Welcome from the Program Director

• Didactics: Protected time for weekly academic sessions has been integrated into the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellows’ schedules. These sessions occur on Wednesday, the typical non-clinical day for our fellows. Each week, UNM faculty and guest speakers instruct pediatric anesthesia fellows on wide range of pediatric anesthesiology topics preparing them for both clinical practice and their ITE, general, and specialty board examinations. Our educational sessions utilize evidence based techniques with a flipped-classroom approach and a heavy emphasis on problem-based learning sessions and real-world clinical scenarios. 

• Simulation Sessions – Fellows will have quarterly pediatric anesthesiology simulation sessions in our state-of the art high fidelity simulation center, or BATCAVE, giving fellows the chance to manage multiple common pediatric emergency scenarios and life-threatening pathologies, making them exceptionally prepared for when they encounter them in their practice.
• Journal Club: About once each quarter during Didactic sessions (or on occasion over dinner at a faculty member’s home) a faculty member and a pediatric anesthesia fellow collaborate to lead discussions surrounding new pediatric anesthesiology related publications to keep themselves up to date with cutting edge knowledge by critically analyzing literature thereby laying the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of evidence-based practice or to stimulate areas of interest for those pursuing research.  
• Oral Board Review/ Chart Stimulated Review: at least 2 times per year, the fellows will have the opportunity for oral board review and practice via chart stimulated review. If they would like to increase their oral board review practice exams and sessions, they would have the opportunity to practice with several of UNM’s faculty members who are official ABA oral board examiners to help them better prepare for their oral exams on their way to becoming board certified anesthesiologists.
• Quality Improvement Project: Over the academic year, the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow employs leadership, networking, and time management skills to improve a selected aspect of patient care by designing and executing a quality improvement project. By preparing our fellows to examine existing practices and employ new strategies to improve these practices, they develop skill sets that will improve patient care in their institution as well as make them invaluable assets to any future organization they join. 
• Grand Rounds or Morbidity & Mortality Presentation: Each Fellow will research an important Pediatric Anesthesiology related topic and present the knowledge during one UNM Department of Anesthesiology Grand Rounds or Morbidity & Mortality Conference on an assigned Friday morning. In addition, fellows will attend weekly departmental Grand Rounds and/or M&M conferences which often focus on pediatric anesthesia topics, but also keep them up to date on general anesthesiology topics critical for board preparation and a well rounded anesthesiology practice and career.
  
  
• Performance Feedback: At the conclusion of each month, each Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow receives an official New Innovations evaluation of their Clinical and Formative development which provides personalized feedback to promote a more tailored educational experience. In addition, daily feedback via daily evaluations on New Innovations are encouraged and frequent verbal feedback following cases is given to our fellows. A more thorough assessment of each Fellow’s readiness for graduation and independent practice occurs twice a year at the Clinical Competency Committee Meetings. In addition, fellows can check their own knowledge and pediatric anesthesiology board readiness by taking the pediatric anesthesiology In-Training Exam (ITE). Of note, the exam is used for self-evaluation and a knowledge check and is not utilized for formative, not summative, feedback.

Fellows will rotate across various clinical sites at the University of New Mexico Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital, including the Pediatric Operating Room, Pediatric Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Pediatric Cardiac Operating Room, Pediatric Acute Pain Service, Chronic Pain Clinic, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and more. Fellows will have a pediatric global health opportunity as part of their pediatric regional or acute pain service month in October, where they travel to Ecuador with a multi-disciplinary team to perform pediatric orthopedic surgeries for children who would otherwise go without care.