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Critical Care Elective

Critical Care Electives are offered in the course catalog across five specialties, and each Critical Care Elective utilizes a set of objectives that is tailored to its clinical setting, patient population, and student experience.

Critical Care Elective Objectives:

Please visit the course catalog on Brightspace to review objectives for a specific Critical Care Elective. However, at the completion of all Critical Care Electives, students should be able to do the following:

  1. Assess a critically ill patient and develop a timely, prioritized, and evidence-based plan for initial stabilization. (PC1, PC3)
  2. Apply knowledge to develop evidence-based clinical plans for critically ill patients, including appropriate use of hemodynamic monitoring, application of ventilator modes and settings, and initiation and titration of vasopressor support. (MK4, MK5, PC3, PC6)
  3. Witness and practice obtaining informed consent for diagnostic and therapeutic tests and procedures including verbalization of risks, benefits and alternatives. (PC3, PC7, ICS1, SBP3)
  4. Observe, participate in, or potentially perform procedures under direct supervision, including placement of arterial lines and central venous catheters while learning proper sterile technique. (MK8, PC7)
  5. Demonstrate skills in  bedside Point-of-Care ultrasound for diagnosis in appropriate ICU patients. (PC1, MK5)
  6. Identify relevant information in the primary medical literature regarding their patients’ disease states, and incorporate information from the literature into presentations and documentation. (PL3, CS5)
  7. Demonstrate effective and professional interpersonal and communication skills, and model ethical behavior. (CS1, PR1, PR2)
  8. Demonstrate empathy and discuss end of life issues with ICU patients or surrogates including giving bad news. (PC1, PC3, CS1, CS2, CS3, PR3, PR1, PR2)
  9. Participate in a basic family meeting to discuss goals of care including discussing  code status. (PC1, PC4, CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, PR1, PR2, PR3)
  10. Work within a multidisciplinary team on daily rounds as an effective team member including mitigating patient risk and early identification of potential medical errors. (PR1, SL4, IP2, IP3, IP4)
  11. Describe the ICU team’s role in reducing hospital acquired infections including VAP, CAUTI, CLASBI, etc. (MK7, PR4, PL4, PL5, PL6, SL3, IP4)
  12. Concisely summarize a patient’s critical illness and hand off important clinical information efficiently to other team members and consultants. (CS1, CS5, IP1, IP2, IP3, PC6)
  13. Demonstrate an understanding of the pharmacology of sedation in the ICU including the prevention and treatment of pain, agitation, and delirium (MK2, MK3, MK4, MK5, PC3, PL4)
  14. Demonstrate a knowledge of airway management devices including high flow nasal cannula, noninvasive ventilation, and endotracheal intubation. (MK1, MK4, MK8, PC6, PC7, CS1, CS2, PR3, PL2)
  15. Describe the basic aspects of antimicrobial treatment and rational use of anti-infective therapeutic agents, as well as the negative consequences of antimicrobial overuse. (PC3, PC6, PL3, PL6)
  16. Understand the differential diagnosis, evaluation, and management for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)  including the indications for acute dialysis therapy. (MK1, MK3, MK4, MK5, MK7, PC1, PC2, PC3, CS1)
  17. Write complete and succinct H&Ps and daily progress notes in EPIC. (MK3, MK4, MK5, PC2, PC3, PC6, CS1, CS5, PR1, PR4, PR5)