About the Program
The Temple anesthesiology residency offers both advanced entry and categorical positions. The program which began with 24 residents currently trains 44 future Anesthesiologists. As residents progress from the intern year through CA-3 year, they receive progressive levels of responsibility. Our goal is to have each resident develop sound clinical judgment and technical skills. Following is a general overview of what each year of the program offers, outlining the distribution and description of rotations among the training years.
Clinical Base Training
Residents who enter Temple Anesthesia in the PGY-1 year may expect a dynamic training experience. For twelve months, the resident is immersed in the environment of diverse medical pathologies affecting our patients. The experience is honed through the fields of the emergency medicine, cardiology, internal medicine, and critical care in addition to anesthesiology. The focus from the start is on clinical and academic excellence, professionalism, and leadership.
Clinical Anesthesia - 1 Year
The CA-1 year begins with an eight-week orientation period during which residents are introduced to their new roles in the operating room. Resident and Faculty preceptors guide you through your first eight weeks in the operating rooms, and formal didactic sessions provide basic instruction in preanesthetic evaluation, preparation of the operating room for an anesthetic, and the conduct of and recovery from anesthesia.
Orientation to the Operating Room
During the CA-1 year, residents are primarily assigned to non-subspecialty anesthesia cases (orthopedics, general surgery, gynecology, plastic surgery, ENT, oral surgery). As residents progress, they will be assigned more complex patients having more complex surgical procedures. Several subspeciality areas may be introduced during CA-1 year such as critical care medicine, pre-anesthetic assessment clinic, cardiac anesthesia, regional anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, and post-anesthesia care unit. Early exposure to subspecialty rotations will be based on resident interest and training suitability. At this point in their training, residents may also opt to pursue the clinical scientist track.
Clinical Anesthesia - 2 Year
The CA-2 year is devoted largely to the subspecialties of anesthesia practice. Residents have rotations in cardiac anesthesia, acute pain, critical care, neurosurgical anesthesia, pain management, pediatric anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and more advanced non-subspecialty anesthesia, including anesthesia for bariatric surgery and burn surgery.
Clinical Anesthesia - 3 Year
In the CA-3 year, residents proceed down either the advanced clinical anesthesia track or the clinical scientist track. The advanced clinical track is designed to provide residents with advanced anesthesia experience. Through a combination of required and elective rotations, residents have the opportunity to consolidate and expand their clinical skills. Each resident is required to complete rotations in cardiac and pediatric anesthesia and pre-anesthetic assessment. Additionally, residents may request specific subspecialty rotations. The program director makes every effort to design a CA-3 for each resident that includes the residents' requests.
Clinical Scientist Track
The clinical scientist track allows the resident to pursue clinical or basic science research for up to 6 months. The resident selecting this path has a demonstrated history of strong research skills within the program beginning in the CA-1 year as well as professionalism and clinical and academic excellence throughout the residency. Residents on the clinical scientist track may choose to work with a faculty member on an established project or can develop their own research project. A resident is expected to complete a project that can be submitted for publication. Our residents who have chosen the clinical scientist track have frequently been able to present the results of their work at regional and national meetings.