Intensive care nephrology is crucial for managing critically ill patients for theprevention,recognition and management of acute kidney injury including renal replacement therapy and blood purification. It ensures timely intervention through specialized dialysis and monitoring, improving overall survival rates and recovery outcomes in the ICU setting. This learning pathway guides clinicians from beginners to highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals, ensuring they are equipped with the latest information and, just as importantly, the skills and ability to stay current as knowledge continues to evolve.
Endorsement: This Course is endorsed by the AKI section and the Nursing and Allied Healthcare Professionals (N&AHP) representative group, ESICM.
Directors
Pathway directors
Bairbre MCNICHOLAS MD PhD Consultant Intensivist and Nephrologist at Galway University Hospitals; Honorary senior Lecturer at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
John PROWLE MD, FRCP, FFICM Senior Clinical Lecturer in ICM, Queen Mary University of London, Consultant in Renal and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal London Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Level 1
Greet DE VLIEGER MD PhD intensive care physician, Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,
Eric HOSTE MD PhD Intensive Care Department, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
Marc ROMAIN MD, MBBCh, DCH(SA), FCP(SA) Specialist intensivist and nephrologist, Medical intensive care unit, Hadassah Medical Center; Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Antoine SCHNEIDER MD, PhD Service de Médecine Intensive Adulte (SMIA), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland; Chair of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) section, ESICM
Level 2
Yvelynne KELLY MD, Consultant Intensivist, Department of Critical Care, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Melanie MEERSCH MD, Prof. Senior Physician and Head of Post ICU Care, Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Münster, Germany
John PROWLE MD, FRCP, FFICM Senior Clinical Lecturer in ICM, Queen Mary University of London, Consultant in Renal and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal London Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Ahmet Oğuzhan KÜÇÜK MD Consultant Intensivist, Karadeniz Technical University, Farabi Hospital, Trabzon, Turkey
Thomas RIMMELÉ MD, PhD Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Edouard Herriot Hospital, Lyon, France
Level 3:
Lui FORNI MD Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford; Intensive Care Unit, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
Michael JOANNIDIS MD, Division of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Innsbruck, AustriaSuvi VAARA MD Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
Fellowships:
Ilona BOBEK MD, PhD Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, South-Pest Central Hospital, National Institute of Hematology and Infectology, Budapest, Hungary, Member of AKI section
Silvia DE ROSA MD MS Assistant researcher at Centre for Medical Sciences (CISMed), University of Trento – Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Santa Chiara Regional Hospital, APSS, Trento, Italy
Overview
The ESICM Intensive Care Nephrology Pathway is an educational initiative designed to provide a structured framework for education and training in acute kidney injury (AKI) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) to intensive care physicians and allied health professionals.
This initiative seeks to integrate advances in learning methodologies with the expertise and resources within ESICM. The pathway builds on established educational offerings, such as self-learning resources, webinars, online courses, fellowships andface-to-face activities at LIVES. This approach enables learners to access content that matches their specific educational needs and professional development goals. This shift allows for targeted educational strategies that are tailored to the learner’s stage of development, ensuring a structured progression.
Participants can subscribe for the full pathway or can take levels separately, according to their previous experience and preferences.
The pathway adopts a Level-Based Learning Framework emphasizes progression in knowledge and skills as follows:
Kick-off webinar on February 25, 2025 at 16:00 CET
Level 1 Foundation in Intensive Care Nephrology. This level is focused on early-stage learners, emphasizing foundational concepts and understanding of AKI and RRT. It includes:
Self-learning resources and assessments
Live event #1 (online): Foundation course in Intensive Care Nephrologyon May 27-28, 2025
Level 2 Transition in Intensive Care Nephrology. This level is designed for learners applying key concepts to clinical practice and advancing their analytical skills.
Self-learning resources and assessments
Live event #2 (face-to-face): Transition course in Intensive Care Nephrology at LIVES 2025 in Munich, Germany
Level 3 Advanced in Intensive Care Nephrology. It is targeted at advanced learners aiming to develop or enhance AKI and RRT processes through research, mentoring, and service development.
Self-learning resources and assessments
Live event #3 in 2026:Advanced course in Intensive Care Nephrology Format, date and time to be confirmed in due time.
Fellowships. A total of 5 fellowships will be offered to the top scoring participants. This will be an opportunity for the participants who have achieved a sufficient level of both attendance and assessment performance to undertake fellowships in specific areas of the pathway, gaining bedside teaching from experts at globally renowned academic health sciences centres. Fellowships will last 1 week and will come with a bursary of 1000 EUR to support travel and accommodation at the site. Fellowship dates, centre and mentor: To be announced at a later stage.
Eligibility and applications for fellowships:
Applications open to participants from any professional background
Must be a member of the ESICM (so join us now if not already a member!)
Fellowships will be awarded on basis of attendance at the course and highest performance in the post-course evaluation.
Priority will be given to those who did not benefit from a fellowship on the subject or any other fellowship in 2025
Accreditation
An application will be made to the UEMS EACCME® for CME accreditation of each live event.
Registration requirements
Participation to each Level requires separate registration. Participants may register to all the levels they feel correspond to their needs, expertise and experience.
Pathway content will be available in the dedicated online classroom upon registration.
Target
Intensivists, nephrologists and critical care nurses with a particular interest in Intensive Care Nephrology.
Support Emerging Nations and Eastern Europe
ESICM members from the Emerging Nations and Eastern Europe (see list of countries here) are entitled to an discount on registration fees. To qualify, participants must be active ESICM members for the current year. To become a member, please see more information here.