The Program has three distinct tracks available to trainees to meet their individual needs. For academically oriented trainees, a twenty-four month long program is available, with particular emphasis on training in the design, performance, and publication of creative investigative work in either the clinical or basic science arena. Individuals interested in clinical training only may select a fellowship of 12 months' duration. Finally, individuals uncertain about their career goals may select a 12-month clinical program initially, and opt to do a second, academically oriented year after beginning training.

Training


The fellowship is divided into 24 half-month rotations:

* General OR (13)
* Cardiac OR (10)
* Cardiac ICU (2)
* Pain management (2)
* Sedation (1)
* Teaching fellow (1)

General Operating Room: Ambulatory and inpatient anesthesia is provided for patients of all ages, severity of illness, and surgical subspecialty using all types of general and regional anesthetic techniques. The fellows are under the direct supervision of attending physicians within the Department, many of whom are also trained in pediatrics as well as anesthesiology. Increasing autonomy is given as more experience is obtained. Supervision of anesthesia trainees from residency programs at the University of Washington and Virginia Mason Medical Center occurs in the later stages of training. Night call on this rotation is from home.

Cardiac Anesthesia: This rotation is designed to provide trainees with exposure to intraoperative management of children with all types of congenital heart disease. Emphasis is placed on the pathophysiology of the specific lesion(s) associated with the congenital heart disease, pharmacology of anesthetic drugs in the setting of congenital heart disease, preoperative evaluation, and operative management, which includes placement of invasive monitoring devices, cardiopulmonary bypass, transesophageal echocardiography, and inotropic support. Annually, this service provides anesthesia for over 250 open and closed heart procedures and for over 500 cardiac catheterizations in infants and children from the four-state referral region. Fellows are supervised by one of five cardiac-trained pediatric anesthesiologists. Weekly conferences conducted by the pediatric cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and cardiac anesthesiologists supplement the operating room experiences. Night call for this rotation is from home.

Pain Service: Fellows on this rotation participate in both inpatient and outpatient evaluation and management of acute and chronic pain. These services include consultation, performance of diagnostic and therapeutic somatic and autonomic nervous system blocks, management of intravenous and regional analgesia for postoperative pain, and provision of sedation/analgesia for frequent and recurrent diagnostic and therapeutic procedures (bone marrow aspiration, lumbar puncture and radiation therapy). The pain management service sees over 700 new patient consults per year. Fellows are supervised by one of five pediatric anesthesiologists with expertise in pediatric pain. Night call for this rotation is taken from home.