Resident education in Pediatric Anesthesiology is accomplished at the Brenner Children’s Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. The Brenner Children’s Hospital (located within the Medical Center) provides outstanding pediatric care and facilities, and the hospital functions as an independent pediatric hospital within a large general hospital environment. More than 8000 children receive anesthesia care each year at Brenner Children’s Hospital. There is a dedicated pediatric operating suite with seven ORs, a separate pediatric PACU, holding area, and nursing/support staff. More than 75% of the pediatric anesthetics are provided in this child and family friendly facility. Approximately 25% of the pediatric patients requiring anesthesia are cared for in outside sites (primarily non-surgical cases requiring anesthesia).
Residents rotate in 3 month-long rotation blocks and participate in the direct care of both healthy and critically ill children. During the second year of anesthesia training, residents work on a daily basis with one of 8 Board Certified anesthesiologists in the care of children for all forms of general, urologic, orthopedic, ophthalmologic, plastic and reconstructive, otolaryngologic, cardiothoracic, and neurosurgical procedures. Training and care is provided by pediatric anesthesiologists, physicians with a minimum of one year of specialized fellowship training and advanced certification in the perioperative care of children. This ensures the safest care for infants and children undergoing anesthesia and the optimal training of residents in the different psychological, physical, and physiological needs of children from newborns to teenagers. Care of premature infants and critically ill children is emphasized.
Additional pediatric experience can be acquired with a one-month rotation in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Brenner Children’s Hospital. During this month, the resident provides the day-to-day care of critically ill children and is supervised by pediatric critical care physicians providing hands-on experience with resuscitation, multidisciplinary critical care, and long-term management of complicated diseases. In addition to the hands on care, there is a didactic component during the rotation geared specifically toward the residents. This is in addition to the departmental didactic component focused on the pediatric patient as part of the overall resident educational curriculum. Pediatric anesthesia texts are available for all house officers during their rotations. During the 3 required months of pediatric anesthesia experience, residents perform more than 150 individual anesthetics for children, newborn to 12 years of age with an emphasis on neonates and children under three. The combined PICU, out of OR (remote location), and inpatient OR experiences provide extremely valuable resident education in the preoperative assessment, intraoperative care, and postoperative management of children. Additional elective opportunities for further experience managing children exist as well.
Residents rotate in 3 month-long rotation blocks and participate in the direct care of both healthy and critically ill children. During the second year of anesthesia training, residents work on a daily basis with one of 8 Board Certified anesthesiologists in the care of children for all forms of general, urologic, orthopedic, ophthalmologic, plastic and reconstructive, otolaryngologic, cardiothoracic, and neurosurgical procedures. Training and care is provided by pediatric anesthesiologists, physicians with a minimum of one year of specialized fellowship training and advanced certification in the perioperative care of children. This ensures the safest care for infants and children undergoing anesthesia and the optimal training of residents in the different psychological, physical, and physiological needs of children from newborns to teenagers. Care of premature infants and critically ill children is emphasized.
Additional pediatric experience can be acquired with a one-month rotation in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Brenner Children’s Hospital. During this month, the resident provides the day-to-day care of critically ill children and is supervised by pediatric critical care physicians providing hands-on experience with resuscitation, multidisciplinary critical care, and long-term management of complicated diseases. In addition to the hands on care, there is a didactic component during the rotation geared specifically toward the residents. This is in addition to the departmental didactic component focused on the pediatric patient as part of the overall resident educational curriculum. Pediatric anesthesia texts are available for all house officers during their rotations. During the 3 required months of pediatric anesthesia experience, residents perform more than 150 individual anesthetics for children, newborn to 12 years of age with an emphasis on neonates and children under three. The combined PICU, out of OR (remote location), and inpatient OR experiences provide extremely valuable resident education in the preoperative assessment, intraoperative care, and postoperative management of children. Additional elective opportunities for further experience managing children exist as well.