Chief Residents' Message
Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to learn about our residency program. Northwestern has a long tradition of graduating competitive and well-trained anesthesiologists. Our residents benefit from a diverse and thorough clinical exposure, robust and creative didactics, and extensive opportunities in leadership and research.
The Northwestern University Department of Anesthesiology is proud to offer residents a comprehensive experience from our downtown Chicago campus. The Feinberg Pavilion houses general and specialty surgical services, non-operating room anesthesia sites, and the adult ICUs. The Lavin outpatient tower specializes in ambulatory and orthopedic cases and provides an excellent regional anesthesia experience. Prentice Women’s Hospital contains breast, plastic, and gynecological ORs and the Labor and Delivery service. Lurie Children's offers comprehensive experience in pediatric anesthesia. The downtown campus also includes the Chronic Pain and Pre-Operative clinics. All of these sites are on our downtown campus, and all are connected via skyways. Interested residents can also travel to Cook County Stroger Hospital (about 15 minutes away) for an elective trauma rotation at one of the largest trauma centers in the U.S. Our program offers a truly full-service clinical experience that prepares trainees to excel as anesthesiologists.
The Department is focused on advancing our field and remaining a leader in anesthesiology. Northwestern residents train with members of our specialty’s premier academic faculty. Residents will find the program supportive of research projects, offering expert mentorship and elective research rotations. Residents are encouraged to present at regional and national society meetings. Those who wish to participate in Global Health can travel via Northwestern’s Global Health Scholars program or a humanitarian mission of their choosing. Most recently, we have had several residents travel to the Dominican Republic to work in the obstetric, trauma and regional anesthesiology field. Our educational model continues to evolve to meet the needs of modern anesthesiologists, including a point-of-care ultrasound curriculum and a growing emphasis on case supervision, including coordination of the OR, L&D, and other anesthesia services. Our didactic programs offer a dedicated CA-1 lecture series, weekly education half-days, simulation curricula, subspecialty lecture series, and quality improvement and M&M conferences led by residents. All this is made possible by an outstanding commitment to protected education time.
Life as a resident is so much more than what happens at the hospital, and there is no better place to spend these years than in Chicago! Our resident vs. faculty events (spin challenge, axe throwing, and dodgeball) and department-wide beach volleyball team are recent favorites. We plan a variety of annual events, including a welcome BBQ for incoming residents, a Halloween party, post-ITE party, fellowship match parties, department holiday party, and residency graduation party. There are diverse restaurants, trendy bars, parks, and the lake-front trail all within blocks of the hospital. Among the professional sports teams, parades, street festivals, concerts, and museums, there is truly something for everyone. Despite a busy schedule, our residents have no trouble enjoying our wonderful city.
Our residents find themselves well-prepared as they move towards graduation. They match into excellent fellowships in every subspecialty and are competitive applicants in both private and academic settings. As a testament to the positive culture and quality of the department, many of our recent graduates have decided to return to Northwestern for fellowship and faculty positions.
We wish you all the best in your residency applications and we thank you for considering Northwestern Anesthesiology!