Curriculum Overview

The Anesthesiology Residency Program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine offers a comprehensive curriculum that prepares residents for independent practice through clinical experiences, simulation training and global health opportunities. Emphasizing critical thinking, teamwork and ethical care, the program equips trainees to navigate complex perioperative challenges.

Core Training

Clinical Rotations

See a description of the rotation curriculum for every year of the program.

View the clinical rotations

Didactics

Find details about our live lecture and e-learning curriculum.

See our didactics structure

Professional and Academic Growth

Scholarly Activity

Several residents are involved in clinical research through the anesthesia department and are mentored by current faculty. There is an optional one-month research rotation for CA3 residents to focus on their research endeavors.

See below for some examples of current resident scholarly work.

Scholarly Work

Anugerah A, Nguyen K, Nader A: Technical considerations for approaches to the ultrasound-guided maxillary nerve block via the pterygopalatine fossa: a literature review. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2020, 45(4):301-305.

Davis-Sandfoss AK, Sweitzer B: Intraoperative Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in an Asymptomatic Patient: A Case Report. A A Pract 2020, 14(7):e01235.

Luan-Erfe BM, Yilmaz M, Sweitzer B: Preoperative Intravenous Iron and Erythropoietin to Treat Severe Anemia in Patient With Stage 4 Kidney Disease Before Oncologic Surgery: A Case Report. A A Pract 2020, 14(8):e01234.

Ma K, Coutin M, Kim T, Koht A: Correlation Between Processed Electroencephalogram and Clinical Findings During Wake-Up Test in Prone Position for Scheduled Posterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A Case Report. A A Pract 2020, 14(6):e01170.

Viramontes O, Luan Erfe BM, Erfe JM, Brovman EY, Boehme J, Bader AM, Urman RD: Cognitive impairment and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review. J Clin Anesth 2019, 56:65-76.

Seewald NM, Lu S, Birmingham PK: Relaxation breathing for multimodal perioperative analgesia in a four-year-old: Yes they can! Paediatr Anaesth 2019, 29(9):962-963.

Hoefnagel AL, Rajan S, Martin A, Mahendra V, Knutson AK, Uejima JL, Kositratna G, Weller M, Yang H, Ahuja S et al: Cognitive Aids for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neuroanesthetic Emergencies: Consensus Guidelines on Behalf of the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) Education Committee. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol 2019, 31(1):7-17.

Bissing MA, Lange EMS, Davila WF, Wong CA, McCarthy RJ, Stock MC, Toledo P: Status of Women in Academic Anesthesiology: A 10-Year Update. Anesth Analg 2019, 128(1):137-143.

Ardila D, Kiraly AP, Bharadwaj S, Choi B, Reicher JJ, Peng L, Tse D, Etemadi M, Ye W, Corrado G et al: End-to-end lung cancer screening with three-dimensional deep learning on low-dose chest computed tomography. Nat Med 2019, 25(6):954-961.

Walega DR, Korn M: Management of a Cancer Patient with an Intrathecal Drug Delivery System and an Acute Brain Abscess. J Palliat Med 2018, 21(5):727-729.

McCormick ZL, Reddy R, Korn M, Dayanim D, Syed RH, Bhave M, Zhukalin M, Choxi S, Ebrahimi A, Kendall MC et al: A Prospective Randomized Trial of Prognostic Genicular Nerve Blocks to Determine the Predictive Value for the Outcome of Cooled Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Knee Pain Due to Osteoarthritis. Pain Med 2018, 19(8):1628-1638.

Longhini AB, Cheon EC, Hajduk J, Bowman R, Birmingham PK: Neuraxial Anesthesia in Children With Ventriculoperitoneal Shunts. Anesth Analg 2018, 127(1):188-189.

Lange EMS, Wong CA, Fitzgerald PC, Davila WF, Rao S, McCarthy RJ, Toledo P: Effect of Epidural Infusion Bolus Delivery Rate on the Duration of Labor Analgesia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Anesthesiology 2018, 128(4):745-753.

Kaplan RM, Wasserlauf J, Bandi RH, Lange EM, Knight BP, Kim SS: Inappropriate defibrillator shock during gynecologic electrosurgery. HeartRhythm Case Rep 2018, 4(7):267-269.

