The University of Utah School of Medicine Anesthesiology Residency Program
The University of Utah, the oldest institution of higher education west of the Mississippi, was founded in 1850. The 25,000 students attending the University represent all 50 states and more than 50 foreign countries.
The campus development program has kept pace with the University’s academic and research expansion. Over half of the 149 permanent buildings on campus have been built in the past decade. The focal point of the campus is the Marriott Library with holdings in excess of a million and a half volumes.
The University of Utah School of Medicine, as well as the College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and Eccles Health Sciences Library are located at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains on the east boundary of the University’s 1500 acre campus immediately adjacent to the golf course and overlooking the Salt Lake Valley.
Letter from the Program Directors
What is it like to train at the University of Utah Anesthesiology Residency Program? Imagine learning from an exceptionally well-balanced faculty of over 40 with interests running the gamut from studying the mechanisms of the action of inhaled anesthetics, to health care policy development. Imagine doing 400 to 500 clinical cases a year in a multitude of surgical disciplines and a variety of practice settings. Imagine training in a city located in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains where recreational opportunities of every conceivable variety abound.
The anesthesiology residency program at the University of Utah School of Medicine is based at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. It is the only anesthesiology residency training program in the Intermountain West, a land area encompassing 10% of the continental United States. Although the program has trained many of the anesthesiologists currently practicing in the Rocky Mountain States, our graduates are currently in private or academic practice throughout the United States and abroad. This wide-spread network of alumni is especially useful to our residents as they enter the job market. Many of our graduating residents have found employment through this Utah connection.
The mission of our training program is to train individuals to become highly-qualified anesthesiologists. Our curriculum is designed with resident education foremost in mind. Our residents average 500 cases per year, covering the complete range of specialties and practice locations. They work under the close supervision of our faculty members, and an effort is made to ensure that each case is a learning experience. Thus, when they complete their training at the University of Utah, our resident graduates are in a position to assume the responsibilities of any type of anesthesia practice.
The clinical facilities employed for training are first rate. Our academic medical center, the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, is a state-of-the-art, 400-bed facility. A newly remodeled operating suite of 16 rooms is the site for nearly 20,000 anesthetic cases per year. There is a modern and newly built critical care pavillion, and our Pain Management Center is one of the best designed facilities in the country. Our residents and pain management fellows are exposed to leading edge pain management techniques. The pain management care team includes fellowship trained anesthesiologists, neurologists, physiatrists, psychologists, physical therapists, and advanced practice nurses. Our residents also received exposure to the latest advances in intensive care medicine when they rotate through the shock-trauma ICU at LDS Hospital. Here, a largely computerized unit utilizes state-of-the-art technology in caring for critically ill patients. Other partner hospitals in our training program include Primary Children’s Medical Center, the only pediatric hospital in the Intermountain West, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, and LDS Hospital, a tertiary care facility located in Salt Lake City. The Department also operates a computerized patient simulator center. Here, our residents receive training and have the opportunity to practice their skills prior to working with patients. The simulator is also used for practicing one’s skills to become more proficient, without compromising patient safety and comfort.
Our first year anesthesia residents (CA1) develop their clinical skills by rotating through the main O.R. at the University Hospital and at the VA Medical Center. Most also do some obstetrics and intensive care training in their first year. The second year is largely devoted to subspecialty rotations, including cardiac, neurosurgical, pediatric, obstetric anesthesia, acute and chronic pain management, and intensive care medicine. Regional anesthesia is also stressed with one month dedicated to peripheral nerve blockade. The third year has extensive elective experiences. For those interested, significant research experience is readily available during the third year.
Our program is dedicated to training high-quality physicians. We strive to graduate physicians who will be valuable assets to their community. We expect our residents to become proficient in the technical skills required to provide anesthesia and to obtain the knowledge base to care for their patients. In addition, we strive to instill in our residents the knowledge and understanding of the practice of medicine--to care for the patient as an individual, not as a case. Finally, we hope that our graduates will be seen as physician experts in perioperative care in addition to experts in providing an anesthetic.
Educational experiences and activities include weekly grand rounds which consists of didactic sessions, lectures, clinical case review, simulator training, and mock oral examinations. We also have monthly journal clubs, visiting professor lectures, weekly research meetings, and in-operating room individualized instruction. From a didactic standpoint, our residents compare favorably to any other program across the nation. For the last 10 years, In-Training-Examination scores for our program have ranked between the 75th and 90th percentile of all programs in the country. Our anesthesiology board certification rate is greater than 95%.
Our program’s reputation has allowed us to gather a high-quality faculty that provides top notch patient care while engaging in important, nationally renowned research. They have been recruited from many different institutions across the United States, thus bringing different perspectives to our residents’ education. Their research interests are as diversified as their educational backgrounds. For residents interested in getting involved in research, there are multiple opportunities to do so. The Department has three dedicated basic science laboratories, as well as several rooms for clinical studies. In addition, the Department has a very active bioengineering research division headed by a nationally renown scientist, Dwayne Westenskow, Ph.D. Resident participation in research is strongly encouraged and residents are given travel money to present their scholarly work at national meetings. Approximately 20% of our graduates go on to careers in academic medicine.
Salaries and benefits are competitive and rank in the top 25% of programs nationally. Average "call" is every fifth night in-house, with the day after call off. Second and third year residents are financially supported to attend a one-week national meeting.
Salt Lake City is a clean, friendly metropolitan area of 1.2 million people. Selected as the host city for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Salt Lake City has outstanding recreational facilities located within the city limits. A total of 9 world-class ski resorts are located within a 50 mile radius of Salt Lake City, and Utah is justifiably known to have "the Greatest Snow on Earth."
In addition to the winter sport activities, Salt Lake City also is a center for outdoor recreation in the spring, summer, and fall. Numerous streams challenge the fly fisherman and the kayaker. There are a multitude of alpine trails for hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking. Golf and tennis are available throughout the metropolitan area. Spectator sports are also popular, with the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the University of Utah’s "Utes" drawing large crowds of enthusiastic supporters. Cultural activities are also available throughout Salt Lake City, including the nationally acclaimed Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Opera Company, the Utah Ballet, the Salt Lake Repertory Theatre and numerous restaurants and museums. Salt Lake City has an affordable cost of living, and relatively plentiful rental housing.
Now that we’ve sketched something about our training program and surrounding area, we hope that you will want to know more. Congratulations on your selection of anesthesiology as a career, and best wishes to you as you pursue residency training. We look forward to hearing from you.
L. Lazarre Ogden, M.D.
Director, Residency Program, Department of Anesthesiology
Michael K. Cahalan, M.D.
Professor, Chairman, Department of Anesthesiology
