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Stage 2

Sunderland cannot offer training in paediatric, neuro or cardiac intensive care, although we do look after non-surgical cardiac patients and stabilise a lot of critically ill children. 

Also, depending on your special skill, you may (or may not) be able to do this in Sunderland; this should be arranged with the Faculty Tutor, Regional Advisor and TPD.  You still might find yourself in Sunderland during stage 2 if you are doing the required 3 months of 'general' ICM.

During Stage 2 you will need to pass the FFICM examination, and we will do all we can to help get you through it.  The other specific requirements for stage 2 are:

Submit 4 expanded case summaries

These case summaries should be at the standard of level 3, which the FICM defines as "More evidence of critical appraisal will be required with some of the clinical management issues and controversies being covered."  Any of the ICCU Consultants will mark these for you.

Keep a log of ICU activity/cases

You will already be keeping a logbook from your time in stage 1, and this should be continued in the same manner.  Unit admission data can be provided if you ask for it.  If you don't already have a logbook, there is one available here.

A logbook should be maintained but no target numbers are required during the special skills modules.

Keep a logbook of procedures and airway cases

This logbook should contain a minimum of 10 procedures over stage 2, with 15 DOPS to show evidence of progression or maintainance of skill.  If the logbook you are using doesn't produce a summary, the faculty produce this logbook summary that could be used as a log of procedures, uploaded to your portfolio.  Alternatively there's a logbook you could use on the homepage.  

You must also keep a log as evidence of 30 'airway cases' undertaken during stage 2- The faculty ask for evidence of progression, how you demonstrate this depends on whether you are also an anaesthetist.  These are meant to be spread over the years of stage 2, so if you are 'duelling' with something other than anaesthesia you will need to decide whether you arrange for time out of your dual specialty (special skills year) to attend theatre sessions etc, or whether you complete all 30 during your ICM time.  For those who are on a dual programme with EM or a medical specialty there is an agreement that you will be able to be released for days into theatre to maintain skills when you are away from ICM/anaesthesia.  Arrangements for this should be made via your ES at that time.

Top cases

During stage two you need to have CBD, ACAT or CEX covering 10 of the top 30 cases.  The one's you can cover in Sunderland are listed here.  Six of them need to be top cases from the special modules list i.e. 2 neuro, 2 paeds and 2 cardiac, but don't assume you won't be able to get any of these in Sunderland; check the list.  In stage 2 each of these must address at least 5 competencies.  Page 11 of this document suggests which curriculum items could be discussed for each presentation.

Quality Improvement

Participation in a quality improvement project per stage of training.

Complete enough WPBA to satisfy the curriculum

You will be guided here by the e-portfolio and will be used to the process from stage 1.  You will already know that your ES will have to effectively approve all your linking, so regular meetings will make this less or a pain for all concerned.  A couple of tips to sign some off straight away:

1 - Look for courses you've done and see which competencies you can evidence against e.g. ALS

2 - Make sure you get as much as possible out of your top cases.

3 - See every day and every activity as a chance to address an area of the curriculum - you do most of these things anyway, it's just a matter of getting it recorded with a WPBA.

​4 - Here is a NSAICM ARCP guide for single and dual ICM trainees

Journal Club

Present at least twice during stage 2

Morbidity and Mortality meetings

Attend at least 4 a year and evidence of reflection from 1 each year.

Management meetings

Attendance at management meetings is 'encouraged' during stage 2 and this can easily be arranged in Sunderland.  Dr Morrison can also go through management topics with you in a series of tutorials - these should be arranged by you directly.
This site is written for healthcare professionals.  Nothing on it constitutes medical advice, and opinions expressed are those of the authors.

​Dr Peter Hersey & Dr Laura O'Connor
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