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Physician Assistant Postgraduate Surgical
Critical Care Residency Program
Physician Assistant Postgraduate Surgical
Critical Care Residency Program
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Message from Program Director
Program Director, Frank Rizzuto
Winthrop University Hospital, a 593 bed teaching hospital affiliated with Stony Brook University School of Medicine, is pleased to offer the well qualified Physician Assistant a post-graduate opportunity in the growing field of surgical critical care. The twelve month, rigorous program has been designed to provide the Physician Assistant the advanced knowledge and technical skills necessary to provide an evidence based approach to the management and care of patients with critical illness and injury. Critical care medicine is practiced using a multidisciplinary team approach consisting of board certified Critical Care Intensivists, Attending Physicians and a well seasoned team of Physician Assistants in the fields of Cardiothoracic, General and Neurosurgery. Combined with the knowledge and experience of Critical Care Nurses, Respiratory and Physical Therapists, Dieticians and Social Workers, the educational experience will be truly interdisciplinary and well-rounded. Formal lectures and small group discussions will set the foundation for broad based learning and clinical insight, while hands-on procedural training will provide the technical skills necessary to practice with competence and confidence in the field of surgical critical care. The standards of care embedded at Winthrop University Hospital are unsurpassed. Practicing “good” medicine is much more than the day to day clinical management of patients. Entrenched within the twelve months of residency, the moral obligation we have to our patients and to their families will be re-enforced. Respect, compassion, a patient’s right to privacy and a cognizance of cultural sensitivity are paramount to, and an integral part of, the healing process. The goal of this Residency program is to train the Physician Assistant to be an extraordinary practitioner in the field of surgical critical care medicine. It is through the interface of teaching, intense clinical training, ethical awareness, and a strong dedication to the Physician Assistant profession that this can be accomplished.
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Introduction & Philosophy
In response to a projected shortage of critical care clinicians as stated by the Committee on Manpower for Pulmonary and Critical Care Societies (COMPACCS) and fostered by the exemplary model of the Physician/PA critical care team which has been applied successfully in critical care settings across the nation, and in particular, at Winthrop University Hospital, a postgraduate Critical Care Residency is being offered to a select candidate who meets the competitive application criteria and who is able to meet the physical and cerebral demands of a critical care environment. The program will enhance the fundamental concepts of critical care medicine learned in a PA Program and further foster ones knowledge of patient care, evidence based medical knowledge, research principles, systems based medicine, and communication among the healthcare team, patients and their families.
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Program Requirements
Interested applicants must fulfill the following prerequisites:
- Graduation from an ARC-PA accredited Physician Assistant education program.
- Successful completion of the NCCPA Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination and current NCCPA certification
- Possess a valid New York State License to practice as a Physician Assistant
- Current BLS/ACLS certification
- Submission of a completed application including 3 letters of recommendation from preceptors, supervising Physician Assistants or Attending doctors. One letter must be from the applicant's school program Director if the applicant is a new graduate.
- Recent Curriculum Vitae
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Program At A Glance
The program consists of 12 months of intensive training in the sub-specialties of Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery, and Neuro-Surgery critical care. Training is I.C.U. based and encompasses a multi-disciplinary team of health care professionals. Patients on each of these units are managed 24/7 by physician/PA teams whom you will regularly interact with. The faculty consists of renowned and well respected Critical Care Intensivists, Neurosurgeons, Neurologists, Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Cardiologists and PA’s. Formal lectures will be provided throughout the program year; however, the majority of didactic learning comes from small group discussions and interaction with surgeons, critical care intensivists, teams of highly seasoned Physician Assistants and other members of the health care team. An intensive training course is also offered in A.T.L.S. Additional lectures offered by other hospital departments will be attended at the discretion of the program director.
The Physician Assistant will be involved in all phases of patient care including emergency department evaluation, admission orders, History and Physical evaluation, daily progress notes, morning and evening rounds, morbidity and mortality conference and all preoperative and post-operative intervention and management. The last month of the 12 month program will be spent on the service of the Physician Assistants’ choice. In addition, the Physician Assistant will be responsible for case presentations and writing a paper on the topic of his or her choice as it pertains to surgical critical care. A daily log will also be kept for review by the Program Director to ensure the Physician Assistant is gaining the knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful practioner in the field of surgical critical care.
