Banner University Medical Center – Tucson Campus
Banner – UMC Tucson hospital is a 649 bed hospital and a Level I Trauma Center. The hospital is also accredited as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, Chest Pain Center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, Echocardiography and Non-Invasive Vascular Lab by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC); Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, an NPF Referral Center by the National Pancreas Foundation, and a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Association.
- CCU: Fellows on the cardiac ICU rotation gain exposure to a wide variety of cardiac pathologies and devices, including all types of mechanical circulatory support (ECMO, IABP, Impella, Impella-RP, Tandem Heart, CentriMag). The fellow works closely with all members on the multidisciplinary CVICU Team.
- Cardiology Consults: A team of fellows and residents perform consultative services for patients in the hospital who are not on the CCU service. They interact with a wide variety of physician teams, including ED, medical/surgical/neurology ICU, OB/GYN, General Medicine and Oncology.
- Night Float: A fellow/resident team cares for floor to ICU level cardiac patients, and performs overnight admissions and consults. Calls from South Campus and the VA are triaged by this fellow to determine acuity and need for a second, “home call” fellow to go to the respective site for urgent patient matters.
- Cath: General fellows work closely with the interventional fellows and attendings to perform cardiac catheterizations. They also help provide pre- and post-care on the patients underogoing these procedures. There are also opportunities to participate in various interventional, peripheral and structural interventions.
- EP: The general cardiology fellow on this rotation splits time between the electrophysiology lab and consults. Fellows learns to identify and manage arrhythmias, perform cardioversions and other electrophysiology procedures, interpret cardiac monitors, and interrogate devices.
- Echo: Fellows perform and interpret transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms. Fellows will also learn about diagnostic stress tests on this rotation. There are opportunities for the fellow to assist in structural cases, both in the cardiac laboratories and the operating rooms.
- Nuclear Cardiology: On this rotation, the fellow will split time reading with faculty in Cardiology and Medical Imaging. They learn to perform and interpret diagnostic stress tests, becoming adept in both the physiologic and the imaging aspects of a cardiac stress test.
- Advanced Imaging Elective: Fellows have an opportunity to obtain in-depth training in cardiac CT and MRI. Fellows who decide to persue Level III COCATS can elect to spend an extra 1-2 years in a post-General Cardiology Advanced Imaging Fellowship.
Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System
The VA Medical Center is a 277-bed hospital located in Tucson, AZ, and is the flagship facility for the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS), which serves over 170,000 veterans in 8 counties in southern Arizona and 1 county in western New Mexico. Additional sharing agreements exist with Banner – University Medical Center, the Indian Health Service and Tucson Medical Center. SAVAHCS also was designated as a Polytrauma II Center in January 2006, serving veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
- Continuity Clinics: Many fellows will have their own continuity clinic every Tuesday afternoon at this location.
- Consults: Fellows work closely with faculty and residents to care for floor- and ICU-level patients. There are opportunities to perform some procedures on these patients.
- Cath: General fellows work closely with the interventional attendings to perform cardiac catheterizations. They also help provide pre- and post-care on the patients underogoing these procedures.
- Echo: Fellows learn to perform and interpret transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. They will also learn about diagnostic stress tests on this rotation.
- Nuclear: The fellow is responsible for reading nuclear studies as part of a combined “reading rounds” session with the Radiology department.
Banner University Medical Center – South Campus (elective)
With 245 licensed beds, this hospital in south Tucson is recognized as an IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospital in the United States and an Everest Award winner for its rate of improvement in quality care over five years. The facility also is an accredited Cardiac Receiving Center by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Non-Invasive Vascular Lab by the IAC, a Certified Diabetes Self-Management Education Program by the American Diabetes Association, an Infectious Disease Treatment Center of Excellence by the ADHS, and a Senior Friendly Hospital by the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Program.
- Consults: The fellow has the opportunity to simulate the workflow of a practicing General Cardiologist, integrating cardology consultations with diagnostic cardiac procedures such as stress tests, echocardiograms, and coronary angiograms.
- Cath: General fellows work closely with the interventional attendings to perform cardiac catheterizations. They also help provide pre- and post-care on the patients underogoing these procedures.
Banner University Medical Center – North Campus
This 208,000-square-foot, three-story, state-of-the-art multidisciplinary adult outpatient services center located on 13 acres provides patient care for the more than 25 specialties, ranging from cardiology to neurosurgery to rheumatology.
- Continuity Clinics: Many fellows will have their own continuity clinic (one afternoon a week) at this location.
- Ambulatory: Fellows can rotate through electrophysiology, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac transplant, LVAD, pulmonary hypertension, cardio-obstetrics, cardio-oncology, adult congenital cardiology, and/or multidisciplinary structural/valve diseases clinics. Fellows also learn about cardiac rehabilitation.