Pediatric Fellowship Curriculum

The vast majority of our clinical work is currently done at a single facility, Children’s Memorial Hospital. However, in June of 2012, we will make the exciting transition to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, a brand new, state of the art facility, located in downtown Chicago between Lake Michigan and Michigan Avenue. Guided by pediatric fellowship trained staff, fellows have increased exposure to advanced and complex pediatric cases. In an effort to ensure both a comprehensive caseload experience and even distribution of cases amongst each fellow, we departed from specific monthly rotations (neuro, cardiac, pain, etc.); and instead, fellows maintain a case log frequently evaluated by the program director and operating room scheduler to actively prevent disparities in case experiences and adjust daily room assignments accordingly.

Cardiac
Our fellows participate in approximately 200 cardiopulmonary bypass cases per year. In addition, we provide anesthesia in the cardiac catherization lab for both diagnostic and interventional purposes and take part in cardiac CT/MRI scans. In addition, the fellows frequently participate in the care of children with congenital heart disease undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Our fellows are involved in all aspects of the care of these medically complex patients including invasive line placement.

Pain
Renowned both nationally and internationally for our expertise in pediatric regional anesthesia and led by Santhanam Suresh, our program produces graduates known for their regional skills. Our fellows are expected to master numerous regional anesthetic techniques consisting of head and neck, upper and lower extremity, and truncal blocks in children of all ages. Fellows also assist with a pain service, managing inpatient acute pain consults and participating in a chronic pain clinic.

Transplants
The physiologic demands of children presenting with end-stage organ failures who have the opportunity for a transplant provides our fellows the experience of providing a complex anesthetic in extremely sick children. Children’s Memorial Hospital typically performs 30 kidney, 15 liver and 15 heart transplants per year.

Cardiac ICU
Understanding the medical care for children who undergo cardiac intervention provides valuable insight into congenital heart disease. Complex multi-disciplinary decisions oftentimes govern both surgical and medical care, and as anesthesiologists we take part in the decision making process and our fellows have found the pediatric cardiac ICU experience here to be an incredible learning opportunity.

Craniofacial
Complex midface and cranial reconstructions in the pediatric population present an anesthetic challenge and valuable experience for our fellows. Children’s Memorial Hospital performs > 50 craniosynostosis repairs, and > 50 complex cleft lip repairs per year.

Neurosurgery
In addition to numerous malignancy resections and intracranial vascular repairs we are involved with myelomeningocele repairs with an extremely active pediatric neurosurgery department.

Complex General Surgery
Pyloric stenosis, gastroschisis, omphalocoeles, and tracheo-esophageal fistula repairs are common surgical interventions at Children’s Memorial Hospital and are fellows participate in all aspects of the perioperative care of these patients.

Outpatient surgery center
The fellows also administer pediatric anesthesia services at the Westchester outpatient surgery center. A large number of our fellows go onto succeed in both the academic or private practice setting and this environment helps prepare our fellows for a non-university style practice. In addition, the opportunity for moonlighting, providing coverage for children requiring postoperative surgical observation, affords a supplemental source of income during the fellowship.

Additional Education and Training

Didactics
Daily morning conferences, which includes a hands-on regional workshop on Mondays and a Chairman’s conference on Thursdays are provided. Fellows are expected to prepare and present several morning lectures throughout the fellowship. Specific topics on the pediatric anesthesiology subspecialty certification examination are covered in Wednesday and Friday morning conferences. Clinical responsibilities are tailored prior to the oral board examination and actual board examiners give mock examinations to ensure board preparation.

Academic Involvement
Journal club convenes monthly. Each fellow typically submits a poster or presentation to a national meeting, pursues journal publications and assists in authoring book chapters. Our institution commonly hosts numerous regional anesthesia workshops throughout the country and fellows actively contribute to teaching at these sessions.

Research
Our program participates in numerous research endeavors and our fellows have routinely published in prestigious anesthesia jouranls as well as presented at many national meetings. Over the past several years, our fellows have produced research in the areas of both regional anesthesia, anesthesia education, cardiac, and airway devices.

Call Responsibilities
Each fellow works Monday through Friday and is on call approximately once a week and approximately one out of seven weekends.