At Stanford, the goal of the anesthesia residency is to provide you with the environment and resources to help fulfill your highest professional potential as an anesthesiologist. In contrast to when I was applying to residencies in 1988, the Internet and this website now provides instant and updated information about the residency education program. Here you will find plenty of information about our world-class teaching faculty, with their specialized expertise in a variety of clinical and research areas. Also, please look around the website to see our facilities and curriculum. I encourage you to apply to our program!
The core tenets of anesthesia education at Stanford are:
Residents are learners
Residents learn best in clinical settings that embody the highest standards of medical practice & patient safety
Resident well being is a high priority
Furthermore, residency training here incorporates the three domains of modern learning theory: cognitive (knowledge & intellectual abilities), affective (attitudes and values), and psychomotor (motor skills). Each is addressed to ensure that when the resident graduates they are ready to practice independently. In fact, alumni surveys consistently tell us that our graduates are most pleased with how well prepared they are to manage any case they encounter, no matter how complex or challenging.
At Stanford, we acknowledge that resident education is shifting from the traditional apprenticeship model to one based on assessment of competency. A comprehensive review of graduate medical education led to the ACGME designating six specific core competencies that need be applied to all residents:
Patient care,
Medical knowledge,
Practice-based learning and improvement,
Interpersonal and communication skills,
Professionalism,
Systems-based practice.
At Stanford, teaching and evaluation in these six areas is an ongoing and daily pursuit, especially since today’s practice environment has changed the demands on our new graduates. We recognize that patients and families often focus on interpersonal skills and communication, and on the professionalism of the anesthesiologist.
Effective in July 2008, and in accordance with ACGME Program Requirements, Stanford residents will at a minimum complete:
Neuroanesthesia (2 mths),
Obstetric anesthesia (2 mths),
ICU (4 mths, 1 as intern),
Pediatric anesthesia (2 mths),
Pre-op Clinic (1 mth),
Acute Pain (1 mth),
Chronic pain (1 mth),
PACU (0.5 mths) and
Regional analgesia in Pain Medicine (1mth).
These nine rotations are above and beyond the minimum number of cases residents are required to perform in other subspecialities, for example, thoracic, liver transplant, ENT, and adult and pediatric cardiac anesthesia. Other highlights of the training include:
Mock oral exams,
Weekend board review course held every June,
Simulator training in adult, pediatrics, and obstetric anesthesia,
Winter Retreat for all residents,
CA1 Orientation Program with preceptorship and an August retreat,
Medical missions around the world, and
Workshops (one day each) in career planning, regional anesthesia, and difficult airway management.
Other changes to the residency structure include:
Every 4th night call system in the Stanford ICU,
A dedicated regional anesthesia team at Stanford such that the resident and attending are not assigned to specific cases but are available to perform lots more peripheral nerve blocks,
Town Hall meetings for residents to bring questions, comments, & concerns about the residency program.
Finally, I want to tell you about our Teaching Scholars Program for faculty. Faculty charged with teaching aspire to achieve the same high level of expertise (in education) as that expected of research faculty (in clinical or laboratory investigation). The Department of Anesthesia at Stanford has begun a Teaching Scholars Program to further train and empower faculty to improve residency education. This year 6 faculty members - Aileen Adriano, Michael Chen, Jeremy Collins, Kyle Harrison, Daryl Oakes, and RJ Ramamurthi – received this faculty career development award to attend the Society for Education in Anesthesia Workshop on Teaching, and the Stanford Faculty Development Center's Program on Clinical Teaching. The Teaching Scholars also work on one project during the year to improve resident education. Some of the projects this year relate to:
Providing better feedback to residents,
Improving the teaching of regional anesthesia,
Developing pre- and post ENT rotation learning assessment,
Refining the formal echocardiography curriculum, and
Creative use of the simulator to teach pediatric anesthesia.
Stanford anesthesia aims to train excellent clinicians, future leaders in the specialty, and clinician-scientists in patient care or basic science research. Please consider joining the Stanford community in beautiful Northern California. Compensation for anesthesia housestaff includes 3 weeks paid vacation and 1 week paid meeting time per year, as well as a moving and housing allowance and an education fund.
