Anesthesiology - Rochester

Description:

Students observe and participate in all aspects of anesthesia practice at Mayo's hospitals under the supervision of a consultant in the Department of Anesthesiology. Students learn basic techniques for airway management, vascular access and the monitoring of anesthetized patients. They also are exposed to specific anesthetic procedures such as regional techniques (spinals, epidural and axillary blocks), central venous and arterial access, and invasive monitoring. Students have the option to rotate through anesthesia subspecialty areas, including critical care, pain management and abstetrical anesthesia.

Specific Goals:

1. Observe and participate in all aspects of anesthesiology, including preoperative assessment, administration of anesthesia, intraoperative management and postoperative care.
2. Understand the basic principles of airway management, advantages and disadvantages of regional versus general anesthesia, intraoperative monitoring techniques, preoperative anesthetic concerns for surgical patients with coexisting diseases, risks of local anesthesia and sedation, contraindications for anesthetic techniques and common complications of anesthesia management.
3. Understand the basic pharmacological and physiological phenomena of the perioperative period.
4. Develop an awareness of the breadth and depth of the practice of anesthesiology.

Activity Outline:

Students team with an anesthesiology resident for the rotation and are supervised by a consultant in anesthesia. Students assist consultants in preoperative assessment, the administration of anesthesia, intraoperative management and the postoperative care of surgical patients. They also attend daily teaching conferences and weekly departmental meetings and participate as appropriate.

Students have the option to choose an anesthesia subspecialty area for part of their rotation, including the following or a combination of the following: pain management, critical care medicine, cardiac anesthesia or neurosurgical anesthesia. Copies of Clinical Anesthesiology, by Morgan & Mikhail, are available to students, who should be familiar with it by the end of the rotation.

Method of Evaluation:

Students will be given recommended reading assignments and case stems to discuss with faculty. Evaluation of performance is based on demonstration of familiarity with these reading assignments and clinical efforts. Although anesthesia encompasses many technical skills, the level of competence in these skills is OF minor significance in student evaluations.