Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVICU) Clinical Scholar Program/Fellowship

The Department of Critical Care Medicine offers a 12 month clinical Fellowship in Cardiovascular Intensive Care (CVICU). This fellowship is for those who have completed a Critical Care Fellowship and are interested in developing and honing the skills required to deliver excellent patient care in any CVICU. Our patient population has changed considerably over the last couple of decades with increasing complexity, in addition to the increasing interest and use of extracorporeal mechanical life support. 

The CVICU is located in the Foothills Medical Center and is comprised of 22 beds (16 of which are funded). We are a high volume center, performing >1700 cardiac surgery cases per year, with the majority of cases being coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and valve repair or replacement. Other advanced surgeries cared for in the CVICU include complex thoracic aortic surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery including alternate access approaches to Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), as well as Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) for both temporary heart and lung support (VA/VV ECMO), and Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD). Our CVICU physician group represents a range of medical backgrounds, including members with specialized CVICU fellowships and many who are certified in Echocardiography. 

The Fellow will spend at least 6 months in the CVICU, with the remainder tailored to the Fellow's interests and educational objectives (for example, electives in cardiology subspecialties, CV Anesthesia, out of city electives for transplant exposure). We provide an Academic half day with participation from CVICU Attendings and our colleagues in CV Anesthesia, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology, in addition to regular Journal Clubs and numerous Educational rounds offered through the Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Cardiac Sciences / Libin Cardiovascular Institute.

Applications for the Academic year (beginning July 1) typically open in October of the preceding year. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to providing exceptional patient centered cardiovascular critical care and will possess excellent clinical skills. They will be a self-sufficient adult learner able to independently seek feedback for growth, and identify and advocate for their learning needs. We encourage candidates to have an area of secondary academic focus (eg, research, education, QI, administration), and seek candidates that reflect diversity of background and experiences. 

Qualifications include an MD and Canadian Adult Critical Care Medicine specialty training. Candidates must be eligible for full medical licensure in the Province of Alberta. Consideration may be given to non Canadian trained candidates who have previous local elective experience and otherwise meet criteria for licensure with the CPSA (in particular, English Language Proficiency - College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta | CPSA) .