GME > Fellowships > Infectious Disease > Curriculum > Elective Months

Elective Months

The Fellow will have two months of dedicated elective time during their first year. The timing of these months is to allow a change in venue from the more intense inpatient consultation rotation. Electives can be organized during the second year of fellowship as well.

Goals: To provide the opportunity for more experience in: outpatient clinical ID and HIV/AIDS, Transplant ID, Tropical Medicine and International Health, Microbiology, Epidemiology, quality assessment, as well as allow time to develop a second year research project.

Outpatient clinic. The Fellow will work one-on-one with an ID attending and have additional outpatient clinics scheduled. They will see varied infectious disease illness and HIV/AIDS. All patients will be assessed by the Fellow and reviewed with the ID attending.

Quality assessment (QA). QA can be performed by involvement in ongoing QA projects involving antibiotic utilization, HIV/AIDS care or hospital epidemiology. The fellow will learn the fundamentals of continuous quality improvement (CQI). This program will entail developing goals and objectives for quality standards, developing data collection tools, chart review, data assessment and feedback to providers. Areas of QA that the Fellow may participate in include;

  • Working with Lindsay Smith and John Ahern of pharmacotherapy to design, implement and assess quality of antibiotic use. This is an ongoing program of the Infectious Disease Practice Committee (IDPC). Data is used to assess the hospital antibiotic formulary, quality of antibiotic use and to monitor costs.
  • Working with Cindy Noyes on infection control projects.
  • Working with Devika Singh to review HIV/AIDS care.
  • Case and HIV/HCV conference
  • Department of Medicine morbidity and mortality conference

Research development. The first year Fellow will spend part of the elective month deciding on and early planning for the second year research project

  • Meet with the ID attendings to review ongoing and new projects.
  • Meet with researchers from Microbiology and Molecular Genetics to review ongoing projects
  • Begin background reading and hypothesis development

Teaching environment:

  • Outpatient clinic with direct supervision by the ID attending
  • Working with pharmacotherapy
  • Monthly conferences
  • Working with research mentor

Mix of diseases:

  • HIV/AIDS
  • General infectious diseases
  • Home intravenous therapy
  • International travelers

Reading list:

  • Mandell's text according to disease encountered
  • Journal club
  • Case conference

Pathological material: Gram stains and culture interpretation

Evaluation: Dr. Dejace will review progress with each Fellow at the end of the month. Written evaluation will be done. The Fellow will also provide written evaluations of the rotation to the fellowship director.