Curriculum

At Grand Strand Medical Center, our Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program emphasizes active engagement in scholarly activities. Fellows are expected to submit at least three scholarly projects, which include two research projects/ review articles and one quality improvement (QI) project. Throughout your fellowship, you'll have ample opportunities to participate in a range of academic activities, including weekly evidence-based M&M sessions, didactics, resident and faculty presentations, SCORE lectures, and Grand Rounds presentations. Fellows also take part in bi-monthly simulation activities with small groups, hands-on training, as well as simulated training in endoscopies, bronchoscopies, airway management, critical care USG and echocardiography.

In addition to the core requirements, fellows have many opportunities to engage in additional Quality Improvement projects and present research at regional and national surgical conferences, both in poster and podium formats. Our program fosters a culture of producing high-quality research, case reports, publications, and presentations at both local and national levels. Fellows have streamlined access to robust research support, including a dedicated research coordinator for GME, a comprehensive retrospective database through HCA, and support from librarians and statisticians.

Some key highlights of our scholarly activities include:

Quality improvement

• A longitudinal QI curriculum during your fellowship year, which will culminate in the initiation of your own QI project.
• Opportunities to present your work at local and national conferences.
• Your QI project also counts towards the Performance Improvement requirement.

Case reports

• Encouraged to be involved with surgery residents (rotating in ICU) to write case report/ case series for presentation at the HCA Poster Day.

Research

• Faculty mentorship and GME assistance with scholarly projects with data collection, statistics and even help with writing manuscripts.
• Research lectures on basic statistics, research methods, and methodology provided by leaders from the South Atlantic Division research network.
• A robust HCA data resource for retrospective research

Our program is designed to ensure that you have every opportunity to enhance your research skills, contribute to the surgical field, and succeed in your professional growth.

2025-2026 Block Schedule

(one-month rotations; schedule subject to change)

Elective: Options include Trauma Floor Step Down Unit and Activation Response, Surgical Intensive Care Unit/Trauma Intensive Care Unit or any other rotation agreed by the Program Director.