Curriculum and Didactics
Our program takes great pride in providing an excellent didactic program. To ease the transition to our specialty, with its unique skills, pharmacology and drug delivery systems, we offer a comprehensive orientation. During the intern year, residents will rotate for two months on Anesthesia. The first month, interns will be paired with a senior resident to learn the basic room set-up and work flow. During the second month, this will serve as a more comprehensive orientation and residents will work one-on-one with faculty. During this orientation month, residents will be relieved to attend daily introductory lectures in the afternoon. Residents will have have simulation experience at the beginning of the orientation month to further ensure a smooth transition into the operating rooms.
Rotation Schedule:
CA-0
The initial year at WVU gives our interns time to experience both surgical and medical subspecialties, allowing them to not only become well-rounded physicians but also to get to know the clinicians who they will be working with on a daily basis during residency. Residents will complete two months of introductory Anesthesiology rotations as well as the ACGME-required Surgical and Medical months.
Surgical months include Pediatric and Neurosurgery, OB/Gyn, ENT
Medical months include Neurology, Pulmonology, Medicine Wards, MICU/PICU, and Emergency Medicine
CA-1
The first complete anesthesia year involves a combination of basic anesthesia training (BAT) as well as subspecialties.
7 months of BAT and rotations in OB, Regional and Acute Pain (RAP), Post Anesthesia Care Unit, Pre-Admission Unit, SICU
CA-2
The second year includes intermediate anesthesia training (IAT) as well as more advanced subspecialties.
2 months of IAT, Pediatrics, Cardiovascular, and Neurosurgery, plus 1 month rotations in RAP, Chronic Pain, OB, and SICU.
CA-3
The final year allows flexibility to tailor rotations according to the interests of each resident.
6 months of advanced anesthesia training (AAT), with options to do: RAP, Chronic Pain, OB, TEE, Research, Pediatrics, Cardiovascular, Neurosurgery, or Ambulatory.
Lectures
Lectures are held once a week on Wednesday. CA0s and CA1s share a lecture, CA2s and CA3s share a lecture and there is an hour shared time where all residents are lecture together. If note in lecture, and no clinical assignment, residents will have academic time the remainder of the day. Interns are excused from their rotations to come to lectures every week, allowing them a jump start in learning anesthesiology. All lectures are given by anesthesiology attendings and include a didactic lecture, either questions or problem-based learning, and keywords relevant to board exams. The lecture series covers the content outline published by the ABA-ASA Joint Council on In-Training Examination. Some lecture times are dedicated to time in the simulation center or mock oral exams instead, and lectures near ITE and CA-1 ABA Basic exam are focused on board review. Our education mission is further enhanced by a monthly journal club conference, research conference, morbidity and mortality conference, and board review sessions.
Call Schedule
Residents start taking call halfway through their 2nd month of CA-1 year. Each call night consists of a Junior and Senior resident whose responsibilities include covering OB, RAP, and hospital codes in addition to OR cases.
Journal club
Journal club is held once a month at a local eatery. All residents are expected to attend and 1-2 residents present at each session, choosing from new and clinically useful literature in anesthesia journals. Attendings also come to provide feedback and insight based on their own experience in the ORs.
Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds are held every Wednesday morning prior to starting in the ORs for that day. Morbidity and Mortality reports by residents, guest speakers, town hall meetings, and lectures by attendings are among the variety found on Wednesday mornings.
Mock Orals
Residents are given mock oral exams multiple times a year in preparation for the Oral Board examination after graduation. Exams are tailored to CA3s and CA2s, though CA1s are given the opportunity to participate as well. Mock Oral exams are given by two attendings, simulated as much as possible to the actual exam.