Curriculum & Case Experience
During the course of the year, through a series of daily lectures that
are resident organized and controlled, a complete review of a major text
in anesthesia is presented. Weekly conferences in a Grand Rounds format,
as well as a weekly morbidity and mortality conference are presented by
residents and attendings. Additionally there is a monthly journal club
meeting, hosted at an attendings residence, where specific articles are
discussed in relaxed surroundings.
Frequent guest lectures complement the weekly Grand Rounds conference, providing a stimulating atmosphere for the exchange of ideas. Preparation of the resident is strongly geared toward becoming a superior clinical anesthesiologist as well as successful completion of the American Board of Anesthesia (ABA) qualifying (written) and certifying (oral) examinations. To this end, frequent written exams as well as Mock Oral preparation is an integral part of the academic process.
The program provides the resident with numerous educational conference opportunities.
The clinical anesthesia experience is structured to exceed all minimum requirements for defined category and total case number as mandated by the American Board of Anesthesia.
Program Overview
CA-1 year
The CA-1 resident will spend 8 months of the year in the operating room where they will learn the basic skills associated with providing anesthesia care to a wide variety of surgical patients. Principles of patient pre-operative evaluation, use and insertion of special monitors, as well as the physiology of general anesthesia are stressed.
Additionally, the CA-1 resident spends 2 months on the labor and delivery floor learning the principles of obstetric anesthesia, regional blockade for vaginal and cesarean births, and neonatal evaluation and resuscitation.
One month of the CA-1 year is spent with the Pain Service, providing the resident with the opportunity to learn and become proficient at a wide variety of nerve blocks, as well as learn the principles of post-operative pain management.
The final month of the first year in anesthesia training is spent in the Post Operative Care Unit, where the resident manages a wide variety of patients and post-operative problems while serving as an important liaison between the OR and the recovery suite.
CA-2 year
The CA-2 resident spends 8 months in the operating room, where their responsibility for patient care will increase commensurate with their abilities. This resident will have extensive exposure to all types of cases, from complex pediatric surgery, to major thoracic and vascular cases. To this end, during this 8 month period, the CA-2 resident spends 1 month exclusively on pediatric anesthesia, and 1 month of neuroanesthesia.
Three months of the CA-2 year are spent at the Ambulatory Care Center, a free standing outpatient surgical facility located 5 minutes from the medical center. At this facility the resident learns the practice and principles of anesthesia for outpatient surgery, experiencing a large number of pediatric, orthopedic, gynecological, ophthalmic and general surgery cases.
CA-3 year
During this year, 4 months are allotted for elective time, where the resident may pursue more in depth exposure to areas of anesthesia they find interesting. As a chief resident, 8 months of the year are spent in the operating room, where the CA-3 resident is exposed to the most challenging types of cases. Additional responsibilities include the daily assigning of junior residents to specific cases. Autonomy is encouraged, and is commensurate with abilities; the chief resident is often treated as a junior faculty member, and functions as a liaison between the remaining faculty and resident class as a whole.