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Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine & Physiology Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine & Physiology
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Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

  • What are the highlights of your program? This is one of the nation's largest pulmonary and critical care fellowship training programs. We have well-ranked subspecialties in pulmonary hypertension (including CTEPH program ranked in the top five worldwide), cystic fibrosis, and lung transplantation. Our clinicians are at the forefront of life-saving technology, including extracorporeal life support (ECLS). 
  • What is the environment like? There is a supportive environment with over 50 faculty members, all of whom are experienced clinicians and dedicated educators. Furthermore, our Division has strong collaborations with cardiothoracic surgery, anesthesia critical care, emergency and internal medicine, chest radiology, and lung pathology department. 

Clinical Experience

  • Where do fellows spend the majority of their clinical training at? Jacobs Medical Center in La Jolla, CA. This hospital is host to many unique patient populations that we have the privilege of caring for such as cystic fibrosis, pulmonary vascular, lung transplant, bone marrow transplant, and interventional pulmonary patients.
  • What is the patient population like? We serve a diverse patient population with a tremendous breadth and depth of pathologies! Review our Clinical Training page for more information.
  • What is the procedural training like? We provide a robust procedural training experience. Our fellows perform a high-volume of procedures, including advanced IP procedures. Specifically, our fellows perform their own intubations, central and arterial lines, chest tubes, and thoracenteses. Additionally, our fellows perform hundreds of bronchoscopies as well as advanced procedures with the interventional pulmonary service.

Research Experience

  • Is there protected time for research? Yes! Our Division is commited to well-funded clinical investigations with protected time for scholarly pursuits.

Benefits

  • What is the salary for the fellows? Please review our GME website for further information.
  • What stipends are offered? Our fellows receive educational and conference stipends. As a part of the San Diego House Staff Association (SDHSA), fellows are provided the same protection with respect to benefits and compensation as residents; therefore, our fellows also receive a housing stipend and cafeteria money that helps offset the cost of living in San Diego.

Others

  • Can I be involved in national organizations? Yes! Actually, current and former UC San Diego PCCSM faculty members have held numerous leadership positions in national organizations such as ATS and CTS. This connection provides a lot of opportunities for the fellows to be involved.