Technical skills will also be taught and perfected throughout the program year. The Physician Assistant will become proficient performing a vast array of invasive procedures, including, but not limited to, central line placement, arterial catheter placement, chest tube placement and Swan-Ganz catheter placement. In order to maximize the clinical experience, the Physician Assistant will work rotating hours to a maximum average of 60 hours/week, and during his/her training, will be paired with at least one or more experienced P.A.’s
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Curriculum
Interfaced with rotations and clinical practice in the Surgical ICU, Neurosciences Special Care Unit and the Cardiothoracic ICU will be lectures and case discussions specific to each sub-specialty as well as the overall management of the critical care patient. Below are examples of some of the topics discussed throughout the program year.
- Approach to the Critical Care Patient
- Establishing a Research Agenda
- Introduction to the I.C.U.
- Peri-operative Evaluation of the Surgical Patient
- Bariatric Emergencies
- Cardiac and Pulmonary Anatomy
- Hemodynamic Monitoring
- Interpretation of C.X.R’s
- Low Cardiac Output Syndrome
- Cardiac Tamponade
- Thoracic Emergencies
- Interpretation of A.B.G’s
- Understanding the I.A.B.P.
- Ventilator Weaning Parameters
- Ventilator Management
- Acute Lung Injury
- Lung Protection Strategies
- Management of Atrial Fibrillation
- Management of Acute MI
- Fluid and Electrolyte Balance
- EKG Interpretation
- Hemodialysis, CVVH and Ultrafiltration
- Acute Renal Failure
- Acid-Base Status
- Treatment of Electrolyte Abnormalities
- A.R.D.S Management
- Management of Shock
- Pain Management in the I.C.U.
- Sedation in the I.C.U
- Guidelines for Glucose Control
- Nosocomial Infections
- Antibiotics
- Fever in the I.C.U.
- Sepsis Management
- Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome
- Trauma Case Management
- Urology Troubleshooting
- I.C.U. Pharmacology
- The Bleeding Patient
- Pancreatitis
- Biliary Tract Disease
- Coagulopathy
- Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
- Critical Care Ultrasonography
- Abdominal Compartment Syndrome
- Stroke
- Seizure Management
- Management of Head Trauma
- D.V.T. and P.E.
- Evaluation of Mental Status Changes
- Nutrition in the I.C.U.
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Credentials Awarded
A certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the program.
Admissions Process and Timetable
The Physician Assistant Postgraduate Surgical Critical Care Program runs approximately from October to October. Applications are accepted from April 1 to August 1 for the up-coming year. Presently, one position is offered per year. Competitive applicants will be invited for an interview. For more information about the application process, please visit www.Winthrop.org and follow the Education links to our program homepage.
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Salary and Benefits
- Stipend $60,000
- 2 weeks vacation, 8 paid Holiday's, 4 personal days and 5 CME days
- Medical/Dental/Eyeglass benefits
- Daily cafeteria food vouchers
- Additional stipends may also be available for CME and/or organizational dues reimbursement.
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Faculty
| Program Director: |
| Frank Rizzuto, RPA-C
Program Director |
| Medical Directors: |
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Scott Schubach, MD
Chair, Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery |
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John Mc Nelis, MD
Vice Chair, Department of Surgery, Chief, SICU |
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Michael Brisman, MD
Chief, Neurosurgery |
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Elizabeth Wirkowski, MD
Chief, Neurosciences Special Care Unit
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Core Faculty:
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Adel Hanna, M.D.
Jonas DeMuro, M.D.
Frank Acevedo, RPA-C, DFAAP
JoAnn Montecalvo, RPA-C, Chief, TCV/General Surgery P.A.’s
Kim Prinzivalli, RPA-C, Co-Chief Neurosurgery P.A. Service
Colleen Christiansen, RPA-C, Co-Chief Neurosurgery PA service
Nancy Echausse, RPA-C, Senior Neurosurgical P.A.
Maureen Regan, MBA, RPA-C, Administrative Director, Surgical Specialties
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Physician Assistant Surgical Critical Care Residency Program Application Procedure
 Application Form
Letter of Recommendation
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