Educational Curriculum

We take great pride in offering dedicated educational time for our residents at every phase of their training. During our comprehensive didactic sessions, residents are relieved from clinical responsibilities, regardless of the lecture schedule. Our core curriculum comprises weekly dynamic didactic sessions tailored to the specific year of training, aligning with key educational themes outlined by the ABA. These lectures are continually refined to reflect the dynamic landscape of medicine. Additionally, our residents receive supplementary lectures during their subspecialty rotations. Lastly, residents are allocated protected time to actively engage in weekly morning reports, Grand Rounds, and Morbidity and Mortality conferences.

View a sample of the resident lecture schedule

We have a dedicated board preparation curriculum for both the BASIC (CA1) and ADVANCED (graduating CA3s). We also have board preparation integrated into our core didactic curriculum including multiple-choice and oral board stems. As part of our dedication to exam preparedness, we administer the ABA in-training exam (ITE) yearly in February here on campus. We also administer several stages of the anesthesia knowledge test (AKT). Mock oral exams are given multiple times a year so that every resident participates at least once per year and twice for every CA3. We created a full-scale mock OSCE for our CA2 and CA3 residents including the use of standardized patients and ultrasound. To promote self-directed study, the program provides complimentary access to the widely used question bank, TrueLearn, as well as several textbooks. Other notable resources provided include an iPad, anesthesia toolbox, and coverage of society membership fees. Exam fees for both the BASIC and ADVANCED exam are reimbursed separately from resident CME funds.

Our residents spend significant time in the Clinical Skills and Education and Assessment Center where they undergo a tailored curriculum created and taught by department faculty. The state-of-the-art simulation lab provides the ability to gain exposure to both common and uncommon real-life scenarios in a safe environment. We believe that active learning is a key component to becoming a successful anesthesiologist.

Our residents are encouraged and supported to pursue a wide range of research activities, ranging from basic science to clinical research, journal publications, case reports, and local / national conference presentations. It is common to see residents actively involved in such projects and many go on to publication. Our residents have published in many top anesthesiology journals including Anesthesiology, Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Anesthesia, and Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia.

As a part of our commitment to educational growth within the field of anesthesiology, each resident is expected to do an academic project, which may include special training assignments, grand rounds presentations, preparation and publication of a research article, book chapters, manuals for teaching or clinical practice, or similar academic activities. For this, each resident is assigned to a faculty mentor with whom they have the opportunity to work closely alongside until project completion. At the discretion of the program director, the project may occur prior to the CA-3 year. Each resident is also required (and provided funding) to present at the Midwest Anesthesia Residents' Conference (MARC).

• Faculty are dedicated to high-quality intra-operative, hands-on teaching
• Quality Improvement: residents work in teams along with a faculty mentor to complete robust QI projects. These projects have meaningful impacts on patient care, as well as serve as an opportunity for residents to confidently learn the QI process.
• Journal club: department journal clubs are organized four to five times per year and are hosted at the homes of our faculty. The chosen articles are curated by faculty in different specialties
• For those residents who are especially interested in education, our program offers a unique educational/quality improvement elective where a project can be taken to completion.