Message to Residents, Fellows and Medical Students

Education provides the foundation for our future. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to the pursuit and sharing of knowledge, as well as to the development and refinement of superb technical skills. Our educational, clinical and research missions complement each other to increase our specialty's font of knowledge and to prepare the next generation of physicians.

One of the most exciting areas in anesthesiology education in the upcoming years will be the focus upon developing unique educational tools. Although traditional lecture formats and textbooks will remain vital components to our educational program, the incorporation of multi-media educational teaching tools will propel our teaching programs into the next decade. Personal data devices, such as Palm Pilots, are now routinely utilized for patient data and as a resource guide. Simulation has also become a valuable aspect to non-traditional teaching methods.

Yale Anesthesiology will continue to build upon its rich educational history, and will continue to be a leader in innovative teaching programs!

A Message from the Chief Residents:

We would like to be the first to welcome you to the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale.  There is much to consider when choosing a residency program.  Our residents benefit from working and learning in a rich academic environment with clinically outstanding faculty who are well-published and world-renowned in many of the subspecialties of anesthesia.  This educational experience is enhanced by a wide variety of challenging cases and clinical experience necessary to become an excellent anesthesiologist.  All the while, this is achieved amongst residents and faculty that enjoy working together in an intellectually stimulating environment.  We are proud to be a part of this institution, and we’d like to highlight a few reasons why.

The Education Council of our department has worked hard to provide a well-organized curriculum for residents.  A CA-1 preceptorship takes place during the summer of the CA-1 year in order to acclimate residents to the operating room and practice of anesthesiology.  New residents work with one attending exclusively for a period of two weeks so that there is a uniform, progressive experience.  Each class of residents also has their own weekly didactic lecture.  The CA-1 year is in a traditional lecture format supplemented by cases discussions organized by subject. The CA-2 year focuses on problem-based learning.  The CA-3 year is divided into weekly mock oral sessions and practice written questions in preparation for the ABA board exam.  Mock orals are conducted for all residents on a yearly basis, which is an invaluable preparation for the ABA Oral Board exam.  These mock orals are facilitated by our own faculty, which includes 8 current and former ABA Oral Board examiners.  We also provide a generous personal library of books and have additional hospital funds that can be used for books, conferences, or other personal items—such as PDAs. 

Our faculty also sponsors a cadaver lab in the Yale School of Medicine for the purpose of correlating anatomy with regional anesthesia techniques.  Departmental Grand Rounds are held every Wednesday morning and includes our Morbidity and Mortality Conference.  Dr. Hines meets with residents in an informal setting for her weekly Chairman’s Rounds on Thursday mornings.  Our department also enjoys dining together for Journal Club meetings at many of the excellent restaurants in New Haven.  All of these endeavors are organized through the Blackboard system with the help of our fantastic librarian, Denise Hersey.  Denise is extremely helpful in navigating through anesthesiology resources and management tools such as Refworks and Endnote.  She also aids greatly with the organization of research projects and presentations.

There is a plethora of complicated patients and challenging cases at Yale, which provide outstanding clinical experience.  Our residents are well-trained in the perioperative management of a wide variety of cases, including cardiac, vascular, thoracic, neuro, obstetric, pediatric, and trauma.  We are also exposed to transplants of the heart, kidney, pancreas, and liver, as well as the management of patients with acute and chronic pain.  Residents may also apply for the Clinical Scientist Track, which consists of 6 months of research incorporated into the residency curriculum.  There are 29 main operating rooms, 6 children ORs, 3 obstetric ORs, and several off-site suites for interventional neuroradiology and gastroenterology.  The Veteran’s Administration Hospital in West Haven has 7 OR suites, and also offers a depth of experience in complex patient care.  Residents are encouraged to think beyond their clinical training.  Any resident with any idea will find tremendous support and resources from the Department.  If you want to pursue research, improve clinical programs, participate in committees, advance educational projects, teach medical students, or even design a new intubating pillow, you will find a helpful, supportive environment.  Yale also offers fellowships in Cardiothoracic, Obstetric, Neuro, Pediatric, and SICU.  By the completion of residency training, you will be well-prepared to pursue competitive fellowship opportunities, a career in academics, or enter directly into private practice.

Additionally, the Yale campus is an aesthetic delight and adds to the entire educational experience.  We have access to many museums, the Shubert theatre, and a wide variety of restaurants and nightlife, all located on the Long Island Sound.  Residents may choose to live in the city and walk or bike to work, while others will choose to settle in nearby suburbs.  The four seasons add to the beauty of this region: within a 2-hour radius, one can explore New York City or Boston, ski the slopes of Vermont or New Hampshire, or enjoy the beaches of Rhode Island. 

Our residents and faculty share a camaraderie in working closely together; this is part of the Yale tradition.  Attendings are available for discussing cases with residents and share in the daily educational opportunities.  We intermix throughout the day, eating together in the cafeteria or the anesthesia work room.  On that note, our department orders dinner for the call team, and our attendings often sponsor Ben & Jerry’s (which always boosts morale—even on a tough night). 

Our department boasts a diversity of residents from all over the country, including singles and married, with and without children.  We believe it is important to have fun outside of work and, thus, facilitate social events throughout the year.  There is a yearly CA-1 Welcome Picnic during the summer, and Dr. Hines also hosts a yearly Welcome Picnic at her house.  Our residents get together outside of the hospital for Ladies Nights, frequent Happy Hours, and other recreational opportunities, such as weekly basketball games and other outings.  The year always concludes with a Graduation Reception and Dinner Banquet to honor the senior residents.

We look forward to meeting you and introducing you toour department.  In the meantime, please contact us if we can be of assistance.

Good luck!

Chief Residents 2007-2008

Jim Gilbert and Kate Miller