Curriculum
We provide a fellow-centered supportive learning environment that includes outpatient and inpatient clinical rotations, research opportunities, quality improvement projects and didactic experiences.
Our fellows work with our experienced faculty to deliver exceptional care to patients with kidney disease through UNMC's primary clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine.
Fellows at UNMC are exposed to broad clinical experiences covering all aspects of inpatient and outpatient nephrology. Dedicated UNMC faculty strive to deliver unparalleled training, preparing fellows to excel in their future careers, whether that be in private practice or academia. We emphasize both personal and professional development, with the schedule and curriculum designed to promote work/life balance.
Our innovative curriculum offers considerable flexibility in order to tailor the curriculum to specific interests of the fellow, allowing fellows the opportunity to explore and gain expertise in areas of their choosing, whether that be interventional nephrology, critical care nephrology, transplantation, home dialysis, research, education, or other areas of their choosing.
2022-2023 UNMC Fellowship Core Curriculum Didactic Series
Fellows have an opportunity to develop exposure and proficiency in all nephrology related procedures. At the start of fellowship, we utilize the UNMC Clinical Simulation Lab in the beautiful new Davis Global Center, which is the headquarters for iEXCEL, a visionary and world class program designed to provide transformative and innovative educational experiences. Our fellows receive training in proper technique for dialysis catheter insertion and a variety of POCUS workshops, in addition to utilizing the minimally-embalmed cadaver lab to provide fellows an opportunity to receive kidney biopsy training in a low pressure setting. All fellows have opportunities to participate in our popular Interventional Nephrology electives. We have two interventional nephology faculty who supervise fellows in the interventional cath lab to develop skills across the spectrum of interventional nephrology including tunneled catheter insertion, endovascular procedures (e.g fistulagram, declot), percutaneous fistula creation, and PD catheter insertion. Fellows interested in Interventional Nephrology have ample opportunities to develop procedural skills, with several prior fellows achieving certification through the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) during their two year fellowship, without having to do an additional year.
Fellows interested in research and/or quality improvement have the opportunity to develop, implement, present, and publish their work with mentored support from a nephrology faculty member. Our division has a wide range of clinical research interests including numerous actively enrolling clinical trials, as well as several registry and large database studies.
Elective time is provided to first year fellows to identify a research mentor and initiate project development. During the second year of fellowship, up to 6 months of elective time can be allotted for research. We provide support for fellows to participate in the UNMC Clinical Research Symposium. We hold monthly divisional nephrology research conferences which allow faculty and fellows to discuss ongoing or completed clinical or translational research.
Fellows consistently present their research at national meetings including the NKF Spring Clinicals, ASN Kidney Week, and the American Transplant Conference, and have a track record of successful peer-reviewed publications.
