Allergy & Immunology Fellowship

Goals: 

Fellows must demonstrate patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for promotion of health and treatment of health problems.

Objectives:

• Gather and integrate accurate, essential information from all sources, including medical interviews, physical examination, medical records and diagnostic/therapeutic procedures.
• Make informed recommendations about preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic options and interventions based on clinical judgment, scientific evidence and patient preference.
• Develop, negotiate and implement effective patient management plans and integration of patient care as a provider of allergic and immunologic care that address the indications, risks, benefits and cost of therapy.
• Coordinate the care of patients to include the use of consultation with faculty members, peers and support staff and participate in interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient safety.
• Select, perform and interpret competently the diagnostic and therapeutic tests and procedures considered essential to the practice of allergy and clinical immunology outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) as follows:
  • Allergen immunotherapy
  • Contact or delayed hypersensitivity testing
  • Drug hypersensitivity diagnosis and treatment
  • Food hypersensitivity diagnosis and treatment
  • Immediate hypersensitivity skin testing
  • Immunoglobulin treatment and/or other immunomodulator therapies
  • Pulmonary function testing

Goals:

Fellows must understand, apply and teach others established and evolving biomedical, clinical epidemiological and social-behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate proficiency in their knowledge of basic and clinical immunology, biostatistics, bioethics and clinical allergy as outlined by the ACGME.
• Assess and critically evaluate current medical information and scientific evidence.
• Develop clinically applicable knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences that underlie the practice of allergy and clinical immunology and apply this knowledge to clinical problem solving, clinical decision making and critical thinking.
• Use their knowledge of allergy and clinical immunology to design, implement and analyze data from independent clinical or basic research.
• Apply the knowledge of basic and clinical allergy and immunology to the education of others through active participation in educational activities.

Goals:

Fellows must demonstrate the ability to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate and improve patient care practices and to continuously improve patient care based on self-evaluation and life-long learning.

Objectives:

• Actively participate in mentored research or scholarly activities such as clinical or laboratory-based investigation, epidemiologic study or quality improvement analysis.
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesize and apply information from the medical and scientific literature and to disseminate findings.
• Self-evaluate performance, incorporate feedback and identify strengths, deficiencies and limits in self-knowledge and expertise. Develop and maintain a willingness to learn from errors and to improve the system or processes of patient care.
• Use information technology or other available methodologies to access and manage information, support patient care decisions and enhance self-improvement.
• Demonstrate the ability to organize learning opportunities including the selection of conference topics and coordinating speakers.
   

Goals:

Fellows must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients and their families, peers and other health professionals. 

Objectives: 

• Work effectively as a leader or member of a health care team.
• Ensure that patients understand their condition(s) and treatments and provide explanations appropriate to patient needs.
• Counsel and educate patients about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment options.
• Identify and accommodate special communication needs of vulnerable and diverse populations.
• Provide effective and professional consultation to other physicians and health care professionals.
• Maintain comprehensive, timely and legible medical records.
• Use technology and various information sharing modalities to improve communication.
• Teach the diagnostic skills and therapeutic techniques of allergy and clinical immunology to trainees at a junior level, including other allergy and clinical immunology fellows, medical residents and medical students.

Goals:

Fellows must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles and sensitivity to diversity.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate respect, compassion, integrity and honesty in relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
• Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to gender, age, culture, religion, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, behaviors and disabilities of patients and professional colleagues.
• Adhere to the principles of confidentiality, scientific and academic integrity and informed consent.
• Maintain responsibility for his or her own emotional, physical and mental health and commitment to lifelong learning and self-assessment.

Goals:

Fellows must demonstrate both an awareness of and accommodation to circumstances affecting patient care, including the patient’s financial resources and other factors that can affect health care delivery and quality, in addition to using technology and external resources to accomplish safe and effective health care delivery.

Objectives:

• Understand, access and utilize the resources, providers and systems necessary to provide optimal allergic and clinical immunologic care. These include, but are not limited to, consultation with other medical specialties, pharmacies, social services and various community groups.
• Apply evidence-based, cost-conscious strategies and risk-benefit analysis to prevention, diagnosis and allergic and clinical immunologic disease management.
• Work as a member of a professional team to enhance patient safety and improve patient care.