Didactic Programs
Dr. Keith Littlewood teaches residents how to intubate in the Simulation Center.
UVA Anesthesiology faculty members have won more teaching awards than any other department at the University of Virginia. Some of our current faculty members have been honored as recipients of the Dean’s Clinical Excellence Award, the Master Clinician Award, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Master Educator award-the School of Medicine’s most prestigious award for GME teaching, and many others have become members of the University’s Academy of Distinguished Educators.
Residents are taught by nationally recognized teachers in all areas of anesthesia. We are fortunate that many of our faculty are at the forefront of academic anesthesiology and have educational Grant funding. We have several faculty on the editorial board of Anesthesia & Analgesia. Many of our faculty hold leadership positions and lecture nationally at the ASA, IARS, ASRA, SAAA, and SEA meetings, and other organizations. UVA faculty have authored and contributed to many major anesthesiology textbooks and monographs and are experts in areas of anesthesiology. Faculty are highly valued for their education of residents and as a result, residents have the opportunity to evaluate faculty teaching effectiveness each academic year.
Weekly Didactic Conferences
We have 3 required one-hour didactic sessions each week. These case discussions and lectures are high quality and are given by both local experts and visiting faculty experts. The didactic program is designed to cover all core areas of anesthesia and frequently delve into innovative subspecialty topics by leading experts. We also offer elective TEE conferences, case conferences, journal clubs, research conferences, mock oral board examinations, and selected topic reviews.
Required
4pm every Monday or Tuesday afternoon throughout each academic year. Lectures are based on learning level (CA0/1 and CA2/3)
Topics Include:
- Critical Incident Conference
- Monthly Departmental Lecture
- Visiting Professor
- Journal Club
Required
Lectures Include:
- Core Competency hosted by the GME
- Resident CA3s Grand Rounds Lectures
- CA2 Quality Projects
- Departmental Lectures
- Visiting Professors
Required
Lectures Include:
- Morbidity & Mortality
- Hands-on Workshops
- Departmental Lectures
- Visiting Professor
Split Curriculum
Our residents attend a split curriculum conference the first Wednesday of each month. Specialized sessions are created by our faculty within each teaching block. These sessions run 6:30am – 7:45am.
- Mandatory, 1st Wednesday of the month at 6:30am
- Systems-based review of basic anesthesia topics
- Follows a “team-based” learning format
- Topics/Learning Objectives based on Basic Exam Content Outline
Mock Oral Boards
- Mandatory, 1st Wednesday of the month at 6:30am
- Formal Oral board exams given by current ABA Oral Boards examiners
- Reviews commonly used topic stems from the ABA Oral Boards
- Tips for passing the ABA Oral Boards
Perioperative Ultrasound
- Mandatory, 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00am
- Review basic concepts of Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), Critical care ultrasound
- Led by National Board of Echo Advanced Perioperative Echo Certified faculty
Resident Education Days
Perioperative Ultrasound
- Mandatory, 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00am
- Review basic concepts of Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), Critical care ultrasound
- Led by National Board of Echo Advanced Perioperative Echo Certified faculty
In July 2020, ACGME requirements added new content that detailed the need for education and training in Point-of-Care ultrasound, simulation experience, and topics related to practice management. Specifically, residents upon graduation must be able to demonstrate competence in fundamental ultrasound skills, participate in at least one yearly simulated intraoperative clinical experience, and demonstrate knowledge in practice management elements such as operating room management, evaluation of types of practice, contract negotiations, billing arrangements, professional liability, and regulatory issues in medicine. During Education Day (Wednesday), residents attend two hours of Grand Rounds presentations (similar to other weeks) and then proceed in a 4-resident group to attend subsequent sessions during the day. Each session, residents will attend a two-hour faculty-guided ultrasound (POCUS) teaching/practice session (heart, lung, abdominal surface ultrasound).
Other topics or sessions are presented on a rolling basis and have included multiple teaching points and simulations. Residents have participated in high-fidelity simulation scenarios uncommonly seen in the clinical environment followed by group debriefing. These sessions incorporate team-based learning and communication as well as crisis-resource management. Practice management and patient safety concepts have included practice themes such as supervision, billing, malpractice, and private practice vs academic career discussions. Wellness/resilience topics have included sleep education and fatigue management as well as professionalism and success after residency content.
This initiative has been designed to aid residents in learning content areas not consistently acquired in typical operating room/service rotations. It provides an uninterrupted, small group resident time to important practice themes related to medicine and the practice of anesthesiology.
Dr. Vaia Abatzis teaches POCUS on an Education Day
FAM: Foundations of Anesthesia
The Foundations of Anesthesia Month (FAM) introductory course is held twice a year – in July for 7 of the incoming CA-0s and for all of the incoming advanced CA-1s. It is taught again in January for the other 7 CA-0s at the beginning of their 6 months of anesthesia training.
Dr. Katie Forkin and Chief Samantha Smith with our 6 on service Interns in FAM June 2021
We always enjoy these opportunities to welcome and integrate our new residents into the UVA Department of Anesthesiology FAM!!
