Residency

Residency Program Overview

Residency training at UCLA consists of four years of intense and rewarding clinical, academic and personal growth based in the recently opened Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRMC). RRMC is one of the most technologically sophisticated hospitals in the world and has been voted the # 3 hospital in the country and # 1 hospital in the West for the past 19 years U.S. News & World Report. Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA is also among the top pediatric medical centers in the United States according to the U.S. News & World Report 2009 survey of "America's Best Children's Hospitals."

Our residents enjoy a diversity of patient populations and challenging cases that are unsurpassed for anesthesiology training, from pediatric liver and heart transplants performed as early as the CA1 year at RRMC to ambulatory orthopedic surgeries in our fast-paced Surgery Center. Our program currently boasts 88 residents with 22 per class in each of the four years. Training begins in the PGY1 year during our tailored Clinical Base Year that includes a month of Anesthesiology at RRMC in addition to significant experience in preoperative evaluation, critical care and internal medicine. At UCLA, we provide a comprehensive exposure to a variety of hospital settings with additional training in pediatrics, obstetrics and regional anesthesia at several affiliated sites in the local area.

Our residents successfully apply to the most competitive Fellowship programs in the country. Recent graduates have pursued Fellowship training in Cardiac Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Pediatric Anesthesiology, and Pain Medicine.

Education is emphasized not only from a clinical perspective but with significant didactics including simulator experiences, all during protected time. Residents receive up to$1500 per year of Education Funds (maximum $4,000 over 4 years), have 5 days of Conference Time available annually, plus 4 full weeks of vacation off annually, the maximum allowed by the ACGME, in addition to most major holidays.

Our residency program emphasizes leadership in the perioperative care of patients and is committed to instilling an appreciation lifelong learning. Education is a top priority, as evidenced by the membership of the Education Steering Committee (ESC), which includes: Department Chair, Dr. Patricia Kapur; Residency Program Director, Dr. Randy Steadman; Associate Residency Program Director, Dr. Samuel Wald; Assistant Residency Program Directors, Drs. Victor Duval and Judi Turner; in addition to Faculty members involved in medical student teaching and fellowships, as well our two Chief Residents. The ESC meets monthly and leadership faculty actively seek resident input into program development and improvement throughout the year. In addition, an extensive program review with Residency Program faculty and the residents occurs annually at the resident retreat.

We take great pride in our Residency Training Program and hope that you will take a few minutes to visit the rest of our Departmental Website to learn more.