With its roots buried in the second decade of the 20th century, the UB Department of Anesthesiology has expanded into a dynamic program of comprehensive education for residents in anesthesiology. Physicians accepted into the residency program will become an integral component of a department which aspires to achieve excellence in teaching, clinical care and research. Unique and diverse training opportunities abound.

Training in anesthesiology at UB is designed to provide resident physicians with a broad range of experiences which will enable them to function as competent consultants in a private or academic setting. Focused in this fashion, the department combines broad clinical experience with a comprehensive didactic schedule.

To complement the residency, the Department of Anesthesiology offers three one-year fellowship programs. The Pain Management and Pediatric Anesthesiology fellowships are accredited by the American Board of Anesthesiology. The Cardiac Anesthesia fellowship offers extensive cardiovascular training and transesophageal echocardiography.

The educational program is committed to stimulating the intellectual capabilities of each resident. During lectures, basic science material is presented and then applied in selected case management discussions. Faculty members believe that problem-solving ability is central to the practice of anesthesiology.

Throughout each of the three years of training, there are required didactic lectures throughout the month that are based primarily on the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Content Outline. Residents convene at the VA Medical Center for the lectures. In addition, each hospital’s department of anesthesiology sponsors various weekly educational conferences.

Faculty members, community practitioners, and anesthesiology residents gather for the Visiting Professor lecture series which hosts six nationally recognized professors per year. In addition, Professor Rounds, Core Master Sessions, Journal Club, and Mortality/Morbidity Conferences are held monthly. Annually, the Can Am Anaesthesia Conference is held at historic Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and is sponsored by Buffalo, Western Ontario, and McMaster Universities.

Beginning in Spring of 2005, the Department of Anesthesiology will sponsor an annual airway workshop. Alternate airway devices will be discussed and each participant will have a chance to trial these devices during the day-long workshop. Local university faculty will demonstrate their expertise in the use of these devices while acting as instructors at each station. The workshop is open to the Buffalo anesthesiology residents and other interested parties.

Having completed one clinical base year, to include Ward Medicine, Cardiology, Pulmonology, CCU, MICU, Emergency Medicine, and Anesthesiology (Pre-op/PACU), the successful UB applicant embarks upon the first months of the CA-1 anesthesiology year, the first two months of which are spent in a one-on-one relationship with a faculty member learning the essentials of safe anesthesia. This tutorial training is complemented by an intensive didactic series which covers the basics of anesthesia at an introductory level.

For the balance of the first twelve months, the resident progresses through increasing levels of challenge in patient care, gaining expertise in the fundamentals of preoperative medical evaluation, intraoperative management and postanesthetic care.

The next 24 months are designed on a continuum. The resident is exposed to more complex cases, as well as specialty areas of anesthesiology. During this period, the resident completes rotations outside of the operating room, providing an opportunity to function as a consultant for pain management and critical care.

As a final adjunct to the resident’s education, each physician is given one week per year to attend a regional or national conference in anesthesiology. Conference expenses are reimbursed in the CA-2 and CA-3 years up to $1,500 and $1,800 respectively, of which $600 may be used for the purchase of books. A $600 stipend for the USMLE Step 3 is provided for CB residents training in our program and for CA-1 residents. Many books are provided to CA-1’s as well.

Residents are encouraged to become active members of the medical community, in general, and of the anesthesia community specifically. The department pays each resident’s professional dues to the AMA, MSSNY, MSCE, ASA, and NYSSA as a demonstration of the importance to join and participate early in issues that will affect clinical practice.