Preceptor: Judith Benstein, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Course Code: 04-17
Contact: Ysa Wilson
Tel: 212-263-8060

Prerequisites: 2-week rotation: Any One Core Clerkship. 4-week rotation: Medical Clinical Clerkship

Description

Residents/Students will become part of the Nephrology Division and participate in all its activities. The Division is responsible for the patients at Bellevue Hospital, Tisch Hospital and Veterans Hospital with nephrology, electrolyte and hypertensive diseases. Residents/Students will see these patients and discuss them with the nephrology fellows. These patients are evaluated with an attending nephrology consultant each day on rounds and the problem patients are evaluated at a weekly clinical conference. Each week the current nephrology biopsies are reviewed at the combined medical-pathology conference.

The Nephrology Division Clinics meet weekly at Bellevue Hospital and the New York VA Hospital. All patients with nephrology, electrolyte and hypertension problems are referred to the clinic. Residents/Students are involved in the evaluation of new patients and will see the patients that they followed on the wards. Attendings and Fellows provide supervision.

The transplant service at Tisch Hospital is active, performing approximately 75 liver transplants and 35 kidney transplants, as well as providing follow-up for patients after transplant. Approximately half of the kidney transplants are from living donors, with the majority of donors undergoing laparascopic nephrectomy.

Residents/Students participating in a transplant nephrology elective will be responsible for attending daily rounds on the inpatient service and evaluating all patients with nephrology impairment or fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Included are all patients who have had kidney transplants, both during the immediate post-operative period and subsequent admissions. Participants will be actively involved in the management of liver transplant patients with hepatorenal syndrome and post-operative acute renal failure. They will have the opportunity to observe laparascopic nephrectomy, nephrology transplantation and organ procurement. All transplant biopsies will be reviewed with the nephrology pathologist.

The outpatient experience will consist of participation in the evaluation of organ donors and recipients and attendance at two clinics per week. All patients referred for organ transplant as well as patients who have received transplants are followed in these clinics. Rotators will also participate in the conferences and academic activities of the Transplant Service and Nephrology Division.

Objective of the Elective

This elective will cover issues in the following areas: diagnosis and management of patient with acute and chronic nephrology failure, glomerular disease, fluid and electrolytes disorders, acid-base disorders, hypertension, dialysis and transplantation.

Key Responsibilities of the resident/student while on Elective

1. Attend weekly nephrology conferences.
2. Attend daily nephrology consult rounds.
3. Do nephrology consults under the supervision and guidance of the nephrology fellow and present on nephrology attending rounds.
4. Attend nephrology clinic.
5. Attend transplant clinic with nephrology fellow.

Didactic Program

• Nephrology biopsy conference once a week.
• Nephrology grand rounds, (clinical care presentation and discussion) once a week.
• Journal club, "work-in progress", outside guest speaker, once a week.

Method of Evaluation

Discussion between nephrology consult attending, clinic attendings and nephrology elective preceptor.

Additional Information

Months Offered: 4-week rotation: All Year. 2-week rotation: 2 weeks in March, May, August and October

Report To: Dialysis Unit of Hospital Selected at 8:00am and have Nephrology Fellow paged.

Students Per Period: 2

Duration: Two or Four Weeks