Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine

Main (Program Overview/Mission/Vision/Aims):

Mission

To provide leadership, consultation and training in Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine (UHM) – spearheading research, education, and medical practice in operational and clinical arenas during conflict or peace.

Vision

To maintain a premier training platform that provides robust exposure to emergency, routine clinical and military operational dive and hyperbaric medicine, producing high caliber board certified hyperbaric medicine physicians.

Program Aims

1. Knowledge: Provide a comprehensive one year fellowship curriculum producing well-rounded UHM physicians capable of providing care in operational and clinical environments. This aim will be achieved through a didactic curriculum of reading, presentations, and journal club articles. The curriculum will include specific materials to enhance operational capabilities.
2. Innovation: Continue investigating emerging treatment modalities to better serve our active duty and veteran population. Find and evaluate medical equipment for use in the hyperbaric environment to safely and effectively deliver critical care. Evaluate equipment to expand critical care capabilities in the hyperbaric chamber so that graduates are experts in outpatient as well as critical care hyperbaric oxygen delivery.
3. Leadership: Develop strong physician leadership both in military and civilian arenas, and develop the next generation of UHM leaders through formal didactics, mentorship and faculty development.

Curriculum/Rotations/Locations/Partnering Institution

The majority of the fellowship year consists of clinical time spent in the BAMC Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic. The Clinic has been accredited with Distinction by the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. The center has two hyperbaric chambers available for patient care. A six-person Fink multiplace chamber provides primary treatment capabilities for patient care. A Perry Sigma Plus monoplace chamber provides additional scheduling flexibility, and provider experience. Patients are primarily DoD and VA beneficiaries. They are referred for care from Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, BAMC, the Institute of Surgical Research, the Center for the Intrepid, and the Audie Murphy VA Hospital. Additionally, some civilian patients are managed through the BAMC Trauma and Burn programs. There is a significant population of diabetic wounds, radiation injuries, and osteomyelitis; however, nearly all UHMS approved diagnoses are encountered during the year. The clinic provides greater than 200 new patient evaluations and 3000 hyperbaric treatments annually.

A 2-week clinical rotation is provided at the David Grant Medical Center (Travis AFB, CA) Hyperbaric Medicine Clinic, providing exposure to the largest clinical hyperbaric chamber in the DoD. Additionally, the following formal courses are provided:

1. International ATMO Hyperbaric Medicine Team Training – San Antonio, TX – 1 week
2. International ATMO Safety Director Course – San Antonio, TX – 2 days
3. International ATMO Wound Care Course – San Antonio, TX – 2 days
4. UHMS Physicians Training in Diving Medicine Course – San Diego, CA – 2 weeks
5. US Navy Recognition and Treatment of Dive Injuries – Panama City Beach, FL – 2 weeks

Military Relevance (military relevance of specialty/how program prepares trainees to be ready for military mission & first assignment)

The Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine (UHM) service provides consultation, evaluation, and treatment of diving and altitude related disorders, such as decompression sickness. Such disorders arise from unpressurized flight, altitude chambers and underwater diving. The UHM service takes calls worldwide regarding decompression sickness and provides evaluation and treatment of regional military decompression sickness. Additionally the staff provide in-chamber pressure tests for multi-service military divers. Finally, the fellow annually attends the US Navy Recognition and Treatment of Diving Casualties course to receive an introduction to military diving operations.

Application Instructions (Eligibility/Interview Process/Program Application Details)

Prerequisites:

1. Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy
2. Unencumbered professional credentials
3. Residency training and either documented full board eligibility or board certification in any physician medical specialty.
4. USAF applicants must complete the Aerospace Medicine Primary course either prior to application or upon follow-on assignment after fellowship

Interview Process

Active duty Air Force applicants should contact the Program Director/Associate Program Director to express their interest in fellowship training and to schedule an interview. Active duty Army and Navy applicants should also contact their service-specific specialty leader to determine eligibility for application and availability of training allocations.

Application Details

Applicants must follow service specific guidance for application and submit application along with all supporting documentation by submission deadline in MODS.