Ongoing education of the non-CCM physician: Fundamental critical care support (FCCS) course and other methods

Direct medical care of critically ill patients is shared by a large number of providers from widely disparate backgrounds. These differences include, but are not limited to, the following: a) scope of practice (e.g., nurse, nursepractitioner, physician assistant, and physicians from all clinical disciplines; b) level of expertise, e.g., facility with invasive procedures and their indications; c) and clinical knowledge base and experience, e.g., fund of knowledge, prompt recognition of disease entities, and life-threatening complications. In every one of these circumstances, the over-arching determinants of quality and consistency of ICU patient care are education and communication. However, 'standardized' education for noncritical care medicine physicians and other ICU providers can be particularly challenging. This article discusses a variety of ongoing efforts intended to meet some of these needs (e.g., Fundamental Critical Care Support course), as well as some prominently discussed clinical shortcomings that are wholly or in part ascribed to incomplete critical care medicine educational efforts.