Kevin Ferguson MD, FACEP

Associate PD for Anesthesiology based CCM program which currently has 4 EM trained fellows. Pioneered the program in Gainesville, FL with the Dept of Anesthesiology

Univ of Michigan Medical School
EM Residency at King/Drew Medical Center, LA
Critical Care Fellowship SUNY Upstate, Syracuse, NY

Big Fan of Michigan football, loves BBQ/food smoking; still working on the perfect rub, mop and sauce; and passionate about Global Health- Directs a 2 week clerkship in Bangkok, Thailand and operates a clinic in the northern mountain villages for the Akha hill tribes of Thailand!!

Why EM-CCM?
I got hooked during SICU rotation in residency with the amazing William Shoemaker. I became a “perfusionist” and really loved that we titrated and tailored therapy to the individual patient. In ED I’ve loved caring for the “Bad sick” & “Bad Hurt” as opposed to the minor care patients. I know I had an impact.

Why should prospective applicants consider Gainesville, Florida?
Our fellowship is 2 years and based in our Anesthesiology department. We have a good collegial relationship and our ED trained fellows are accepted as “real” intensivists. Our fellows spend the 1st year on inpatient ICU rotations and have 4 months of ED rotations in the second year. EM fellows are permitted to expand their experience beyond what the Anesthesiology based fellows do and can rotate in MICU, and CICU in the second year.

How can the EM-CCM section help?
Like most intensivists I seek a seamless stream of care from pre-hospital, ED, ICU, OR care. I would like to have a short term ED/ICU that will permit development of protocols for the first 12-23 hours of care designed to reduce the admissions to inpatient ICUs.

Many ICUs admit patients with DKA, respiratory failure managed with NIPPV, CHF etc…all these could be managed in a short stay ED based ICU effectively expanding the critical care capacity of the hospital without building a new unit. I’d like the section to help us expand the ED based CCM arena.

The development of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring will permit more aggressive goal directed resuscitations with increased patient safety and efficient use of physician resources.

Marie-Carmelle Elie MD, FACEP

SUNY Downstate Medical School
EM Residency NY Hospital, Queens and Mount Sinai Hospital, NY
Fellowship: R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

Enjoys food, wine and volunteering on international mission trips… Served on EMRA board- oversaw the creation/ establishment of combined residency committee and EM-CCM sub-committee; chaired both; Member of the US Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group; working on the LIPS-A Lung Injury Prevention Study with Aspirin and Biomarkers in Pediatric Sepsis-and board certified in Palliative Care too!

What is your practice pattern?
Currently, my clinical time is spent 70% EM, 20% CCM, 10% Hospice- Palliative Care. My EM effort is at UF and I work independently as an intensivist in a community hospital managing 3 intensive care units. Hospice Palliative Care is mostly with the critically ill population at the University and provides me with the unique opportunity to assist patients and families to make the natural transition toward end-of-life. In my mind this is as close to holistic care that I can provide to my patients.

The Future of EM-CCM?
It’s time we perform investigations exploring the longitudinal impact of EM/CCM on the respective specialties; number of publications, our influence on current practice on EM (how many more lactates get drawn in your ED?…..How many innovations have EM-CCM folks brought to their local shops and regionally (eg, NYC- GNYHA; in Sepsis and hypothermia et al).

Emergency physicians truly are multi-talented and multi-faceted. Greatest challenge is learning how to say no! I truly envision the future of the US healthcare system resides squarely in EM where we practice the most challenging medicine in the country.

Rohit Patel MD

University of Alabama Medical School, Birmingham, AL
EM Residency at Lincoln Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Fellowship at University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Graduate of the fellowship program, he splits time between working in the ED and surgical intensive care units; is the Director of Critical Care Ultrasound; outside of medicine, he is a tennis and golf aficionado and counts “Atlas Shrugged” and” Catcher in the Rye” amongst his favorite works!

Experiences at Gainesville?
One of the biggest fears I had prior to accepting the fellowship spot at University of Florida was how the other physicians would welcome emergency medicine residents training in the ICU. From my 2 years here as a fellow and now as faculty, I am always amazed at how receptive each physician is of ‘alternative’ pathway trainees. In the ICU fellowships here we have representatives from surgery, anesthesiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and even obstetrics-gynecology. The attending physicians tailor the teaching of fellows to what their deficiencies are from residents. All residents come in with different strengths and weaknesses and we tend to learn from each other throughout the training process. We have attending physicians from surgery, anesthesia, medicine, and emergency medicine and this adds to the ‘multi-disciplinary’ rounds concept

Challenges of working in two departments?
Challenges working in two different departments as a faculty member in academics can be difficult since you are spread a little thin when it comes to didactic training component. Each training program has various components of didactics and it can be difficult making attendance to each session.

