Respiratory Medicine Syllabus Template
My Evidence
Suggested Evidence
Knowledge
Understand the role of critical care
outreach services, including the interaction
between the critical care team and the
general/specialty wards
Spend a morning with the critical
care outreach team.
Know and understand the levels of critical
care provision
Sprint tutorial – intro to crit care
Know how to assess and initially manage
patients with critical illness
CBD
Know how to arrange safe transfer of
critically ill patients to HDU/ICU
CBD
Know how to use and interpret basic
critical care monitoring techniques,
including pulse oximetry, arterial blood
gases, portable monitoring
ACAT, CBD, CEX
Know the indications for, applications of
and complications of, non-invasive
ventilatory support in acute respiratory
failure
Sprint tutorial - NIV
Know the indications for, and potential
problems with, intubation and mechanical
ventilation in the critically ill patient
Sprint tutorial – setting the vent
Knowledge of the principles of and use of:

Advanced haemodynamic
monitoring

Cardiovascular support, including
inotropic/vasopressor support

Modes of mechanical ventilation

Renal rescue/replacement therapy
Chest imaging in the critically ill patient
(CXR, CT, CTPA, Chest U/S)
Understand and have experience of the
critical care management of:
Asthma
COPD
Neuromuscular Disease
Chest wall disease
Immunocompromised patients
(HIV, post-transplant, postchemotherapy)
Sprint tutorial – ventilator modes.
The following review articles.
Assumed knowledge, sprint
tutorial – radiology above the
diaphragm
CBD
Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
(ARDS)
Sepsis syndromes
Understand the multidisciplinary approach
to tracheostomy care
Know how to recognise and manage
patients with weaning failure
Sprint tutorial – weaning failure
Know the requirements for an adequately
staffed and equipped unit
Sprint tutorial – intro to crit care
Know and understand the role of the
multidisciplinary team in ICU/HDU,
including the interaction of anaesthetists,
physicians, surgeons, nurses,
microbiologists, physiotherapists, dieticians
MSF
Relevant guidelines
Read surviving sepsis guidelines.
Relevant legal and ethical issues
CBD
Skills
ALS
Valid ALS cert or Sim session
Use of basic airway support skills and
airway adjuncts in non-intubated patients
(competence)
Valid ALS cert or Sim session
Assessment and initial management of
critically ill patients (competence)
CBD
Able to decide which patients will and will
not benefit from critical care and to make
decisions with regard to ceilings of
treatment (competence)
CBD
Use and interpretation of basic critical care
monitoring equipment
ACAT
Ventilatory support modalities (competence
in C-PAP and NIV; knowledge and
experience of mechanical ventilation and
mechanical ventilation strategies)
ACAT
Ability to advise on and manage respiratory
patients on ICU and HDU (competence)
ACAT / Consultant assessment
Ability to advise on the respiratory care of
general patients on ICU and HDU
(competence)
ACAT / Consultant assessment
Chest imaging in critically ill patients
(competence)
Assumed knowledge, sprint
tutorial – radiology above the
diaphragm.
Chest drain insertion (competence)
Assumed knowledge / DOPs
Bronchoscopy in patients receiving
mechanical ventilation(indications and
performance) (competence)
DOPs (and if required sprint
tutorial – anatomy for
bronchoscopy)
Behaviours
Demonstrate good leadership skills
MSF
Recognise the importance of
multidisciplinary team working
MSF
Awareness of legal and ethical issues
CBD
Be able to break bad news (to
patient/carers) sensitively but honestly
CEX / MSF
*Be able to discuss ethics of prolonging life
and to help patient/carers to weigh this up
against quality of life
Be able to communicate sensitively and
empathically but with honesty with patient,
family, friends and carers
CEX / MSF
*Be able to discuss organ donation issues
sensitively with family/carers
* This is not expected of trainees in our ICCU
So you could therefore complete all of this by:
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2.
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4.
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6.
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Having a valid ALS certificate
Spending some time with CCOT
Having a positive consultant assessment
Going through the sprint tutorials 1. Intro to critical care
2. Radiology – above the diaphragm
3. NIV
4. Setting the vent
5. Ventilatory modes
6. Weaning failure
Reading the surviving sepsis guidelines and the review articles suggested.
Doing a CBD that refers to recognising that a respiratory patient was sick with chest sepsis,
transferring them to the ICCU, making a respiratory assessment based on gasses and SpO2
etc, looking at the chest imaging, and discussing the ethical and legal issues surrounding
escalation of care.
Having a positive MSF.
Doing a bronch and a chest drain (although we don’t do many chest drains).
Getting an ACAT for doing a ‘respiratory round’ of the patients on the unit.