Residency
A Day in the
Life of an Anesthesiology Resident
Introduction.
. .
Unwavering decision making, skill mastery, high aim, spirited
dedication and a noble purpose are just some of the distinguishing
qualities reflected in the residents of Loyola University Medical
Center's Department of Anesthesiology. The training program is
intensive and offers a unique and enriching learning experience.
Through a full spectrum of hands-on clinical experiences plus an
excellent didactic educational program, anesthesiology residents
are well prepared to handle virtually any case in their career.
The first twelve months (PGY-1) are devoted exclusively to
clinical base training followed by two years of clinical
anesthesia experience (CA-1 and CA-2). In the final phase (CA-3),
the residents receive advanced anesthesia training and may select
to concentrate in a subspecialty or research project.
Here is a
look at three residents in different stages of their training:
A
Day in the Life. . .
J. Scott Miller, M.D., CA-1
Hello, my name is
Scott Miller. I am
currently in my first year of anesthesia training (CA-1).
Having attended Loyola Medical School, I had the opportunity to
compare Loyola’s Department of Anesthesiology with other
institutions prior to the match.
I am convinced the department has an excellent residency
program that will prepare me for my career in anesthesia.
As
a PGY-1, I matched into Loyola’s four-year program.
The first year is established by the department with the goal
of establishing a core medical knowledge base as interns to meet the
challenges we will face as anesthesiologists.
The curriculum of this first year is similar to a
transitional program with equal emphasis being placed on surgical
and medicine fields. For
example, the months in the first year include ENT, Neurosurgery,
Urology, General Medicine, Cardiology, Surgical ICU, Medical ICU,
OB/GYN and Neonatology ICU. As
with many intern years, this first year after medical school was
challenging but very manageable and rewarding.
The program provided an excellent balance of time allowing
opportunities for me to review anesthesia related information from
different medical specialties.
At the same time, there is time to prepare and take Step 3 of
USMLE. For me, the
highlight of this past year occurred while on transplant surgery
when I was allowed to be first assistant during the hepatectomy
portion of a liver transplant.
The program is constantly under review and evaluation with
input from the interns by the Department of Anesthesiology.
I am excited and enjoying my experience as a
CA-1. The start of the
CA-1 year is designed to provide a manageable transition into
anesthesia. The program
begins with each CA-1 being paired with another member of his/her
class with close supervision from an attending during the first
month. This pairing
builds confidence in the operating room.
Also, during this first month, all CA-1’s have lecture in
the afternoon. These lectures cover basic principles of anesthesiology.
There is no call this first month allowing some time in the
evening to read. There
is an emphasis to challenge each CA-1 while insuring that the
experience is not overwhelming.
Lectures for CA-1s are on Thursday mornings.
As a CA-1, I have been involved in many different types of
cases. Attendings are very approachable and willing to help answer
questions. Call is
roughly five to six times per month with the post call day off.
The day before the surgeries, each resident is assigned to a
room with an attending. The
night before the cases, we contact the attending to discuss the
operations for the next day in order to formulate an anesthetic
plan. Attendings
appreciate the input of residents and often agree to the
residents’ plans. My
typical day starts around 6:30 to 7:00 AM with setting up the room. Cases run throughout the day with attendings and residents
who are not assigned a specific room giving lunch and other breaks
throughout the day. If
I am not on call, my day typically ends around 5 to 6 at night.
Then I see the post-op patients from the previous day.
If not on call, weekends and holidays are free.
We receive four weeks of vacation per year which may be taken
in one-week increments.
Loyola has a
large volume of diverse surgeries with patients who have severe
co-morbidities. I feel
confident that this Loyola program will provide the experiences
necessary for my future success in anesthesiology.
* * * * * * *
* * * *
Jonathan Litwiller, M.D., CA-2
As I finish my CA-1 year,
I must say it’s been a busy, enjoyable and challenging ride. The CA-1 year
is mostly a general OR year with 1 month of ambulatory injected in the mix.
However, the year is anything but general. We do a variety of cases
including Ortho, Neuro (mostly spine), urology, ENT, and general surgery
among other specialties. We also gain experience in trauma and pediatrics
during the CA-1 year although our dedicated pediatric months fall in our
CA-2 year. As well, we begin to take liver transplant call around the
middle of the CA-1 year.
Approaching the
CA-2 year, the curriculum is geared towards subspecialty training
with concentration in CV, Neuro, Pediatrics, Pain, OB as well
as critical care with 2 months spent in our Cardio-thoracic ICU.
We are fortunate to have an excellent CV surgery department that
affords us the opportunity to gain valuable training in a wide
variety of CV cases. Our neurosurgery department is also
excellent with a large case volume with many craniotomies and
spine cases. OB boasts a very high percentage of high risk
pregnancies. The surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologists work
well together at Loyola providing a good team atmosphere.
Our
department is supportive, friendly and committed. A vast majority
of our attendings make teaching points when working with you in the
OR. While our attendings are available when needed and make efforts
to teach, we also have a lot of autonomy and are expected to
progress quickly in our clinical judgment, knowledge and skills.
Didactics include a morning lecture 1 day per week as well as an
optional case-based discussion group one morning per week and weekly
grand rounds. Further, there are opportunities for journal club and
research.
Finally, you
should know that we work hard at Loyola with typical days starting
between 6-7AM and finishing around 5-6PM with call averaging
6-7x’s/month. The result of this is a well-rounded experience
and good preparedness for the future. I’m told by past Loyola
residents and present CA-3’s who will soon enter the attending
world that Loyola is respected for this and no one has felt
unprepared for any position in which they found themselves.
*
* * * * * * * * *
Rita Gupta, M.D., CA-3
Your third year of
residency is the most exciting, filled with opportunities for
continued learning, development, and growing comfort in the many
skills you possess and clinical decisions you must make as an
Anesthesiologist.
In your third
year, you can choose from two training paths. The first path is
research oriented and incorporates six months of research within the
year. The second path enables you to design your own training year
by choosing from a wide array of rotations that allow you to further
refine your skills in different aspects of Anesthesia. Areas of
focus include the VA, ICU, Cardiovascular, Pediatric, Regional, and
Ambulatory Anesthesia.
Loyola was my first choice for
residency and I am so grateful for this experience. Loyola's
reputation as a challenging program is not unwarranted and the
vigorous training is looked upon very highly by prospective
employers. I've worked many difficult and interesting cases, always
with the support of excellent co-residents and attendings. While my
post-graduation plans are not finalized, I know that my years at
Loyola have prepared me for a wide variety of clinical concerns and
settings.
