Journal Club is held quarterly and is meant to be a department-wide, multi-institutional experience to discuss the art of locating, interpreting, and applying research and identifying unanswered questions in clinical anesthesiology. A senior and junior resident team present journal articles and lead the discussion, with an emphasis on evidence based practice.

A series of lectures is provided covering such topics as operating room management, types of practice, job acquisition, financial planning, contract negotiations, billing arrangements, professional liability, and legislative and regulatory issues. PGY2 residents participate in a practice management rotation each May.

Throughout the year there are daily keywords, weekly question/answer didactics, and core/subspecialty didactics, all designed to guide preparation for the ITE (In Training Exam) each February. Residents also attend a review course consisting of morning didactics over the course of four months from October through January each year leading up to the exam.

PGY 2 residents attend weekly interactive conference on Tuesday morning covering the complete ABA basic outline. There is an interactive daily ABA basic exam prep each May prior to the June exam.

One week in the fall and one week in the spring each year will be designated for individual mock exams. Dr. Olsen is responsible for this program which is designed to help residents learn to verbalize their knowledge of evidence-based medicine. We are privileged to have multiple ABA applied examiners on faculty.

The ABA now includes an OSCE component to the certification exams administered with oral boards, following graduation from residency training. Each year, each resident participates in multi-station OSCE experiences utilizing task trainers as well as standardized patients. The ABA OSCE content outline is used to develop OSCE scenarios. Dr. Pinault directs the annual “Anesthesia Olympics” which utilizes the OSCE format to assess growth in skills and knowledge.

Full high-fidelity human patient simulation (METI) is used in the first month of orientation and throughout residency training. In addition, multiple task simulators are utilized for skills training, and the Heartworks Simulator is used during TEE training. Each PGY1 is provided SonoSim Point of Care Ultrasound probe trainers and software. Additional opportunities for simulation are available throughout the year. Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Gambrel direct departmental simulation.

Each year nationally prominent anesthesiologists visit our department to enrich our educational program with lectures, leading journal club discussions, observing in the OR, and administering mock oral board examinations. Guest lectures from UK faculty in other specialties are used to further supplement the didactic curricula.