Chief Residents' Message
Several Clinical Base Year (PGY-1) positions are available that provide an excellent foundation for your career as an anesthesiologist and perioperative physician. The balance between education and clinical work is outstanding at all levels of training. You will find your relationships with our faculty and residents to be respectful and collegial.
The PGY-2 year (CA-1) begins with simulator sessions in our state of the art simulator lab and by working closely with a senior resident for one week to learn the basics of delivering anesthesia. This is followed by a three week, one-on-one session with a faculty member in the operating room, where you will learn the foundations of airway management, anesthetic induction, delivery, and emergence, as well as perioperative management of surgical patients. A dedicated rotation in airway management develops your skills with advanced airway equipment and management of the difficult airway. CA-1 residents also rotate through the subspecialty areas of OB, cardiothoracic, TEE, and ICU. The remainder of the year is spent fine-tuning and expanding your abilities.
The PGY-3 year (CA-2) provides further in-depth study of subspecialties in anesthesiology including obstetric, pediatric, cardiothoracic, vascular, neuroanesthesia, and regional anesthesia, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Through these subspecialty rotations you will manage increasingly complex cases. You will also begin to supervise CA-1 residents on call as they learn the management of labor epidurals, off-site airways, and trauma patients.
The PGY-4 year (CA-3) is the culmination of your training as you develop and implement your anesthetic plans with more independence. This year allows you to hone your skills in the general OR and during additional subspecialty rotations of your choosing. Experience in our outpatient surgery center offers exposure to caring for same day surgery patients in a fast paced environment further preparing you for practice after residency. Unique opportunities in the CA-3 year include additional training in transesophageal echocardiography, regional anesthesia, the international pediatric anesthesia elective, and participation in research. Your confidence continues to grow as you find yourself managing the most complex patients in our ORs.
Our didactics are robust, boasting weekly conferences in TEE and regional anesthesia by our own nationally renowned experts. Other conferences include grand rounds, case conference, journal club, M&M, and visiting professor lectures. A month-long introductory lecture series for the CA-1 residents covers a variety of basic anesthesia topics. Weekly CA 1-2 conferences cover these topics in more depth. A dedicated CA-3 conference series focuses on preparation for the oral and written board exams, including weekly "mock" oral board reviews with current or former board examiners in our department. Additionally, our residents are encouraged to participate in committee activities and resident input into the curriculum is highly valued.
Whether living in New Hampshire or Vermont, resident life in the Upper Valley is ideal for those who enjoy an active lifestyle and love the outdoors and the area offers many opportunities all year long. The activities that our residents participate in are quite varied including: golfing, cycling, kayaking, fishing, camping, skiing and much more. Many activities involve team sports where both faculty and residents have the opportunity to collaborate outside of work; notable examples are the department ice hockey team in the winter and softball team in the spring. In addition to athletic recreation, living in the Upper Valley offers an idyllic small town feel with opportunity to visit large cities without much effort. Boston is only 2 hours south while Montreal is a similar distance north. The beautiful Maine seashore is easily accessible and a favorite place to visit in the summer. Without traveling too far from home residents can enjoy the many cultural aspects of the Upper Valley. The Hood Museum of Art is located on the Dartmouth College campus and the Montshire Museum of Science is a very popular attraction for residents with families. Venues like the Lebanon Opera House and the Hopkins Center for the Arts boast theatrical performances as well as concerts year round. During residency it is important to strike a balance between hard work and recreation; life in the Upper Valley makes finding this balance easy.
We are confident that you will find our residents happy and well-trained. Our graduates continue their careers in a variety of excellent fellowship and practice opportunities nationwide. We encourage you to stop by for a visit, call, or email with any questions and we look forward to meeting you soon.
Sincerely,
Trevor Emory, MD
Chief Resident in Anesthesiology
Patrick Fernandez, MD
Chief Resident in Anesthesiology
