Department of
Anesthesiology

Curriculum and Didactics

Comprehensive Training at WVU Anesthesiology

Our Anesthesiology Residency Program is committed to delivering an exceptional educational experience that equips residents with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to excel in the specialty. We take great pride in our robust didactic program, designed to ease the transition into anesthesiology and provide a strong foundation for your career.

Orientation and Transition

Understanding the unique challenges and intricacies of anesthesiology, we offer a comprehensive orientation to ensure a smooth transition into our specialty. During the intern year, residents will rotate for two months in Anesthesiology. The first month pairs interns with senior residents, focusing on mastering the basics of room setup, workflow, and patient preparation. In the second month, a more in-depth orientation occurs, where residents work one-on-one with faculty to deepen their understanding and skills. This period also includes daily introductory lectures and simulation experiences, ensuring residents are well-prepared for the operating room environment.

Rotation Schedule

CA-0 (Intern Year)

The first year at WVU provides interns with a broad exposure to both surgical and medical subspecialties, ensuring they become well-rounded physicians. Interns will complete two months of introductory Anesthesiology rotations, including a dedicated month in June for OR assimilation. This early exposure allows interns to become familiar with anesthetic plans, room setups, patient optimization, and the various responsibilities they will encounter in rotations such as consults, regional anesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, and call duties.

  • Surgical Rotations: Pediatric Surgery, Neurosurgery, OB/Gyn, ENT
  • Medical Rotations: Neurology, Pulmonology, Medicine Wards, MICU/PICU, Emergency Medicine

CA-1 (First Year of Anesthesia Training)

The first full year of anesthesia training combines Basic Anesthesia Training (BAT) with exposure to subspecialties. Residents will spend seven months on BAT, with additional rotations in Obstetric Anesthesia, Regional and Acute Pain (RAP), the Pre-Admission Unit, and the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU).

CA-2 (Intermediate Year of Anesthesia Training)

The second year advances residents into Intermediate Anesthesia Training (IAT) with a focus on more specialized areas. Rotations include two months of IAT, along with Pediatrics, Cardiovascular Anesthesia, and Neurosurgery, plus one-month rotations in RAP, Chronic Pain, OB, and SICU.

CA-3 (Advanced Year of Anesthesia Training)

The final year offers residents the flexibility to tailor their rotations according to their career interests, whether in fellowships, academic medicine, or private practice. Residents complete six months of Advanced Anesthesia Training (AAT), with elective options such as Substaffing, POCUS, RAP, Chronic Pain, OB, TEE, Research, Pediatrics, Cardiovascular, Neurosurgery, and Ambulatory Anesthesia.

Didactic Program

Our didactic program is structured to complement clinical training, with lectures held every Wednesday during a unique academic, non-clinical day. CA-0s and CA-1s share a lecture session, as do CA-2s and CA-3s, with an additional hour where all residents come together for shared learning. Interns are excused from their rotations to attend these sessions, providing them with an early start in anesthesiology education.

Lectures are delivered by anesthesiology attendings and include didactic content, problem-based learning, and board-relevant keywords, covering the comprehensive content outline from the ABA-ASA Joint Council on In-Training Examination. Simulation sessions, mock oral exams, and board review sessions, particularly near the In-Training Exam (ITE) and CA-1 ABA Basic exam, are integrated into the schedule. Our commitment to education is further reflected in our monthly journal club, research conference, morbidity and mortality conference, and ongoing board review sessions.

Call Schedule

Residents begin taking call halfway through their second month of CA-1 year. Each call night involves a junior and senior resident covering OB, RAP, chronic pain, cardiac, pediatric anesthesia, hospital codes, and OR cases, providing a well-rounded experience in emergency and perioperative care.

Journal Club

Held monthly at a local eatery, our journal club fosters an engaging environment for residents to discuss new and clinically significant literature in anesthesiology. Each session features presentations by 1-2 residents, with attendings providing valuable feedback and insights based on their extensive OR experience.

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds take place every Wednesday morning before the OR day begins. These sessions feature a variety of presentations, including morbidity and mortality reports by residents, guest speaker lectures, town hall meetings, and attendings' lectures.

Mock Orals

To prepare residents for the Oral Board examination, mock oral exams are administered multiple times a year. Tailored primarily to CA-2s and CA-3s, CA-1s are also encouraged to participate. These exams are conducted by two attendings, simulating the actual board exam as closely as possible. We are fortunate to have several faculty members who are active ABA board examiners, bringing invaluable expertise to these sessions.