Since its inception in July 2012, the fellowship has remained accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our program accepts one fellow each year and is dedicated to providing outstanding clinical education, preparing the fellow to become a skilled and confident provider within a multidisciplinary approach to pain medicine.
Experiences in Pain Management
In the outpatient clinics, the fellow sees a wide variety of patients presenting with chronic pain, cancer-related pain, and nerve or musculoskeletal injuries. The program provides a strong foundation for obtaining pertinent histories, performing thorough physical examinations, and developing comprehensive treatment plans for diverse forms of chronic pain. The fellow also participates directly in interventional procedures under the guidance and supervision of our esteemed faculty.
With the growing need for alternative treatment options, our program remains at the forefront of new interventional techniques for alleviating acute and chronic pain. The fellow learns to skillfully utilize fluoroscopy and ultrasound to optimize visualization for each intervention. Training includes a wide range of procedures, such as trigger point injections, peripheral nerve blocks, epidural steroid injections, sacroiliac joint injections, facet/medial branch blocks, intra-articular joint injections, intercostal blocks, radiofrequency ablation/rhizotomy, sympathetic blocks, and neurolytic blocks. Advanced techniques are also taught, including intrathecal infusion therapy, dorsal column spinal cord stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, kyphoplasty, minimally invasive lumbar decompression, and interspinous spacer implantation.
Acute pain management training occurs through both clinic-based patient visits and inpatient care, with the fellow actively managing acute traumatic, postoperative, acute-on-chronic, and cancer-related pain. The inpatient service commonly utilizes patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), thoracic and lumbar epidural catheters, and continuous peripheral nerve catheters.
Subspecialty Rotations
The educational program follows ACGME guidelines to ensure that the fellow gains experience in anesthesiology, neuroradiology, rheumatology, neurology, psychiatry, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. These core rotations are designed to provide a strong foundation for a well-rounded future pain practitioner. By working closely with experts in each specialty, the fellow develops an understanding of how each discipline contributes to the pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment of patients with pain.
Didactics and Education
Our didactics program in pain management includes lectures, simulation training, cadaver labs, M&M conferences, and journal clubs. The fellow is encouraged to attend subspecialty lectures relevant to pain medicine throughout the year. We maintain an ever-expanding library of pain medicine books and resources, accessible to all current and past fellows in our program.
At our state-of-the-art Simulation Center, we hold monthly cadaver labs, with a radiation technician available to provide fluoroscopic imaging for more advanced procedures, such as sympathetic and celiac plexus blocks.
Education and teaching skills are a vital component of developing a successful pain practice. The fellow gains experience educating junior physicians and medical students, as well as communicating with insurance providers regarding procedure denials. An integral part of the fellowship includes teaching residents and students during their rotations on the pain service. Additionally, the fellow delivers a dedicated pain management lecture to anesthesiology residents during the year.
Research
The fellow participates in new and ongoing clinical research, with opportunities to present at national and worldwide conferences and pursue publication in peer-reviewed journals. Numerous projects are underway and continue to be implemented each year. In addition, there are many opportunities to write case reports or subject reviews for presentation and publication.
Continuous Improvement
As an academic institution, we are committed to continually improving our training program. We encourage the fellow to provide feedback on areas for growth and development. All recommendations are taken seriously as we strive to provide the highest quality education and training possible.
For more information, please contact:
Patti Finch
Pain Fellowship Coordinator
Division of Pain Management
419.383.3507
419.383.3550 (Fax)
patti.ellis@utoledo.edu