Anesthesiology
Residency Program

 Overview of the Residency Program and Academic Events

We are committed to educating anesthesiologists who are knowledgeable in science and skilled in their craft as well as able to serve as expert consultants in the field of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine.

Our residency program has undergone significant restructuring in the past years to provide better training to our residents.

 

RESIDENCY PROGRAM:

The PGY1 year is a basic clinical year to solidify the necessary background in clinical physiology and pharmacology to prepare a solid knowledge base for anesthesiology.
A rotation-based reading assignment following all chapters of Stoelting/Hall focuses self-directed study. Trainees must pass their Step 3 exam during this year.

The year is organized in partnership with other UMMC departments based on training agreements (See Handook, Chapter 6). PGY-1 residents participate in the departmentally organized didactic programs as able.

Special focus is given to basic skill training in chest x-ray evaluation, EKG interpretation, increased exposure to cardiology, pulmonology and critical care specialties.

 

The PGY-2/CA-1 year is designed to give our first year clinical anesthesiology residents rotation-based training in perioperative and intensive care medicine.

Residents fully participate in the departmentally organized didactic programs. During this year each resident chooses a clinical research mentor and a research topic.

 

The PGY-3/CA-2 year allows continued exposure to all anesthesia subspecialties, intensive care, anesthesia for ambulatory surgery and cardiovascular surgery.

 

The PGY-4/CA-3 year allows each resident a wider latitude in choosing subspecialty concentration areas and continued broad exposure to all areas of anesthesia practice. Several elective rotations are offered (page 5-1), which are designed to match individual resident interest in OR management, teaching/simulation, ultrasound-based techniques. By December of this year the research project should be completed resulting in a presentation, abstract or paper submission.

ACADEMIC EVENTS: We offer a variety of learning modalities. Each month, an academic calendar is organized by the academic faculty in charge. The calendar is published via GroupWise e-mail and involves the following events:

 

A.) DIDACTICS

 

Reading and Lecture Series: The department has created an aggressive reading and lecture series; designed to fully prepare each resident to excel in ABA in-service examination and ultimately the ABA board examination.

Resident lectures are scheduled 1600-1700 Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week.

The program tracks Miller’s Textbook of Anesthesia, with most chapters of the text being covered during the year via lectures, case discussions or grand round presentations. Each resident is expected to have read the assigned text chapter prior to the corresponding lecture.

The lectures must comply with a standard (see Handbook: Policies) and they are posted on Blackboard (http://elearning2.umc.edu/) under the department’s Anesthesiology Graduate Medical Education course.

 

Morbidity and Mortality conferences are attended by physicians only each first Wednesday of the month 0630-0715. Designated faculty and Chief resident review all M&M incidences and cases for presentation by resident and their attending physician.

 

Grand rounds are held each subsequent Wednesday of the month, 0630-0715.  Attendance is required for faculty, residents, OR staff, medical student rotators and open for all. Grand rounds are organized by the designated academic faculty of month. Lecturers include departmental faculty, invited lecturers and senior residents.

 

Keywords: Each month, specific daily keywords are assigned to provide a venue for faculty/resident bedside discussions and additional study focus.

 

Airway workshop: A monthly hands-on, 2-hour long workshop on basic and advanced airway management techniques and methods. Attended by rotating medical students and residents on PACU or regional rotation.

 

Mock oral exams are conducted twice yearly. There are designed to exactly replicate the actual ABA exam format to include grading schedule. Monthly example oral examinations will be conducted this academic year at one of the 1600 h resident lectures of each month.

 

Graduate Procedural Anatomy course is organized to provide concise review of clinical anatomy and imaging relevant for regional anesthesia and critical care and hands-on practice of regional anesthesia. Attended by medical student rotators and residents on Regional or Pain Clinic rotation Mondays and Wednesday. Co-taught by attending anesthesiologist and anatomist.

 

Monthly online subspecialty exams are offered on Blackboard (Anesthesiology Graduate Medical Education) to provide objective self-study evaluation tool for each rotation and to improve test-taking skills.

Question sets include basic and clinical science topics relevant to each rotation. Residents take a pre-test and a post-test exam each month to measure progress in each subspecialty area. The post-test contribute to the end-of rotation evaluation of knowledge base.

 

In-service exam: Written exam by ABA taken at the beginning of the Academic Year by each resident. Performance at or above 35% percentile is required to avoid academic warning and counseling.

 

AKT exams: Taken at 6 month and 18 month after starting CA1 year. Performance at or above 35% percentile is required.

 

B. RESEARCH EVENTS:

 

Journal Club is organized once a month. January-July priority is given to residents on Research and Practice Management rotations. Residents, faculty, members of the medical students’ anesthesia interest group attend.

 

Multidisciplinary Research Conference is a monthly event, organized as venue for idea exchange and update reports on research projects. Basic science and clinical research mentors and residents attend.

 

C. RESIDENT EVENTS:

 

Monthly Residents’ meeting with Program Director and Director of Resident Education serves as a venue to discuss resident concerns as a group. The meeting is attended by residents only. Faculty members might be invited to attend a part of the meeting when necessary.