Beyond the ICU Rotation: The Importance of Trainee Involvement in Post-Intensive Care Unit Clinics

Medical learners are vital to the care of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although these learners are exposed to the challenges and stresses of acute ICU management, they do not typically experience the benefits of following ICU patients and families longitudinally after their ICU rotation. Post-ICU clinics and recovery programs may fill this crucial gap in trainee education. These clinics have emerged as an appealing approach to potentially support patient recovery, enhance provider satisfaction, and provide feedback on vital lessons learned in long-term follow-up to improve the quality of ICU care. Notably, the effect of such a program on trainee education has not been explored. In this article, we propose a framework for medical learner participation in post-ICU follow-up based on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education milestones and discuss the potential benefits, including: education about post-ICU recovery, including post-intensive care syndrome and post-intensive care syndrome-family; experience in quality improvement to enhance ICU care by understanding long-term outcomes; engagement in reflection; and mitigation of compassion fatigue and burnout.