Curriculum

The Mayo Anesthesiology Residency Program in Rochester, Minnesota offers a flexible and comprehensive training experience with opportunities to rotate to several affiliated institutions, including the three Mayo campuses (Rochester, MN.; Jacksonville, FL.; and Scottsdale, AZ.).

Clinical Training
Anesthesiology residency training is comprised of two components: a clinical base year (PGY-1); and clinical anesthesia years (CA-1 through CA-3, which are equivalent to PGY-2 through PGY-4).

Clinical Base Year
One year of basic clinical training at Mayo Clinic or another accredited academic medical center is required for all anesthesiology residents. To fulfill this requirement, Mayo Clinic offers:

• A preliminary internal medicine program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester
• A preliminary surgery program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester
• A transitional year program at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
• A transitional year program at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale

Also see

• Transitional Year Residency Programs at Mayo Clinic

Requirements of the clinical base year include:

Clinical Anesthesia Years
The three clinical anesthesia years (CA-1 through CA-3) include training in basic, subspecialty and advanced anesthesia, as well as opportunities to participate in research. Rotations vary in length between one and three months. Throughout the CA-1 to CA-3 years, each resident will have at least two separate rotations in obstetric anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, neuroanesthesia, and cardiothoracic anesthesia. The clinical training will progressively challenge the resident’s cognitive and technical skills.

CA-1 and CA-2 Years
The first and second years of clinical anesthesia training (CA-1 and CA-2) consist of clinical rotations in all basic and subspecialty areas with increasing levels of responsibility as residents gain experience.

The curriculum is outlined below:

CA-3 Year
The third year of clinical anesthesia training (CA-3) is distinctly different from the CA-1 and CA-2 years.  In addition to allowing greater scheduling flexibility, residents are responsible for more complex anesthetic procedures and perioperative assignments.  Advanced rotations may include:

Extramural Rotations
During the CA-2 or CA-3 year, extramural rotations can be arranged at affiliated locations. The cost of travel, housing, licensure, and other fees are provided, such that these rotations do not become a financial hardship for the resident. These rotations include:

• Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ
• Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, FL
• Nemours Pediatric Hospital in Jacksonville, FL
• Bowman Gray in Salem, NC (Obstetric Anesthesiology)
• Brigham & Womens Hospital (Obstetric Anesthesiology)

Didactic Training
Didactic training is an integral part of Mayo Clinic's Anesthesiology Residency Program. You will participate in:

• Clinical Case Conferences
• Core Curriculum Lectures
• Introductory Lecture Series
• Journal Clubs
• Key Word Phrase Mini-lectures
• Morbidity and Mortality Conferences
• Oral Board Reviews
• Formal practice oral examinations
• Subspecialty Mini-lectures
• Written Board Reviews

Cardiac Life Support Certification
Certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is required for all Mayo Clinic residents and fellows. ACLS courses are offered free of charge during the last week of June, just before the start of the academic year. In addition, the course is offered evenings every three months during the year to facilitate recertification.

Research Training
Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities for both clinical and laboratory-based research available at Mayo Clinic. Several bench and clinical laboratories are available for residents to participate in.

Clinician-Investigator Program
The Clinician-Investigator Program prepares residents for a career in academic medicine and allows development of research skills during training. In addition to standard anesthesiology residency training, an 18-month laboratory research rotation and graduate-level courses are required. Residents enrolled in this program also participate in an institutional clinician-investigator seminar series.

Application for this program may be submitted at any time. It is not necessary to declare an interest in this program when you apply to the Anesthesiology Residency Program. For more information about the Clinician-Investigator Program, contact the program director.

Also see

• Anesthesiology Research at Mayo Clinic
• Clinical Research in Anesthesiology
• Laboratory Research in Anesthesiology
• Clinician-Investigator Program

Teaching Opportunities
Residents have the opportunity to teach Mayo medical students, visiting students, surgery residents, pediatric and internal medicine residents, and other anesthesia residents through operating room instruction and formal didactic lectures.

Practice Examinations and Reviews
The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) In-Training Examination is administered yearly and is used to compare individual knowledge with that of other trainees nationwide. The written examination for certification by the ABA is a subset of this examination and is completed at the end of your anesthesiology residency training.

The ABA requires an oral examination after completion of the written examination. To prepare, practice oral examinations are conducted at least biannually during clinical training, and former residents are encouraged to return to Mayo for practice oral exams shortly before taking the examination for credit.

Nine members of Mayo’s current anesthesiology faculty serve or have served as associate examiners for the ABA.

Call Frequency
Mayo follows the recommendations of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) regarding call frequency. Call schedules vary by individual rotation, but call is approximately every fourth to fifth night. This allows a day after call with no direct patient care responsibilities and at least one weekend day off per week.

Committee Assignments
You will have an opportunity to gain experience in a number of administrative capacities during your training. These include the department education council, education committee and quality assurance committee. Residents and fellows can also participate in committee assignments for the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA), the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation, the House of Delegates of the ASA and the state societies of anesthesiology in Minnesota, Florida or Arizona.

Evaluation
To ensure acquisition of adequate knowledge and development of appropriate technical skills, resident and fellow performance is monitored carefully during the course of training. Formal evaluation by supervising faculty members occurs monthly. Each trainee meets with their faculty advisor at least quarterly to review faculty evaluations and to review their academic progress and goals. Residents and fellows receive a written clinical competence evaluation by the chair of the Clinical Competence Committee twice each year. These evaluations are forwarded to the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), which grants credit for training.

In addition, trainees regularly evaluate rotations and faculty to ensure education needs are met and to provide feedback to the faculty to guide their efforts in improving the program.

Career Development
You will meet periodically with your faculty adviser and the training program director to discuss your goals.

Mayo Clinic recruits many of its staff physicians from its own training programs. If you are interested in an academic career, opportunities to join the staff at Mayo Clinic may be available upon completion of your training.

Moonlighting Policy
Moonlighting is permitted for licensed residents and fellows beyond the PGY-1 level. Moonlighting should not interfere with required learning and must not violate ACGME work hour rules. Moonlighting should not compromise your education, but rather enhance it.