The Department of Anesthesiology prides itself on a comprehensive and robust didactic program to complement the excellence of the clinical teaching you can expect to receive on a daily basis in the Operating Room. Some of our conferences are structured to include the entire department, including all residents and staff, while others are geared to a specific level of training to provide a graded foundation on which to build future knowledge. The specifics of our educational program are detailed below.
Orientation and CA-1 Tutorial Lecture Series
New Clinical Anesthesia residents are paired with a single staff anesthesiologist for a week at a time, for three consecutive weeks. An Orientation Lecture Series runs for the first two weeks and is focused on basic and practical information including the nuts and bolts of an anesthesia machine and monitoring equipment, airway assessment and management and simulator training of routine inductions.
The CA-1 Lecture Series begins in September and runs daily for one month. These faculty presentations serve as both a review and a solid framework for the practical experience and techniques the new resident amasses in their first three months of clinical work.
CA-1 and 2 Lecture Series
First and second year residents attend this weekly series of lectures that cover the gamut of anesthesiology practice from pain and palliative care to transfusion medicine and ultrasound physics. The majority of lectures are given by the staff, with each resident presenting one lecture each year.
CA-3 Conference
This twice monthly conference is given by one of several ABA oral board examiners in our department. It is intended to give senior residents the opportunity to hone their critical thinking abilities and practice the communication skills they will need not only to pass their oral boards but to be effective and successful consultants in anesthesia.
Grand Rounds
Grand Rounds are formal presentations made once weekly to the entire Department of Anesthesiology including the residents, faculty and CRNAs. Grand Rounds may be delivered by our faculty, fellows in the department, faculty and staff from other Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center departments or visiting professors from outside institutions. CA-3 residents prepare and deliver one Grand Rounds presentation before they graduate.
Case Conference
Interesting or challenging cases from the spectrum of anesthesia practice are presented twice a month and discussed in an open format, inclusive of all members of the department.
Journal Club
The Journal Club series begins in September of each year with a review of basic statistical concepts in order to provide the foundation necessary to critically read medical literature. Progression to discussion of individual articles follows once a month.
TEE Conference
Beginning in September, this twice monthly conference begins with the basics of ultrasound physics, anatomy and imaging planes. It progresses over the year to present interesting cases that facilitate learning how to interpret TEE images and correlate echo data with cardiac pathophysiology.
Regional Anesthesia Conference
Presented by the regional anesthesia staff and fellows, this once monthly conference presents interesting and challenging cases in regional anesthesia. Discussion may encompass the indications, complications or novel anatomic approaches to a particular case.
Quality Assurance Conference
This once monthly presentation by the Quality Assurance subcommittee chair is dedicated to addressing quality initiatives at both the individual case and systems level.
Practice Management Seminar
Developed and led by one of our faculty who previously enjoyed a long career in private practice, this quarterly series of informal presentations are held in the evening and focus on such practical issues as employment contract negotiations, conflict resolution, the "business" of anesthesia practice and the like.
Chief's Rounds
This quarterly meeting takes place between the Department Chair and the entire resident group. It takes a variety of forms, ranging from case based discussions to informal presentations related to challenges and opportunities for our specialty as a whole on the national level.