Overview:
Thank you for your interest in our Fellowship Program. We will be accepting applications through ERAS for positions starting July 1, 2013. Our Nephrology Training Program participates in the National Match Program. We will begin downloading applications on August 15, 2012 for 2013 positions. Interviews will be conducted through December 2012.
Application:
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- American Citizenship or Permanent Residency.
- Completion of a 3 year accredited internal medicine program in the United States.
- Board Certification in Internal Medicine, if applicable.
- Above average USMLE scores and performance record from their medical training program.
- Apply through ERAS.
The Nephrology fellowship at Ochsner Medical Center was recently approved by the ACGME in February 2012. We have a long tradition of research, education and excellence in patient care. Ochsner Medical Center has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as a Best Hospital for 12 years and is ranked nationally in 11 specialties.
Ochsner Medical Center is nationally ranked in Nephrology.
The Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute has been recognized as a top transplant center in the nation.
The fellowship program then leads to certification in Nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Our goal is to train physician-scientists to become competent academic or clinical nephrologists.
The fellow gains experience in critical care nephrologic problems, electrolyte and acid-base disorders, acute and chronic renal diseases, hypertensive emergencies, ESRD patient complications and all forms or dialysis and other extra-corporeal treatments. The fellow functions as an consultant and primary care physician for renal patients under the guidance and supervision of a board certified rounding nephrologist. The renal fellow closely interacts with other services such as surgery, interventional radiology and pathology during these rotations. The renal fellow functions as a junior attending while rotating on the renal floor, where the majority of nephrologic patients are admitted. The fellow guides the care of the medical residents assigned to the renal floor service as well as the residents rotating on the renal elective.
The fellow directs the management of the consultations, supervises the residents patient care, and plays an active role in educating the medical housestaff. During these inpatient rotations the fellow also cares for patients in the inpatient dialysis unit. The fellow is responsible for writing dialysis prescriptions, dialysis scheduling and caring for the dialytic and medical issues that arise.
Specifically, we accept three qualified candidates each year into our two year training program. In selecting applicants and training residents, the faculty and professional staff of the Department of Nephrology is committed to the career development of trainees, promoting clinical excellence and professional integrity.
The division is also committed to selecting applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Program Highlights:
- Diverse educational experience
- The fellows have the opportunity to participate in several local and national conferences per year as well as the exposure to many guest lecturers, which broaden their educational experience.
- Strong ambulatory, inpatient and critical care experience
- The fellows are exposed to a large and diverse patient population that present with diseases that span the entire spectrum of nephrology
- Strong transplant program
- Robust didactic schedule with highly involved faculty
- Opportunities to practice in both Academic and private practice settings
- Independent clinic experience
- Advanced training for fellows in interventional nephrology
Curriculum
A broad and comprehensive training program guarantees that the trainee will acquire the clinical, technical and administrative skills to function as a high-quality clinical nephrologist.
Seminars and Conferences:
- Monday: 12:00 noon Case conference or Journal club
- Tuesday: 7:30 am Pathology Conference
- Wednesday: 12:00 noon Nephrology Core lecture Series
- Friday: 8:00 am Transplant Selection meeting
Clinical Training:
Fellows receive their clinical training at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, a state-of-the art facility multi-specialty, referral hospital with over 500 beds:
- Weekly outpatient clinics and Kidney Disease Program dialysis rounds complement inpatient rounding.
- Our clinical rotations and clinics include substantial transplant experience; treatment of acute and chronic kidney disease; management of chronic dialysis including Incenter Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis and Home Hemodialysis, apheresis, hypertension; Interventional Nephrology and renal replacement therapy.
- A faculty member is always on call to support fellows in patient care.
- Weekly didactic lectures and conferences supplement the clinical knowledge gained in the wards.
Nephrology Clinic Care
Ochsner Nephrology provides a complete range of consultative, diagnostic and treatment services for patients with kidney diseases. The scope of care encompasses all stages of kidney disease, from earliest detectable changes in kidney function through end-stage kidney disease, as well as people with high blood pressure, kidney stones, and other kidney-related problems.
Dialyis Services:
The Nephrology Departement was created in 1967 by Dr. Julio Figueroa and the chronic dialysis program was initiated in 1972. It has expanded through the years and now includes five hemodialysis units, peritoneal dialysis, and home hemodialysis.
The main unit in New Orleans, which opened in 1985, contains a 30 station hemodialysis unit with approximately 140 patients, running six days per week. State-of-the art facilities include centralized water, bicarbonate and acid delivery to the stations, single use dialyzers, noninvasive access monitering, and paperless computerized medical record. This site also houses the Home Dialysis program (peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis), which cares for approximately 12 patients.
Renal Transplant Program
The Ochsner Multi-Organ Transplant Institute performs 150 kidney transplants a year. Our faculty includes three transplant nephrologists and six transplant surgeons. In addition 1o transplant coordinators, 4 transplant social workers, 6 Midlevel Providers and 4 Pharm D complete an excellent team.
The transplant nephrology faculty is the core faculty for the consultative transplant nephrology service. This service provides acute care, dialytic support, and kidney and transplant expertise for all renal and non-renal solid organ transplant recipients. This service also helps to manage the chronic kidney disease that affects this population.
Outpatient kidney transplant biopsies are performed in our program to better aid in the diagnosis of kidney conditions and a number of different services are provided through the clinic including focused transplant care, attention to blood pressure, cardiac, bone and metabolic aspects that are unique to transplantation.
Interventional Nephrology:
Interventional Nephrologists work to improve vascular access for hemodialysis.
The scope of the interventional nephrologist includes:
- insertion and removal of tunneled hemodialysis catheters
- fibrin sheath removal from chronically indwelling central catheters
- mechanical thrombectomies of clotted hemodialysis catheters
- angiograms
- angioplasties
- mechanical thrombectomies of clotted AVFs and AVGs
- diagnostic sonography
- renal biopsies
- accessory vein ligation
The fellows in training have a unique opportunity to master the procedure skills guided by fully trained interventional nephrologist, which will reduce procedural morbity for patients and those in need of invasive procedures.
Nephrology Research:
The Department of Nephrology has a strong interest in clinical and translational research. We have a commitment to stimulate the fellows interest in pursiung research conductive to peer-review publications.
Faculty and Staff
- Dr. Leonard Meggs (Chair)
- Dr. Fred Husserl
- Dr. Catherine Staffeld-Coit
- Dr. Sean Roberts
- Dr. Shalilni Barlapudi
- Dr. Shirisha Bodana
- Dr. Pierre Blemur
- Dr. Benjamil Lee
- Dr. William Gabbard
- Dr. Abdul Moiz
- Dr. Jorge Garces
Support Staff
- Paul Tobin
- Lisa Casey
Mid-Level Providers:
- Judith Pons
- Erica Collins
