Nephrology

 

Rotation supervisors:   Civic Campus               Dr. Peter Magner          Tel: 761-4391

                                  General Campus          Dr. Robert Bell             Tel: 737-8170

 

To meet the rotational goals and objectives, the resident will be expected to play an active role as a team physician on the Nephrology service by sharing in nephrology call duty, as well as actively participating in the consultation service, ward service and nephrology clinics.  The resident will also participate in the care of patients in the dialysis unit.  The rotational goals and objectives are listed below.

 

Knowledge:

 

To gain an appreciation of the pathophysiology, presentation, differential diagnosis, and management of acute and chronic renal failure.

 

To gain an appreciation of the physiological changes that occur in patients with renal insufficiency / failure and an understanding of the impact of these changes on the perioperative management of patients with renal impairment.

 

To develop an appreciation of the coexisting diseases and pathologic states associated with renal insufficiency / failure.

 

To become familiar with the principles and management of peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, and continuous veno-veno hemofiltration (CVVH), including the indications, limitations and complications associated with these forms of dialysis.

 

To be able to identify risk factors for the perioperative development of renal impairment, and to apply this knowledge to develop a perioperative management plan to minimize these risks (e.g., avoiding or limiting the use of nephrotoxins such as aminoglycosides and NSAID’s in high-risk patients).

 

To expand and apply knowledge of acid-base, electrolyte disturbances and fluid imbalances and to quickly manage life-threatening imbalances such as hyperkalemia, severe hypertension and volume overload in the patient with renal insufficiency or failure.

 

To develop an appreciation for the management and treatment objectives for patients who are undergoing a kidney transplant.

 

To gain an appreciation of the indications, interpretation, and limitations of the various renal function tests.

 

Skills:

 

To gain proficiency in performing and interpreting the results of a simple urine microscopy.

 

To develop a proficiency in the placement of a dialysis catheter.