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Approximately sixty-five house staff members and seventy-five attendings work together in a friendly atmosphere of teaching, supervision, and close interaction. The NYU Residency Training Program in Anesthesiology accepts fourteen residents each year.

The goal of the Department of Anesthesiology Residency Training Program is to provide the highest quality of training and patient care in an atmosphere which stimulates and nurtures professional and personal development. Throughout the program, we place strong emphasis on ensuring that residents attain a high level of scholarship and develop independent thought coupled with clinical competence. Residents are prepared for a lifetime of continued professional development and the capability of assuming leadership roles in anesthesiology. Significant opportunities for clinical or laboratory research exist for those with special interests.

Each resident begins training under the supervision of a single attending to provide continuity and minimize the confusion that might accompany initial exposure to too wide a variety of anesthetic methods. During the CA-1 year, residents rotate through all three hospitals to gain the widest experience in patient care and management, utilizing a variety of anesthetic techniques.

In the second year (CA-2), residents rotate through the major anesthetic subspecialties: cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, pediatric, obstetrical, critical care medicine and pain management. At this time, house staff begin to develop a clearer picture of their career course in anticipation of an area of subspecialtion in the third year of training.

Near the end of the CA-2 year and at the beginning of the CA-3 year, residents may be appointed "team captains" at Bellevue Hospital. In this capacity they have the leadership responsibility for the team of residents on call. They make important patient care and management decisions as well as administrative decisions in recovery and delivery rooms, and make anesthetic-related care decisions in the emergency room and other parts of the hospital. Most residents consider being team captain one of the most meaningful of all clinical experiences preparing for the practice of anesthesiology. Rotation in the critical care medicine/trauma service at Bellevue Hospital for nine weeks during their CA-3 year is an integral and very valuable part of the training.

In the CA-3 year, residents may choose from a diverse menu of subspecialty rotations or spend the entire year in advanced clinical rotation -- becoming involved in the most challenging cases at each hospital. Another option is a minimum six-month rotation in clinical or laboratory research in such areas as vascular, obstetrical, cardiac anesthesia, pain, or critical care medicine with opportunities for publication and presentations at appropriate local, regional, or national conferences. Individuals with special interests may use this time to develop their interest further.

A developing trend in anesthesiology is for residents to spend a CA-4 year concentrating in one area of specialization. A training year can be spent in critical care medicine, cardiac anesthesia, trauma, obstetricical anesthesia, ambulatory surgery, pain management, or in clinical or laboratory research. This training leads to certificates of special competence in pain medicine or critical care medicine under the auspices of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and the ACGME.

Throughout the entire training period, strong emphasis is placed on the developing leadership qualities and perpetuating clinical and research interests. The relationship between research and clinical practice and management is stressed throughout the program. This environment has produced several department chairmen, many clinical directors, specialty directors, and academicians, as well as strong and confident clinicians. Graduates of the program have gained positions throughout the country in some of the most prestigious medical institutions. Physicians who complete the NYU Residency Training Program in Anesthesiology find doors open to them, whether they desire an academic, clinical, private practice, or research career.

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Didactic Program

Nearly 500 hours of conferences, seminars, case reviews, and lectures are scheduled and conducted each year. These extensive didactic offerings are essential components of house staff education. New residents begin the program with a special series of introductory lectures during July and August.

The regular teaching program includes:

1. Weekly anesthesia grand rounds, primarily using case presentations as a focus of discussion. These conferences include a review of anesthesia morbidity and mortality.
   
2. Seminars stressing the application of basic and clinical science to the practice of anesthesia and critical care medicine, moderated by faculty or residents based on recommended readings.
   
3. Daily early morning clinical case conferences to discuss preoperative preparation and anesthetic management of selected patients.
   
4. An active visiting professor program with weekly lectures by visitors from other institutions and specialists on the NYU faculty. Less formal teaching sessions follow the lecture.
   
5. Specialty conferences for residents rotating through each subspecialty.
   
6. An active medical student elective program, which gives residents an opportunity to lecture, lead discussions, and teach on a one-to-one basis in the operating room.
   
7. Opportunities to participate in ongoing research are available for up to six months in the CA-3 year and during the entire fourth year. Research opportunities are available earlier to those with special competence. Residents at each level work come in contact with dedicated faculty who are involved in clinical and basic research in anesthesiology.

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Research Opportunities

Interested residents are encouraged to participate in ongoing research, or pursue independent study during the Clinical Scientist Track. Well equipped anesthesia departmental laboratories are available, and there is a large supporting research staff including three full-time Ph.D.s employed by the department. Some areas of current basic science interest include preparatin and study of liposomes, pharmacokinetic modeling and the study of the pharmacology of THAM.

Clinical research projects are ongoing in the departments of neuroanesthesia, pain management, cardiac, and obstetrical anesthesia. At present the departmental bibliography includes well over 500 papers and eight textbooks.

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