Career Development

Our program is dedicated to educating our trainees for all facets of Career Development. We offer hands-on CV and personal statement sessions with our fellowship directors, private practice physicians come to educate about various practice models, interviewing tips, and goal/time management sessions.  Our residents find this workshop incredibly helpful while gearing up to apply for fellowships and/or enter the job market.

Residents graduate and enter private practice, fellowships, and/or academics. We have a nearly 100% first-time board pass rate, with our recent grads frequently scoring among the highest 100 scores. Our extensive alumni network covers almost every state, and many of our alumni actively recruit University of Virginia graduates.

Our program has an exceptionally strong record of placing residents in the best fellowship programs for pain, OB, pediatrics, cardiac, ICU, and research. Our former residents practice in 48 different states, creating a network of job opportunities across the country.

“While most of the time private practice is routine, whenever a patient is crashing or a difficult decision has to be made, I’m always thankful I went to an excellent residency program like UVA.”  -Matt Knoepfler, Class of 2020 (private practice-OH)

“A strong foundation in ultrasound/regional skill has been incredibly important for pain, particularly with some of the advances in peripheral nerve stimulation. I’ve also had to deal with a handful of unexpected emergencies in the past year and I definitely felt well prepared to deal with them. UVA built a strong foundation for both the everyday and the rare high pressure situations.”    -Russ Davenport, Class of 2018 (pain fellowship, followed by private practice-NC)

“I think the best thing about UVA as it pertains to preparing for a job after residency is the degree of independence and medical decision making that is encouraged by many of the attendings, particularly in the last couple of years. It helps develop the necessary skills and thinking that helps UVA grads thrive when they leave training and step into private practice.” -Andrew Lex, Class of 2019 (private practice-VA)

“UVA was a hard residency and more than once I wished I had gone to an easier program with better hours. However, before fellowship started I had to work as a general attending at another tertiary academic center for a couple of months, covering cases such as TAAA’s and taking care of patients with VADs and severe cardiac issues. I was surprised just how prepared I was for this challenge immediately after residency. I feel similarly well-prepared for the next step of my training as fellowship ramps up. When out on your own or entering the next phase of training, you will never regret having taken care of a lot of really sick patients, or getting a lot of really complex and risky procedures during training. You will leave UVA confident in your ability to provide anesthesia for nearly any patient under any circumstance.”
-Patrick Milan, Class of 2020 (Cardiothoracic Fellowship followed by Private Practice – FL)

“One of the many great aspects of UVA’s residency program is that you are prepared for anything, whether it’s any and every fellowship out there, any type of private practice gig, or in my case, the military. My transition from resident to Staff Anesthesiology couldn’t have been smoother; I was extremely prepared for independent practice. Right now I am deployed to the Middle East as a Critical Care Air Transport Team Physician, where I lead a three-person critical care team in a plane as we transport patients to a higher level of care. While taking of patients in a “flying ICU” brings a special set of challenges, my training at UVA has given me the foundation I needed to give our wounded warriors the care they deserve.”
-Eric Ness, Class of 2018 (Military Medicine-US Air Force)

“I joined a busy private practice after residency where I do everything from OB to thoracic to regional anesthesia. From day one, I felt completely comfortable in my new role as an attending anesthesiologist and I owe that to my training at UVA.”  -Elizabeth Kim, Class of 2018 (private practice – Philadelphia, PA)

“Ultimately, the most important factor in choosing a residency is how well it prepares you for independent practice after graduation. This not only includes knowledge-base, procedural skills, and critical thinking under pressure, but also work ethic, adaptation, and efficiency. UVA exceeded my expectation for a residency program in every way.

I’ve now finished my first year in private practice at a busy level 1 trauma center where I do everything from outpatient ortho to major vascular and thoracic surgery. Never once have I felt a deficit in my training – in fact it is quite the opposite. Compared to colleagues who trained at other top-tier programs, I did far more cardiac, thoracic, and regional anesthesia in residency with more autonomy. This has translated into more confidence and competence while providing anesthesia to critically ill patients undergoing complicated surgeries. Lastly, the relationships I developed with my attendings and mentors at UVA helped me find a great job and eased my transition into private practice.

Even now, I feel like I have a network of experts that I can seek advice from when challenging cases arise. If I had to go back do residency again, there’s no doubt I would choose UVA as my top choice again.”
-Matt Rippberger, Class of 2019 (private practice – CO)

Cardiothoracic Anesthesia

• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Johns Hopkins University
• Emory University
• University of Alabama, Birmingham
• University of California, San Francisco
• Duke University
• Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
• University of Florida

Pediatric Anesthesia

• Texas Children’s Hospital
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
• Children’s National Medical Center
• Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
• Seattle Children’s Hospital
• Boston Children’s

Pain Medicine

• UVA
• Wake Forest
• Duke University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Vermont
• Cornell University
• Oregon Health & Sciences
• University of Utah
• University of Maryland
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Critical Care

• University of Pittsburgh
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Michigan
• Duke University
• University of Iowa
• Vanderbilt University
• University of Washington
• Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)

Regional

• University of North Carolina
• UVA
• University of Pittsburgh
• Stanford University
• Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
• Duke University

OB Anesthesia

• Wake Forest
• UVA
• Brigham & Women’s