UHS Hospitals will soon begin an accredited Fellowship Program that will provide cardiology training to physicians who have completed their medical residencies. Afzal ur Rehman, MD, PhD, will serve as program director and Keyoor Patel, DO, will serve as associate program director.
Training Timeline
In the United States, physicians follow established education and clinical training stages.
- Pre-medical (undergraduate)
- Medical school
- Internship
- Residency
- Licensure
- Fellowship
- Board certification
- Continuing medical education
Beginning in July 2016, the program will accept one fellow per year for the three-year course of study, so once the program is in full swing, there will be three cardiology fellows available to treat patients.
Dr. Rehman says that having the Fellowship Program increases the overall quality of care in the UHS system. “First, we will be able recruit more highly skilled residents because of the program,” says Dr. Rehman. “Second, the fellow will be a fully trained internist who will be able to provide patient care, as well as participate in a higher level of academic discussion on cases.”
Dr. Rehman notes that this is one of the benefits for patients in a teaching hospital. “There are lots of people working in a learning capacity, including doctors, nurses, technologists and nutritionists. That means patients are the recipients of an abundance of expertise and an abundance of attention.”
