Anesthesia Resident Didactics

Resident lectures are predominantly provided by faculty or guest speakers with expertise in the topic area. Senior residents may also volunteer to give lectures or lead discussions. Many lectures are recorded and made available to residents the following day. The lecture series covers topics in clinical anesthesia, anesthesia practice management, and board preparation.

Clinical Anesthesia

Didactics in Clinical Anesthesia topics provide essential information on the fundamentals of anesthesia and perioperative management. The format of these sessions ranges from lectures on basic anesthesia topics to case-based subspecialty seminars and discussions.

Anesthesia Practice Management

Experts in areas such as billing and anesthesia finance, medicolegal issues, and the organization of anesthesia practices are invited to speak to our trainees. 

Board Preparation

Didactics in February (prior to the in-training exam) and May/June (prior to the Board exams) are designated as board preparation blocks. Faculty members lead review sessions on specific topic areas.

Each resident will participate in at least one immersive simulation experience in our state-of-the-art simulation center using a high-fidelity mannequin. Topics covered using simulation include critical and/or rare events (e.g. malignant hyperthermia, airway fire), skills for crisis resource management and interpersonal communication issues such as disclosure of medical error and anesthesia consultations for complex patient scenarios. CA-3 residents participating in the scenarios will also learn about the basics of medical supervision as they function as attending anesthesiologists to their junior residents and “CRNA” actors.

Learn more about our simulation center.

Our training programs offer various opportunities to learn ultrasound procedures in our echocardiography simulation lab (the “Echo Lab”). Led by Drs. Robina Matyal and Feroze Mahmood, courses offered to our trainees include live lectures, case discussions, online modules, Apple iBooks (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA), and hands-on practice on high-fidelity echocardiography simulators and models during interactive workshops.

Online Modules

We provide our trainees free access to online modules covering ultrasound topics, such as physics, lung ultrasound, transesophageal echocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography. To view a sample online module, please follow the instructions below:

1. Visit the Anesthesia Education Moodle website.
2. Click on “Log in” at the upper right corner.
3. Log in with the following:
   Username: applicant
   Password: applicant
4. Under “My courses,” click on “Basic Intraoperative Echo Exam (Sample).”

Hands-On Practice

Residents are offered the opportunity to learn ultrasound techniques through various methods of hands-on practice.

In addition to the lectures, simulation sessions, and ultrasound sessions, residents also participate in the following educational activities:

Applied Exam Mocks

Once a quarter, a group of attendings coordinates mock oral exams and mock objective structured clinical exams for residents and fellows. In addition, once a month, an attending leads a Group Mock Oral where residents go through a mock oral exam as a group.

Journal Club

Once a month, two residents present recent articles in the anesthesia literature for discussion among all the department. In addition, residents have a weekly E-Journal Club available online.

CA-1 Academic Days

Each CA-1 has an all-day skills workshop three times a year. During this workshop, they practice hands-on procedural skills, have lunch with a Vice Chair, and participate in a problem-based learning discussion.

Tuesday Tune In

About once a week, senior residents lead a virtual session to discuss a case among their peer residents.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Curriculum

Guided by faculty and fellow mentors, CA-2 residents work together to perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) around events with potential or actual patient harm. After they identify systems issues through the RCA and propose solutions, they learn how to apply quality improvement methods (needs assessment surveys and implementation tools) to foster practice changes. They then present their surveys and implementation tools, along with the plans they developed, to the department during Grand Rounds.

Town Halls

Once every month, the Chief Residents, Program Director, and Associate Program Directors hold a Town Hall with the residents to share updates and discuss any concerns.