Metagenomic shotgun sequencing of blood to identify bacteria and viruses in leukemic febrile neutropenia.

Despite diagnostic advances in microbiology, the etiology of neutropenic fever remains elusive in most cases. In this study, we evaluated the utility of a metagenomic shotgun sequencing based assay for detection of bacteria and viruses in blood samples of patients with febrile neutropenia. We prospectively enrolled 20 acute leukemia patients and obtained blood from these patients at three time points: 1) anytime from onset of neutropenia until before development of neutropenic fever, 2) within 24 hours of onset of neutropenic fever, 3) 5-7 days after onset of neutropenic fever. Blood samples underwent sample preparation, sequencing and analysis using the iDTECT® Dx Blood v1® platform (PathoQuest, Paris, France). Clinically relevant viruses or bacteria were detected in three cases each by metagenomic shotgun sequencing and blood cultures, albeit with no concordance between the two. Further optimization of sample preparation methods and sequencing platforms is needed before widespread adoption of this technology into clinical practice.

Mayo Clinic Hematology Fellowship for Advanced Practice Providers.

Advanced practice providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), are part of a growing cancer care workforce. Current hematology-specific education provided by most graduate NP and PA school educations is limited. Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences launched a hematology-specific fellowship in 2018 to provide APPs with the skills and knowledge required to deliver high-quality specialty care in hematology and blood and marrow transplant (BMT). The fellowship curriculum was developed based on a needs-based assessment study as well as the qualitative reported experiences of current hematology-specific APPs. The curriculum contains didactic in-class education, research opportunities, and mentored clinical rotations in both inpatient and outpatient practice in hematology and BMT. This 12-month fellowship, one of the only postgraduate training programs dedicated to benign and malignant hematology practice, provides structured training for highly qualified graduate APPs interested in developing a rewarding career in hematology.

Nurse practitioners and physician assistants: preparing new providers for hospital medicine at the mayo clinic.

BACKGROUND: Hospital medicine is a growing field with an increasing demand for additional healthcare providers, especially in the face of an aging population. Reductions in resident duty hours, coupled with a continued deficit of medical school graduates to appropriately meet the demand, require an additional workforce to counter the shortage. A major dilemma of incorporating nonphysician providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants (NPPAs) into a hospital medicine practice is their varying academic backgrounds and inpatient care experiences. Medical institutions seeking to add NPPAs to their hospital medicine practice need a structured orientation program and ongoing NPPA educational support. METHODS: This article outlines an NPPA orientation and training program within the Division of Hospital Internal Medicine (HIM) at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. RESULTS: In addition to a practical orientation program that other institutions can model and implement, the division of HIM also developed supplemental learning modalities to maintain ongoing NPPA competencies and fill learning gaps, including a formal NPPA hospital medicine continuing medical education (CME) course, an NPPA simulation-based boot camp, and the first hospital-based NPPA grand rounds offering CME credit. Since the NPPA orientation and training program was implemented, NPPAs within the division of HIM have gained a reputation for possessing a strong clinical skill set coupled with a depth of knowledge in hospital medicine. CONCLUSION: The NPPA-physician model serves as an alternative care practice, and we believe that with the institution of modalities, including a structured orientation program, didactic support, hands-on learning, and professional growth opportunities, NPPAs are capable of fulfilling the gap created by provider shortages and resident duty hour restrictions. Additionally, the use of NPPAs in hospital medicine allows for patient care continuity that is otherwise missing with resident practice models.