Fellowship Structure

A man undergoing therapy with the help of a robotic exoskeleton and a therapist at a rehabilitation center. The therapist wears a jacket with

This 12-month program is designed to help you reach your specific career goals, offering diverse clinical and non-clinical learning experiences for a well-rounded, dynamic training.

You’ll gain hands-on experience through comprehensive inpatient and outpatient training, managing diverse and complex cases, including traumatic spinal cord injuries, dual diagnoses (spinal cord injury and brain injury), and high-level tetraplegia. Over half of your fellowship time will be here, with a weekly continuity clinic woven into most of your rotations to deepen your learning.

Valuable experience will also be gained in hospital consults and outpatient rotations at partner institutions like Grady Memorial Hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, and Emory University Hospital. This fellowship is an exciting journey to sharpen your skills and advance your expertise in spinal cord injury care.

Fellow responsibilities

As a fellow, you will be at the forefront of spinal cord injury medicine, gaining hands-on experience and a comprehensive understanding of patient care across all stages of recovery. Key responsibilities include:

  • Direct patient care: Deliver evidence-based assessments and interventions for individuals and families across the continuum of care, from acute treatment to long-term rehabilitation.
  • Research: Lead a research project, contributing to the advancement of spinal cord injury medicine through innovative study and clinical application.
  • Didactic training: Develop a strong foundation of clinical knowledge and skills through a variety of structured training opportunities, focusing on evidence-based practices for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions.
  • Professionalism: Maintain ethical, responsible, and professional conduct in all interactions with patients, families, and colleagues.

Rotation schedule

A typical rotation schedule includes:

  • Primary inpatient: 7 blocks
  • Primary outpatient: 3 blocks
    • Outpatient clinic rotations will be split between the SCI Clinic, Rehabilitation Medicine Clinic, Urology Clinic, Upper Extremity Clinic, and the SCI Day Program
    • The outpatient clinic rotation at Children’s Health of Atlanta (CHOA) at Scottish Rite will be for at least two weeks with the option of increasing to four weeks depending on fellow’s request/interest
  • Split inpatient/outpatient: 1 block
  • Electives: 1 block
    • Customized based on fellow’s interests
    • Available at Shepherd, Grady Memorial Hospital (GMH), CHOA at Scottish Rite, or Emory University Hospital (EUH)

Sample fellowship block

Months are a proposed schedule. All rotations will occur but may move to accommodate the fellow’s learning experience/interests. Each week includes a dedicated half-day for continuity clinic (Friday AM) and half-day for research (Friday PM) during both outpatient and inpatient rotations.

Caption
Month/block Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
Site location Shepherd Shepherd Shepherd Shepherd CHOA Scottish Rite Shepherd GMH Shepherd Shepherd Shepherd Shepherd TBD based on elective
Rotation name Spinal cord injury Spinal cord injury Spinal cord injury Spinal cord injury Pediatrics, outpatient clinic Research, outpatient clinic PM&R consults and neuroradiology Outpatient clinic Outpatient clinic Spinal cord injury/ICU Spinal cord injury Elective
Outpatient block 0% 0% 0% 0% 80% 40% 0% 80% 80% 0% 0% TBD based on elective
Inpatient block 80% 80% 80% 80% 0% 0% 80% 0% 0% 80% 80% TBD based on elective
Research block 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 50% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Continuity clinic block 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%