The Foundations of Anesthesia Month Course consists of the following to orient new residents to the operating rooms and prepare them to care for patients more independently:
UVA Anesthesia faculty teach the month long Anesthesia Foundations course.
- Didactic lectures from faculty on fundamentals of anesthesiology topics (these lunch & learn lectures occur at noon daily for 3 weeks)
- Shadowing senior residents (2 weeks)
- Paired teaching with one faculty member and another new resident in the OR (2-3 weeks)
- Airway and central line workshops in the Medical School Simulation Center
- Simulated case scenarios of commonly-encountered perioperative issues
- Operating room scavenger hunt to help orient to the Main OR and Outpatient Surgery Center
The FAM-Extended Lecture Series is a monthly opportunity for new residents to gather together and continue their introductory education after getting started in the ORs caring for patients. Example topics covered include: Quality Improvement Metrics, Wellness in Residency, How to be a Star Resident.
Exam Review and Board Prep
We prepare our residents well for their exams and boards. Learn more below.
Every spring we offer a mock oral board scenario and mock OSCE exams for our CA3 residents and any recent grads. This is a full day set up exactly like an ABA Applied and Oral Board Examination session. We are fortunate to have ABA Oral Board Examiners on faculty and ABA question writers for both the BASIC and ADVANCED exams.
We require all our residents CA0-3 to take the American Board of Anesthesiology In-Training Examination on an annual basis. The intern year exam is just for practice and personal assessment, since they do spend 5 months on anesthesia ibn the PGY1 year.
Faculty lead ITE review sessions weekly leading up to the February exam.
Annually from January – May, our faculty hold weekly BASIC Review sessions for the CA1s on Mondays directly after their Resident Conference.
Annually February – June, our faculty hold ADVANCED review sessions for our CA2/3s on Tuesdays directly after their Resident Conference.
Rotation Specific Dedicated Teaching
- PGY1s/Interns spend a 3-4 week rotation at the Pain Management Clinic as ambulatory clinical base medicine as an early exposure to pain medicine
- Mandatory during 4-week CA2 pain rotation; Wednesday mornings at pain clinic following Grand Rounds
- Two lectures: 9:30am and 10:30am given by pain fellows, pain attendings, and guest lecturers
- Covers a variety of pain topics including the most commonly-tested pathology and pharmacology
- Encouraged to participate in didactic learning events: Cadaver Lab with Fluoroscopy, Guest Lecturer/Visiting Professor, Skills workshops
TCV-ICU (cardiac ICU)
- Daily intensivist-led teaching rounds
- Understanding of routine care post-cardiothoracic surgery and addressing complications
- Emphasis on physiologic basis of management decisions
- Frequent hands-on opportunities to learn focused critical care ultrasound, including TTE
NNICU (neuro ICU)
- Daily intensivist-led teaching rounds
- Dedicated time in the afternoon for teaching activities
- Daily lectures at 0700
- Address commonly seen and tested topics related to obstetrical anesthesia
- One week educational rotation as Intro to Cardiac Anesthesia
- Paired with senior resident on CT anesthesia in AM (OR set-up, Daily flow, Invasive line practice, Physiology/Pharm/Pathophysiology)
- Daily lectures/Interactive sessions/Simulation aimed at preparing to enter the cardiac ORs
- Simulation Sessions (Central Line/PA Catheter placement. Defibrillators, Common cardiac case simulation, Double lumen tube placement/bronchoscopy, Trans-esophageal echocardiography)
- Lectures (Management of valvular pathologies, Cardiopulmonary bypass, Coronary artery disease/CABG)
- Weekly dedicated didactic/educational conferences
- Pediatric Cardiac Cath conference
- Congenital cardiac clinic
- Cardiopulmonary bypass/ECMO
- Afternoon education sessions
Miscellaneous Educational Opportunities
- Varied methods of intraoperative teaching including case based, review question based, and mock oral board cases
- 5 Current or Former ABA Oral Boards Examiners on Faculty
- 8 ABA Written Boards/Open Anesthesia Question Writers on Faculty
- State of the art medical simulation center
- Periodic throughout residency (Boot camp, Pre-TCV, Education Days, CA2/CA3)
- CA2/CA3- Case base focus on uncommonly encountered issues
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Difficult Airway/Surgical Airways
- Obstetric codes
- Various involvement based upon interest
- Senior residents paired with junior (boot camp, Pre-TCV)
- CA3 led Basics of Anesthesia lecture series (Friday mornings)
- Paired with MS3s for mandatory Perioperative Medicine Clerkship
- Paired with MS4s for elective Anesthesia Rotation
- Lead MS3 Airway Workshop during Perioperative Medicine Clerkship
- Elective Teaching of Airway Portion of Medical Student Skills Fair (once monthly)
Research Projects
- Clinical Research
- Bench Research
- CA2 Quality Project
- CA3 Grand Rounds Presentation with a faculty mentor
- Case Review Articles
- Book Chapters