Trauma and Surgical Critical Care

The Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care is a 12-month structured, immersive program designed to prepare nurse practitioners and physician assistants for high-acuity practice in trauma and critical care settings. Through a combination of longitudinal clinical immersion, hands-on procedural training, simulation-based education, and scholarly activity, fellows develop the skills, clinical judgment, and confidence required to care for critically ill and injured patients across the continuum of surgery, trauma and critical care.

Fellowship Experience

With mentorship from experienced trauma surgeons, intensivists, and advanced practice providers, fellows will:

• Develop expertise in the evaluation and management of critically ill surgical and trauma patients
• Provide real-time patient care across multiple intensive care units, including trauma, surgical, and cardiovascular ICUs
• Participate in structured simulation labs to enhance procedural competency, crisis resource management, and team-based decision-making
• Engage in hands-on procedural training with progressive autonomy under expert supervision
• Collaborate within multidisciplinary teams including surgeons, intensivists, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and rehabilitation specialists
• Complete a quality improvement (QI) project aimed at improving patient outcomes, operational efficiency, or safety within the surgical critical care environment

Clinical Areas of Exposure

Fellows gain broad and progressive exposure to the full spectrum of trauma and surgical critical care, including:

• Blunt and penetrating trauma
• Post-operative surgical critical care
• Acute respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation
• Hemodynamic instability and shock management
• Sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction
• Neurologic injury and traumatic brain injury
• Thoracic and abdominal surgical emergencies
• Renal failure and extracorporeal support
• End-of-life care and goals of care discussions

Procedural Training

A core component of the fellowship is the development of procedural competency. Fellows participate in both simulation-based and bedside procedural experiences, including:

• Endotracheal intubation
• Tube thoracostomy (chest tube placement)
• Diagnostic and therapeutic fiberoptic bronchoscopy
• Central venous catheter insertion
• Arterial catheter insertion
• Lumbar puncture
• Hemodialysis catheter insertion
• Ultrasound utilization to perform FAST exams, POCUS

Procedural training is reinforced through dedicated simulation labs and longitudinal tracking to ensure skill progression, competency, and confidence.

Curriculum

Core Clinical Rotations

• General Trauma (2 months)
• Emergency General and Acute Care Surgery (2 months)
• Surgery Trauma Critical Care (4 months)
• Neurosurgical ICU (1 month)
• Trauma-Focused Elective Rotations - designed to enhance exposure to polytrauma and high-acuity patient populations (2 months)
• Final month of Fellowship designed for onboarding for the specialty/subspecialty team the APP Fellow will be hired into upon completion of the Fellowship

Certifications

As part of the fellowship experience, fellows will complete Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) certification, reinforcing core resuscitation and trauma management competencies.

Program Outcome

Upon completion of the fellowship, graduates are prepared to:

• Deliver high-quality, evidence-based care to critically ill and injured patients
• Perform essential bedside procedures with confidence and competence
• Function effectively within high-performing multidisciplinary ICU teams
• Contribute to quality improvement and system-level initiatives in surgical critical care

Faculty

	Medical Director Dr. Kyle Cunningham Trauma & Surgical Critical Care		Co-APP Specialty Director Gena Brawley, ANCP Trauma & Surgical Critical Care
	Co-APP Specialty Director Jennifer Marrero, ACNP Trauma & Surgical Critical Care