients across the full spectrum of critical illness.
SICU: The Foundation of Fellowship Training
Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)
The SICU at Weill Cornell Medicine serves as the clinical anchor of the fellowship and provides the majority of fellows' critical care experience.
Within the SICU, fellows assume graduated responsibility for the management of complex surgical patients, including those undergoing:
- Trauma surgery
- Emergency general surgery
- Transplant surgery
- Hepatobiliary surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Colorectal surgery
- Surgical oncology procedures
Fellows work closely with attending intensivists, residents, advanced practice providers, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and consulting specialists to provide coordinated, evidence-based care.
Additional Rotations and Specialty Experiences
To ensure comprehensive critical care training, fellows rotate through a variety of specialized services across NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine.
Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU)
Gain experience managing critically ill patients undergoing:
- Cardiac surgery
- Thoracic surgery
- Mechanical circulatory support
- Advanced hemodynamic monitoring
Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
Develop expertise in:
- Complex medical critical care
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis and shock
- Multisystem organ dysfunction
Exposure to diverse critical care populations broadens clinical judgment and enhances interdisciplinary collaboration.
Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)
Fellows gain experience in:
- Acute cardiac emergencies
- Advanced cardiac monitoring
- Cardiogenic shock management
- Critical care cardiology
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
The NICU experience exposes fellows to:
- Pediatric critical care principles
- Neonatal physiology
- Multidisciplinary critical care delivery
This rotation expands understanding of critical care systems across the continuum of patient populations.
Burn Intensive Care Unit
Through the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, fellows participate in the management of:
- Acute burn injuries
- Burn resuscitation
- Complex wound care
- Burn-related critical illness
This dedicated burn critical care experience provides exposure to a highly specialized patient population rarely available in many fellowship programs.
Anesthesiology Rotation
The anesthesiology experience strengthens procedural and perioperative skills, including:
- Advanced airway management
- Endotracheal intubation
- Perioperative physiology
- Hemodynamic assessment
- Critical care procedural techniques
Nephrology and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)
Fellows develop expertise in:
- Acute kidney injury management
- Continuous renal replacement therapy
- Extracorporeal support systems
- Fluid and electrolyte management in critically ill patients
Individualized Elective Opportunities
Recognizing that each fellow has unique professional aspirations, the program offers dedicated elective time that can be customized to support career development.
Elective experiences may include:
- Research and outcomes studies
- Medical education
- Healthcare administration and leadership
- Advanced trauma care
- Transplant critical care
- Global surgery
- Specialized ICU experiences
- Quality improvement initiatives
Fellows work closely with faculty mentors to develop individualized educational plans aligned with their long-term goals.
Global Surgery Experience
For fellows interested in international health and surgical systems development, the fellowship offers opportunities for global surgery engagement in Tanzania.
These experiences provide valuable perspectives on:
- Resource-limited critical care delivery
- Global health systems
- Surgical capacity building
- International collaboration and education
Tailored Training for Future Leaders
A distinguishing feature of the fellowship is its flexibility. While the SICU serves as the cornerstone of training, elective time can be individualized to complement each fellow's interests in:
- Clinical excellence
- Academic surgery
- Research
- Medical education
- Quality improvement
- Healthcare administration
- Global health
By combining rigorous clinical training with personalized career development, the Surgical Critical Care Fellowship prepares graduates to become leaders in surgical critical care, trauma surgery, acute care surgery, and academic medicine.