Cardiology (Krannert) Wards - Methodist Hospital
There are two in-patient Krannert cardiology teams, each consisting of a teaching attending, one resident, one categorical intern and up to 2 ER interns, and occasionally a third year medical student. Typical clinical problems encountered include acute coronary syndromes, congestive heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. Critically ill patients, as well as patients awaiting heart transplant, are also on the service.
Gastroenterology Wards
The University Hospital inpatient Gastroenterology service consists of an attending physician, one fellow, one resident, one intern, and a third year medical student. There is a separate Hepatology service (see below). Housestaff are offered the opportunity to work with faculty from the GI Division ranked consistently in the top 20 academic programs in the country. Typical problems include inflammatory bowel disease and its complications, GI bleeding, and severe pancreatitis. Housestaff will learn the diagnosis and treatment of acute upper and lower GI tract bleeding, occult/obscure bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, acute necrotizing pancreatitis and GI tract malignancies as well as severe acute nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. There will be weekly 1-hour didactic sessions and case discussions on a variety of gastroenterology and hepatology topics.
Hematology Wards
There is one hematology team consisting of an attending, one resident, two interns, and two medical students. A hematology research nurse also rounds with the team. There are ten beds in a Protected Environment Unit, providing high-level isolation for cytopenic patients receiving intensive combination chemotherapy. There is regular interaction with an Infectious Disease consultant who follows immunosuppressed patients. The service admits about 37 patients per month and averages a daily census of about 10 patients. Residents attend conferences available during each week. There is an additional lecture from 3-4PM each weekday to supplement the teaching of morning rounds where an informal discussion on a relevant topic in hematology and oncology takes place.
Hepatology (Liver) Wards
The UH inpatient Hepatology service consists of an attending physician, one fellow, one resident, two interns, and a third year medical student. Typical problems include acute and chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and its complications, and transplant workups. The service admits about 35 patients per month and averages a daily census of about 7.5 patients. Housestaff rotating on the hepatology service are expected to attend the weekly didactic sessions that are given to the housestaff on the gastroenterology rotation.
Infectious Disease Wards - University Hospital
This is usually a one resident, one intern team providing both inpatient care and consultation services in infectious diseases. There is an excellent case-based discussion series every Monday and Thursday at 4:00pm and case conference on Tuesday afternoon. Residents are able to attend half-day sessions at Bell Flower STD Clinic. The inpatient portion of the service is about half AIDS patients and an eclectic mix of other problems and typically follows between 2-6 patients. The consult portion of the service sees patients on medicine and non-medicine services (about 35-45 per month).
Oncology Wards
There is one oncology team consisting of an attending, one fellow, and one or two residents. Typical problems include testicular cancer, breast cancer, other solid organ tumors, and complications of chemotherapy. The service admits about 50-60 patients per month with an average daily census of about 6-10 patients. In addition, the resident will attend 1-2 oncology outpatient (multidisciplinary) clinics per week in the Indiana University Cancer Pavilion. A consult team consists of an attending, fellow and a resident also is available. Most patients seen are surgical consults.
Pulmonary Ward and Consultation Service
One second- or third-year resident oversees an intern on this rotation. The team also includes the pulmonary staff and a dedicated pulmonary fellow who provides assistance with difficult management issues and procedures. The average daily census is 6–10 patients on this ward service. Common medical problems include pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung diseases, lung cancer, and COPD. The housestaff’s primary responsibility is the ward service; however, the resident may assist with consultations when they are of educational value. Although the faculty and fellow primarily manage the consultation part of the pulmonary service, the fellow frequently is available to help with the workload on the ward service. In addition to patient-directed teaching, housestaff are encouraged to attend weekly pulmonary and ICU conferences. Housestaff will become proficient in interpreting pulmonary function tests and chest radiographs. Depending on their level of interest, residents may wish to spend time in the PFT or sleep laboratory learning the basics of physiology and polysomnography. Call is every fifth night, cross-covering the ICU patients. Please note that housestaff interested in pulmonary can do the IU consultation service as an elective. There is no call during the elective.
Renal Wards - University Hospital
There is a single nephrology team, consisting of one attending, one nephrology fellow, one resident, two interns, and occasionally a third or fourth year medical student. There is often a Pharm D. candidate that rounds with the teams. Other multi-disciplinary members of the team include social workers, dietitians, CAPD nurses, and hemodialysis nurses. The service admits about 30 patients per month per team with an average daily census of about 10-15 patients.
