Brian P. McKinzie, PharmD, BCCCP

The Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) rotation is an inpatient acute care experience designed to develop a learner's skills while participating in a multidisciplinary critical care environment.  The BICU rotation should serve as a foundation for future hospital experiences in that it encompasses a wide variety of therapeutic issues and demands in treating the critically ill patient. The ultimate goal is to produce a well-qualified pharmacy practitioner that is able to care for this patient population in congruence with other pharmacy rotational experiences.

The Burn ICU at UNC Medical Center is a 21-bed unit at a tertiary academic referral center serving critically ill patients with surgical and non-surgical admission diagnoses.  Common surgical and medical problems encountered include thermal and chemical burns, inhalational injuries, sepsis / septic shock, burn shock, drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), Stevens-Johnson syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (SJS/TEN), and other dermatological emergencies.  Residents will have exposure to the more critical elements of a variety of common infectious diseases (HAP/VAP, bacteremia, urinary tract infections, cellulitis, HSV), chronic diseases (diabetes, COPD, HTN, CKD, etc.), and medication management issues (lack of insurance, poor health literacy, etc.) that will be relevant to all practice sites and settings.  Residents will also gain experience with special considerations in the critically ill, including altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications in this population as well as supportive care of the critically ill patient (sedation, pain management, prophylaxis, etc.).

The Burn ICU service consists of a single rounding team, with one attending physician, one fellow-level physician, physician assistants, interns, and an assortment of medical and pharmacy students. The ICU is multidisciplinary in nature - other providers with an active presence include Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians, as well as Pharmacists.  Interaction with all of these healthcare professionals, as well as consult teams specializing in care of specific medical problems, can be expected.