Critical care medicine fellow Jenna Littmann, M.D., joined us in July 2024 after completing her anesthesiology residency at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York. She spoke to us about her fellowship experience and what is next for her.
Q: How has your fellowship been going?
A: It has been going really well and went by incredibly quickly! All of the attendings have been very supportive of including my input during rounds, allowing me to supervise procedures independently, and aiding in my education. My co-fellows have also become good friends of mine, and it has been great learning from those with emergency medicine and surgery backgrounds.
Q: What has been the highlight?
A: I really enjoyed my time in unit 77, our cardiac surgery ICU. As a resident in New York, I did not have the opportunity to rotate in our cardiothoracic unit, so it was a great opportunity to learn about managing all the mechanical devices: LVAD, BiVAD, VA and VV ECMO, Impellas, and balloon pumps. The hospital at which I did residency also did not perform lung transplants, so taking care of those patients was a new experience for me.
Q: Why did you decide to come to the University of Florida (UF) for your critical care medicine fellowship?
A: My decision to come to UF for critical care medicine fellowship was multifactorial. I was looking for a program in the Southeast of the USA to be close to my family, and my brother-in-law did his cardiac anesthesia fellowship at UF in 2016, and he had a wonderful experience with the education at UF and really enjoyed working with his colleagues. After interviewing with UF and seeing all the different ICUs I would be rotating through, I knew I would get a broad exposure to a variety of types of patients to set me up for success in whatever environment I decided to pursue post-fellowship.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Gainesville?
A: I’ve been lucky to explore lots that Gainesville has to offer – a UF football game, many different local restaurants, bike riding on the Gainesville-Hawthorne trail, and exploring some of the springs (of course, all while enjoying the Florida sunshine!) Coming from the north, I have simply been trying to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Q: What is next for you?
A: I actually accepted a pediatric fellowship position in Charleston, South Carolina, to add to my knowledge and repertoire as an anesthesiologist. Beyond that is still to be determined, but I do know I would like to remain in the Florida/Carolinas area, so it’s very possible life will bring me back to UF!