Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine

Education - Internship

Clinical Base Year

Our residency program provides an internship to a certain number of applicants. Beginning in June 2007, we will offer five categorical and two advanced slots.

The internship is designed to provide our residents with a comprehensive experience in all medical disciplines relevant to perioperative medicine. Core rotations are selected to give a solid background for subsequent training in clinical anesthesiology.
The intern year consists of 13 four-week rotations. At present, we have our interns complete three intensive care rotations, four inpatient ward rotations and two consult rotations in addition to spending four weeks in one of our emergency rooms (pediatric or adult) and four weeks on the labor and delivery unit. There are eight weeks set aside for electives; anesthesiology can be chosen as one of the electives. While most of the rotations are on-site at the University Hospital, there are a few opportunities to work at the VA. A list of currently available rotations is provided below.

Intensive care:
Trauma-Surgery ICU
Medicine ICU (University Hospital or VA)
Pediatric ICU
Newborn ICU

Ward rotations:
Medicine (UH or VA)
Pediatrics
General Surgery
Burn & Trauma
Family Medicine Inpatient

Consult rotations:
Cardiology
Pulmonology
Nephrology
Infectious Disease
Medicine Consult

Emergency Medicine: Adult ER or Pediatric ER

Obstetrics: Labor & Delivery

Electives: Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Family Medicine Clinic, Radiology, Transfusion Medicine (Pathology)

We coordinate this popular program with other departments. The Program Director maintains oversight for rotations on the services that are used for the Clinical Base Year. While rotating through various services, our interns get to know the hospital and the facilities and build a collegial relationship with other residents. Throughout the year, the residency program director, the assistant program director, and the program coordinator maintain contact with the interns and meet periodically to discuss their progress, their experiences, and any concerns they may have. The interns are part of our program and are welcome at any of the educational and social events organized by our residency program and our department.

We require our interns to pass USMLE Step 3 by the end of the CA-1 year; however, we encourage them to take it sooner. If they take it before the end of the intern year, the department pays the examination fee.