The didactic component of the residency in anesthesiology at UCLA is just as intensive and modern as the clinical experience.  We have three components to our educational philosophy, including education in the science of anesthesiology, applied anesthesiology and preparation for the written and oral board examination given by the American Board of Anesthesiology.  All residents receive an educational stipend of $1000 per year which can be used for the purchase of books, computer software or other educational materials and conference attendance.

CA-1 Lecture Series

During the first 4 weeks of training, CA-1 residents are relieved from the OR each day for an interactive lecture on a different aspect of the basics of anesthesia practice.  Additionally, during this month each resident spends 4 sessions at the Human Patient Simulator experiencing Induction, Emergence, Hypoxia and Hemodynamic Changes.  After the first month of training, a CA-1 monthly book chapter review is offered.  It involves a directed discussion of a different anesthesia topics each month offered twice a month from August through December.  This chapter review prepares our CA-1 residents for the Anesthesiology Knowledge Test given in January of each year.

Didactic Series

Tuesdays at 3:30 pm all anesthesiology residents at UCLA are relieved of their OR duties by the faculty to attend the interactive lecture series.  The first 30 minutes are devoted to either a keyword session or a case conference.  The keyword session consists of an interactive review of 2 keywords from the American Board of Anesthesiology written exam from the previous year.  Case conferences are oral board style. Once per month, there is a CA-3 oral board conference with the Chair.  

The second 60 minutes are devoted to an anesthesia subspecialty topic by our own faculty subspecialist or an expert visiting professor.  These lectures cover all aspects of the specialty of Anesthesiology over an 18-month period.  This affords each resident two opportunities to participate in each program.  The lecture series includes workshop programs in airway management, regional techniques, epidural/spinal placement, TEE, and PA catheters and practice management.

Grand Rounds

Every Wednesday from 7:00 am to 8:00 am on a variety of topics by our own faculty, visiting professors and experts from other UCLA departments are presented.  One session per month serves as a Morbidity and Mortality Conference.

Journal Clubs

The UCLA cardiac anesthesia service provides journal clubs in both cardiac anesthesia and TEE.  Other journal club offerings include Neuroanesthesia, Pain Medicine, and Pediatric Anesthesiology.

Written Board Preparation

Our department provides a weekly written board review for CA-3 residents over a 9-month period on Thursday evenings from 5:00 – 6:00 pm.  A reading schedule is provided and the session is spent discussing board questions in an interactive format.

Oral Board Preparation

Twice per year, just prior to each ABA oral board examination, the UCLA Department of Anesthesiology offers mock oral sessions to UCLA residents and Alumni.  The practice exams are performed to accurately simulate the experience of taking the oral board exam in anesthesiology.

ACLS

The department offers a bi-annual re-certification course for ACLS.

Libraries

The departmental library is conveniently located adjacent to the Main Operating Rooms.  It is supplied with appropriate texts and periodicals relating to anesthesia, demonstration mannequins and models. This room has been prepared for study in a quiet and pleasant atmosphere with comfortable furnishings and appropriate equipment.  Three computers (one Mac, two PC) are available in the library for resident use.  Educational and general purpose (e.g. word processing) software is installed.  On-line medical literature search and internet access is also available.  A VCR, DVD player and monitor are provided along with an extensive selection of educational videos.  The library also contains a Medical Center Computing Services (MCCS) terminal whereby residents may access laboratory results, pathology reports, patient information, on-line medical records and E-mail.  MCCS terminals are also located throughout the medical center. 

The UCLA Center for the Health Sciences maintains a large biomedical library (located within the Medical Center complex) which contains over 450,000 volumes, subscribes to approximately 7,000 current periodicals, and offers a variety of reference services, including computerized literature searches.  A roster of foreign language translators is available at the library and a staff of reference librarians is available to facilitate the acquisition of reference material.