First Year

The first year of clinical anesthesia in our program begins with both clinical and didactic training. During the first month, residents spend two weeks with each of two faculty tutors. Daily seminars during the first two months familiarize the trainee with the basics of anesthesiology and critical care. Rotations during the first year are more basic than those later in training, allowing residents to gain skills with a variety of patients and cases. The duration of most subspecialty rotations is one month, with extensive time spent on general cases.

Second Year

A resident settles into a case.

During the second year of clinical training, rotations become more complex, with residents taking on greater initiative and responsibility. Specialized rotations include Burn Unit, Cardiac Surgical ICU, Neuroanesthesia, Cardiac Anesthesia, Pediatric Anesthesia, Thoracic/Vascular Anesthesia, and Anesthesia Perioperative Medicine Clinic. Additional time is spent handling more complex cases in all subspecialty areas, working outside formal rotations, and learning special techniques. The large number of highly complex cases seen at the University of Chicago allows our residents to build flexibility and broaden their experience during this time. Second-year residents may also have the opportunity to teach medical students, under faculty supervision. This year is a time to increase one's experience and skills, while beginning to decide what subspecialty areas to pursue during the CA-3 year and thereafter.

Third Year

The CA-3 year is almost exclusively elective.

Many residents choose the Advanced Clinical Tract (ACT), which is structured to provide CA-3 residents with clinical experiences and direction for independent studies related to the perioperative management of patients undergoing complex surgical procedures. A particular emphasis is placed on developing the critical thinking and leadership skills necessary to function as a consultant in Anesthesiology. The resident is expected to function increasingly independently, taking on a wide variety of cases and gaining additional experience to better his or her techniques. For example, the rotation in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia provides an intensive experience in OR and interventional cardiac catheterization cases as well as participation in multidisciplinary teaching rounds.

Many research opportunities are available to residents, including the joint Anesthesiology/Clinical Pharmacology Training Program (ACPTP).

For more information on research, please see our research page.