Curriculum

Each month, fellows undergo various rotations focusing on different pediatric surgical categories and advanced anesthetic management, with case exposure monitored using the ACGME Case Log system. Alongside these rotations, assignments for unique surgical procedures (like organ transplantation) are prioritized for fellows to provide comprehensive exposure.

The first month of fellowship is dedicated to general pediatric cases to improve basic pediatric management skills. The following months will focus on anesthetic management for various complex surgeries and advanced anesthetic techniques.

Routine and complex anesthetic management are found in the following clinical areas:

• General Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Cardiac Catheterization Procedures
• Craniofacial Surgery
• Major Orthopedic Surgery (including Scoliosis Surgery)
• Organ Transplantation
• Anesthesia Outside of the OR (including MRI and Angiography)
• Advanced Pediatric Airway Management
• Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia

Also included in the curriculum for fellows is a one-month rotation on the Pediatric/Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Didactics

• For the first two months, fellows attend 45 minute weekly didactic sessions covering a variety of basic pediatric anesthesia topics. Afterwards, fellows participate in presentations regarding more advanced anesthetic management for various pediatric conditions.
• A weekly CME conference is facilitated by core faculty, lecturers from other pediatric departments, or guests from outside institutions.
• Every week, fellows participate in Problem-Based Learning Discussions (PBLDs) moderated by our core faculty.  These provide practice for oral presentation of patient consultation and management, especially for future oral APPLIED exams.
• Three presentations on specific Pediatric Anesthesiology topics will be presented by fellows while leading bi-monthly journal club sessions during their fellowship. In addition, a Grand Rounds presentation will take place toward the latter half of the year.

Research

All fellows will have access to physical and online medical journals provided by the Shiffman Medical Library within Wayne State University. Fellows participate in research opportunities and case reports to be submitted and presented to the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) annual conference. Fellows can join current research projects led by faculty, or can create entirely new projects themselves. Our dedicated clinical research coordinator will guide fellows on their research projects throughout the year.

Fellows also participate with Quality Improvement (QI) projects and are encouraged to present their work at the local/regional summits on QI conferences, including the annual Southeast Michigan CME (SEMCME) QI Summit.