The 2-year Clinical Track is designed to orient fellows towards careers in clinical nephrology. Drawing on the strengths of Tufts Medical Center as both a quaternary-care referral center and a community resource, fellows are exposed to the spectrum of nephrology consultations including acute kidney injury, electrolyte and acid/base disorders, chronic kidney disease, and dialysis. Active and robust kidney, bone marrow, liver, and heart transplant programs provide fellows the opportunity to care for a variety of issues associated with the transplantation process and chronic immunosuppression. Continuity activities span all stages of chronic kidney disease, including outpatient hemodialysis, home hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis, providing a unique and comprehensive experience in clinical nephrology.
At the conclusion of their first year, fellows select an area in which to focus their study. Three-to-six months is then devoted during their second year to develop expertise in this area through faculty mentorship, individually-developed rotations, and quality improvement and research activities. Some of the many pathways can be found here.
Learn about our inpatient and outpatient experiences >
Clinical Experiences – 1st year
Ten months of inpatient rotations
- Exposure to a wide range of acute and chronic kidney diseases
- A care team consisting of an attending, a fellow, internal medicine residents, and 4th year medical students
- 5-15 patients per fellow
Two months on the Float/Education block
- Fellows have dedicated time for reading, learning, preparing teaching sessions, and developing conferences
- By covering other fellows who are out on vacation or with illness, fellows on inpatient rotations are not asked to cover expanded services
Two ½-day nephrology continuity clinics per week
- Develop a cohort of patients with various kidney disease that is managed for the duration of your training
- See the course of kidney diseases over extended time
- Hands-on teaching with 1-to-1 engagement with attendings.
A monthly home dialysis continuity clinic
- Manage a group of peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis patients over the course of a year
- Multidisciplinary clinics with an attending, a dialysis nurse, social workers, pharmacist , and dietician
Clinical Experiences – 2nd year
Six-eight months of inpatient rotations
- Leading the service as a junior attending
- Emphasis on challenging, unique, and rare cases
Four-to-six months of Nephrology Focused Pathway:
- Rotations focused on unique career interests
- One-on-one mentorship for career guidance
- Exclusive curriculum based on your interest and needs
- Protected time for attendance at national conferences within pathway
Two months on the Float/Education block
- Dedicated time for board preparation, teaching medical students and internal medicine residents, and preparing manuscripts, presentations, posters, and abstracts
- Covering other fellows who are out on vacation or with illness
A yearlong continuity experience in chronic hemodialysis
- Manage an on-site shift of 25 chronic hemodialysis patients
- Weekly rounding with an attending
- Monthly lab review with interdisciplinary rounds
One ½-day nephrology continuity clinics per week
A monthly home dialysis continuity clinic
