Destination Critical Care: A Roadmap for Academic Clinicians, Educators, and Mentors

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Critical Care Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Growing interest among emergency medicine (EM) residents in critical care medicine.
• Lack of a structured advising framework for faculty mentoring these residents.
• Existing literature details training pathways but not faculty guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a framework for academic clinicians, educators, and mentors advising EM residents interested in critical care.
• To guide faculty in supporting residents pursuing critical care fellowships.
• To address the increasing demand for critical care training.

Main Methods:

• Focuses on pivotal training and decision points from EM residency onward.
• Presents a stepwise approach with aligned questions for resident self-evaluation.
• Incorporates considerations of the post-fellowship job market.

Main Results:

• Establishes a clear framework for advising EM residents on critical care fellowship pathways.
• Provides tools for residents to assess strengths and desires relevant to critical care.
• Highlights the importance of career market analysis in fellowship selection.

Conclusions:

• This framework empowers faculty to effectively guide EM residents toward critical care careers.
• A structured approach aids residents in making informed decisions about critical care fellowship matriculation.
• Considering job market trends is crucial for successful critical care physician career planning.