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The training facilities are centered at University Medical Center (UMC) at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) at Northport. Fellows take rotations at each institution, and the Nephrology faculty is equally divided between the two. Each hospital has an active renal consult service, acute and chronic dialysis, outpatient services, and research facilities. In addition, University Medical Center has an accredited, established Renal Transplantion Division, and a Pediatric Nephrology Division with its own faculty and fellows.
The training program generally spans two or three years, with a flexible schedule based on the individual interests of the fellow.
Most fellows will choose to do a clinical year first, and a typical schedule will include rotations on:
Renal Consult/Transplantation Service (UMC) 5 months
Hemodialysis/CAPD (UMC) 3 months
Renal Consult/Dialysis (VAMC)3 month
Vacation 1 month
There are two goals set for the starting fellow. The first is to achieve competence in clinical nephrology. The second is to introduce
the fellow to the principles of renal physiology and research.
To achieve the first goal, we attempt to give the fellow the widest
possible exposure to patients with renal/electrolyte problems, and have the fellow manage these cases along with the Nephrology faculty.
On the consult services, the fellow supervises students and house staff on the renal elective in seeing a variety of inpatient problems.
The consult service meets daily with the faculty attending. The most interesting of these cases is presented to the entire division
at the weekly Nephrology Grand Rounds. On the dialysis units, fellows learn the techniques of acute and maintenance dialysis, including
hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and contiuous hemodialysis/hemofiltration. With supervision, fellows perform all biopsies, which
are discussed monthly at an interdepartmental Biopsy Conference. On the transplantation service, the fellow participates in managing
these patients, observing the surgical techniques, and learning transplantation immunology. An important component of the clinical experience is the exposure to the unique nephrologic problems of ambulatory patients. The fellows each spend one to two sessions per week in the general nephrology outpatient office, and follow their own patients with one of the faculty members. In addition the fellow spends one session per week in the transplantation outpatient clinic and one session per week in the home dialysis clinic.
To achieve the second goal, the fellow is encouraged to actively participate in the ongoing research activities of the Division,
and the various conferences and lecture series which are devoted to renal physiology, pathophysiology, and research techniques. The
fellow is invited to undertake a clinical research project during his first year, and to become familiar with the active research
projects of the faculty by visiting each laboratory. These activities are complemented by a weekly research journal club, and a separate
Physiology Seminar, during which the Stony Brook faculty and selected national authorities in Nephrology discuss their research projects.
The remainder of the second and subsequent year can be devoted to a clinical or laboratory research project of the fellow's choosing.
The fellow works closely with a faculty member who acts as a preceptor. During this time, the fellow manages his own project while
gaining the technical and intellectual maturity needed to pursue a career in academic nephrology. Other fellows may be primarily
interested in clinical practice, and may elect to do only two fellowship years, spending additional time during the second year
on the consult or dialysis services.
The Nephrology Division sponsors a wide variety of academic conferences during the academic year.
In addition, the Division regularly invites nephrologists of national stature to visit Stony Brook to participate in rounds and conferences,
and to meet informally with the fellows and faculty. The regularly scheduled conferences are detailed under Seminars and Conferences. |
