Curriculum

The program's many learning objectives are achieved through a curricular design that is well-defined and organized into set rotations. The curriculum structure takes advantage of the teaching excellence both within the anesthesiology department and from colleague departments, all of which provide specific educational opportunities for the residents.

All residents will complete an internship (clinical base year or CBY) within the department, and will include rotations in the following:

3 months internal medicine

• will include experience in caring for inpatients in general medicine, MICU, pulmonary medicine & cardiology

1 month trauma surgery

• residents will be involved in evaluation and management of patients with surgical emergencies

1 month pediatrics

• residents participate in inpatient, perioperative, and critical care of infants and children
  

1 month medical intensive care unit

• residents are involved in the assessment and treatment of critically ill patients
  

2 months surgical intensive care unit

• residents gain exposure to management of critically ill post-operative general surgical patients

1 month emergency medicine

• residents are involved in learning to provide care for patients in the emergency department

1 month pain medicine

• residents will participate in acute pain service rounds and in assessment and treatment of chronic pain clinic patients

1 month anesthesiology

• residents are introduced to the fundamentals of anesthesiology (all interns will complete this rotation in June, that is, the last month of the clinical base year)

1 month in radiology

• residents will be able to hone their skills in interpreting chest x-rays and also will gain basic understanding of ultrasound, CT, & MRI technology
  

All rotations occur in the PGY-1 year. In the event that a resident is unable to complete any rotation due to unforeseen circumstances, the schedule is altered to ensure that all clinical base year rotations are completed satisfactorily prior to starting the CA-2 year.

Example resident rotation grid for the PGY2-4 (CA1-3) years.

Didactics

A thorough review of the art and science of anesthesiology. Teaching method and complexity of material varies by year of training, with senior residents expected to participate in their own education as they progress. CA1 residents will receive a group of educational sessions (simulator and/or lecture) each day during lunch for their first month.  This makes 20 daily sessions dedicated solely to the basics of anesthesia.

• CA1 didactics are primarily in a lecture format
• CA2 didactics are primarily in a case discussion/PBLD format
• CA3 didactics are primarily in a PBLD or oral boards format

By way of example, we have created the following idealized calendar, with July 1st falling on a Monday, and grand rounds with late OR starts falling on Tuesdays. Grand rounds start at 7am, with CA1/2/3 lectures following from 8-11am. Note that in July Grand Rounds do not start until the 4th week, and morning 8-11 lectures do not start until August, replaced instead with daily CA1 didactics. Weekly morning case discussions take place on Wednesdays at 6:15 a.m. and include all residents present at the educational facility (Royal Oak or Troy). The four workshops (including mock orals) will fall on designated Saturdays from 8-12.