It is also difficult sometimes to draw a line with what is required in the emergency department versus what items can be done in the intensive care unit. The resources available in one setting are different than another, and I have to adjust to what is around me. Practicing Critical Care would be best if we have multi-disciplinary intensive care units in the country.

http://www.acep.org/Content.aspx?ID=91365

KUDOS!!

The following are a few comments from the UF College of Medicine Class of 2013 in support of the nomination of Dr. Jonathan Holloway, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Florida, for induction into the Chapman Gold Humanism Honor Society.

“The Chapman Gold Humanism Honor Society prides itself on recognizing those who demonstrate excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion, and a dedication to service.  Very few people have the service commitment that Dr. Holloway has demonstrated, all while maintaining his deep-rooted commitment to humanism and professionalism.  We couldn’t possibly explain all of his endeavors and commitments in such a nomination letter, but will highlight a few.”

“Dr. Holloway is unique among Emergency Medicine physicians.  Most would agree that when you meet him, you realize that he truly cares.  He has said before, “You have one minute to get your patient to trust you in the ER.” And in the emergent situation, that is most definitely true.  However, Dr. Holloway also realizes that there are some cases, which deserve more than one minute.  He demonstrated compassion and empathy when we encountered a very emotionally challenging patient who was threatening to leave against medical advice.  Instead of writing the patient off as a drug-seeker or “crazy” patient, he took the time to listen to her and reason with her to come up with an alternative plan of admission to the hospital so that she could receive appropriate care.  His skills and patience were impressive especially in the high-stress environment of Emergency Medicine.”

“When thinking of residents who we thought most embodied the character that Chapman Gold Humanism Honor Society seeks, we couldn’t think of a better physician to be recognized.  We have no doubt that Dr. Holloway will continue to be of service to his patients, the community, and his family and friends.  He started working at a young age on his family’s farm and his work ethic and personal integrity will most definitely fit well with the ideals and goals of the University of Florida Chapman Gold Humanism Honor Society.”

February 7, 2013
Dear Dr. Allen,
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is pleased to inform you that the ACGME Board of Directors confirmed your appointment to the ACGME Review Committee for Emergency Medicine.

Sincerely,
Thomas Nasca, M.D., MACP
Chief Executive Officer
ACGME

The Department of Emergency Medicine is starting the Scribe Program at Shands at the University of Florida at the Gainesville campus for the summer of 2013.

Hired as hourly employees, health career bound students work hand-in-hand with physicians and physician assistants during their shifts in the ED. Scribes complete the charting of the patients, to include documenting the history, physical exam, procedure notes, and lab results. In order to be able to accurately complete this documentation, the students must first complete training in both the classroom and the ED.

With daily patient and physician interactions, the Scribe Program provides clinical knowledge and experience unlike any other shadowing or volunteering position.

We are currently looking to hire students for our first class of scribes. We are looking for students with strong academic records and a willingness to commit a minimum of one and a half continuous years to this part-time job (at least 12 hours/week throughout the school-year and the summer). The time commitment is flexible around academic schedules.

E:mail Program Application Forms to GatorScribe@health.ufl.edu

SCRIBE Program Application Form (PDF)

SCRIBE Program Application Form (Word)

The new Pediatric Emergency Room at UF & Shands Hospital North Tower for Children at the University of Florida becomes North Central Florida’s first Emergency Department specifically geared toward kids.

Located at Shands North Tower at the University of Florida, the facility has its own check-in area, two waiting areas, nine private and two semi-private treatment rooms, five observation beds, two exam rooms for children with infectious conditions, two resuscitation rooms and a conscious-sedation room for casting broken bones and stitching wounds. Its dedicated radiology imaging room is equipped to deliver the lowest-dose radiation to young patients. Calming, child-friendly décor with a nautical theme enhances the check-in and waiting areas, with porthole windows, saltwater aquariums and floors made to look like waves adding to the atmosphere.

“We’ve created an environment just for families, staffed by people committed to the care of children,” says Jennifer Light, M.D., UF’s College of Medicine clinical assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatric ER Medical Director.

The Pediatric ER is staffed by seven UF board-certified or board-eligible pediatric emergency medicine physicians and 22 Shands pediatric-trained emergency medicine registered nurses. The team can treat up to 24,000 pediatric emergency patients a year.

The new Pediatric ER includes a designated space for Pediatrics After Hours, which will move from the Shands Medical Plaza on July 20. Pediatrics After Hours is a collaborative effort between UF College of Medicine and community pediatricians who, along with Shands nursing staff, provide appointment-only urgent primary care and nonemergency services.

“Creating the Pediatric ER is an exciting step forward in our commitment to enhancing services for children,” says Timothy M. Goldfarb, Shands HealthCare CEO. “By providing this state-of-the-art facility and equipment, we’re supporting the expert care provided by our dedicated teams of UF doctors and Shands nurses and the entire health care team. We appreciate the tremendous support from employees and the community.”