Personal Statement

January 19, 2009

Chair, Credentials Committee

Society of Critical Care Medicine

American College of Critical Care Medicine

500 Midway Drive

Mount Prospect, IL 60056 USA

Dear Mr. Olsen:

This letter is my personal statement about significant contributions I have made in the following areas:

1. Collaborative Multiprofessional Practice

I am a faculty member of the University Of Nevada School Of Medicine. I practice critical care at St Martin hospital, Southern Hills Hospital and University Medical Center (teaching site for our medical residents, medical students and nurses); At St Martin hospital, a 24-bed, fully monitored multiprofessional intensive care unit, I assume full critical care responsibility for patient care 11 months a year, in addition to night and weekend calls every other weekend. At University Medical Center, I assume full responsibility for patient care and teaching residents and medical students one week a month for 12 months.

Our practice is multiprofessional, and daily rounds include residents, pharmacist, medical students, critical care nurses, and dietitians.

In addition, there is daily interaction with other services, including radiology, pathology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, surgery, neurology, cardiology, physical therapy, speech therapy, social workers, clergy and psychiatry.

2. Program Development

I was the subspecialty clinical coordinator in the area of critical care in 2005/2006, and developed a critical care curriculum, including admissions criteria, critical care procedures and competencies in critical care.

With a group that included critical care nurses and emergency room physicians, I helped establishing the Rapid Response Team at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada

3. Scholarly Activities related to Critical Care

I teach students, residents and critical care nurses; specific activities include formal lectures to residents and medical students, and journal clubs. Multiple times I have been invited to give lectures to nurses and respiratory therapists at many hospitals in Las Vegas; Topics include: severe sepsis, septic shock, mechanical ventilators (airway pressure release ventilation, high frequency oscillators, pressure regulated volume control, etc), hemodynamic monitoring.

I am contributing to critical care, especially sepsis awareness in Africa (particularly, in my native country Guinea-Bissau) with monthly articles and case presentations in the website “CONTRIBUTO”, Health chapter (Saúde).

4. Leadership

I have been invited to lecture in regional conferences (Take control of your Diabetes), and to lecture in several conferences here in Las Vegas.

I am one of the leaders in the Sepsis Committee that successfully implemented the Severe Sepsis Guidelines at the University Medical Center, leading to a significant increase in sepsis awareness and a more collaborative effort between intensivists, emergency room physicians and critical care nurses.

As recognition of my leadership capabilities I was named Teacher/Physician of the year 6 years in a row and made Medical Director of the Nevada Organ Donor Network, Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center and I was recently asked to be the Medical Director of the Pulmonary Department at St Martin Hospital.

I also received many letters of appreciation and awards from critical care nurses, for my contribution towards their education.

Last, but not the least, I am proud to say that, together with the founder of the above mentioned website “CONTRIBUTO”, Mr. Fernando Casimiro,  I am the Editor of the Section  Saúde (Health Issues) that publishes articles focusing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and presents critical care topics, increasing the awareness of the role of critical care in the management of tropical diseases like Malaria (Paludismo), Cholera, Trypanosomiasis, etc. in Africa, particularly Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Sao Tome, Cape Vert.

I hope I have provided sufficiently detailed information that will help decide whether my qualifications meet the requirements for Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine.

Sincerely,

Joaquim Silva Tavares