Jain S, Kallio PJ, Less K, Novalija J, Pagel PS, Ebert TJ: Anesthesia Preoperative Clinic Evaluation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Nasal Fiberoptic Videoendoscopy: A Pilot Study Comparison with Polysomnography. Anesth Pain Med 2018, 8(1):e63546.

Inan OT, Baran Pouyan M, Javaid AQ, Dowling S, Etemadi M, Dorier A, Heller JA, Bicen AO, Roy S, De Marco T et al: Novel Wearable Seismocardiography and Machine Learning Algorithms Can Assess Clinical Status of Heart Failure Patients. Circ Heart Fail 2018, 11(1):e004313.

Hood R, Budd A, Sorond FA, Hogue CW: Peri-operative neurological complications. Anaesthesia 2018, 73 Suppl 1:67-75.

Etemadi M, Inan OT: Wearable ballistocardiogram and seismocardiogram systems for health and performance. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2018, 124(2):452-461.

Chignalia AZ, Isbatan A, Patel M, Ripper R, Sharlin J, Shosfy J, Borlaug BA, Dull RO: Pressure-dependent NOS activation contributes to endothelial hyperpermeability in a model of acute heart failure. Biosci Rep 2018, 38(6).

Awad H, Hackett K, Ramadan ME, Crestanello J: Con: Routine Use of Embolic Filters in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Is not Indicated. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2018, 32(2):1056-1061.

Global Health Initiatives

Through our global health initiatives, residents have the opportunity to experience care in the context of different cultures and varying access to resources.

Global Health Clinical Scholars Program

Through McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University’s Global Health Clinical Scholars Program, residents and fellows learn competency-based global health to deliver clinical care in resource-limited settings worldwide. In addition to attending lectures and completing assignments, residents complete a month of international field experience. At the end of the two-year program, participants earn a certificate.

Ghana - Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

In February 2020, CA-3 resident Ariana Anugerah, MD, and regional fellow Kim Nguyen, MD, completed four- and two-week rotations at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, with regional anesthesiologist Sarah Clark, MD. Their work, part of the McGaw Global Health Clinical Scholars program and Health Volunteers Overseas, involved collaborating with local anesthesiologists and residents in the preoperative clinic, ICU and various anesthetizing locations.

They exchanged insights on anesthesia practices, delivered lectures, provided hands-on training in select peripheral nerve blocks, and conducted interviews to compare Ghana’s medical education system with those in other countries.

Dominican Republic - Hospital Materno Dr. Reynaldo Almanza

In January 2019, Department of Anesthesiology faculty Feyce Peralta, MD, completed a month-long rotation at Hospital Materno Dr. Reynaldo Almánzar in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, joined by Jack Peace (CA-3), Adithya Bhat (fellow), and faculty Brad Bavaro, MD, MS, and Samir Patel, MD. The Northwestern team collaborated with Dominican anesthesiologists to provide obstetric care to an underserved urban population and launched a quality improvement project to enhance antibiotic administration and reduce surgical site infections.

A key moment was presenting Grand Rounds on antibiotic prophylaxis. The global health experience gave trainees insight into working in resource-limited settings and addressing cultural aspects of healthcare delivery.

Workshops & Seminars

We conduct educational seminars each year to augment our program's clinical and didactic teaching, including the cricothyrotomy practicum, a practice management seminar and an anesthesia machine workshop.

Cricothyrotomy Laboratory Practicum

The cricothyrotomy practicum combines cadaveric dissections in the gross anatomy lab at the medical school with didactics from faculty. The goal is for residents to develop an understanding of airway anatomy required for emergent cricothyroidotomy. It occurs on a Saturday once a year in the fall. CA-1 and CA-2 residents participate in the practicum.

Learning Objectives

To recognize indications for cricothyrotomy
To identify risks and complications of a cricothyrotomy
To establish an emergent airway through the use of a cricothyrotomy
To perform the procedure in under two minutes

Private Practice Symposium & Practice Management

Throughout the training year, course director Alex DeLeon, MD, invites speakers (previous graduates of the Northwestern training programs, current faculty and Northwestern attorneys) to educate residents on involvement in the ASA, malpractice, securities and investments, billing and insurance, contracts and financial management. Residents gain an overview of non-clinical skills necessary for a successful anesthesiology practice. These practice management topics occur on Wednesday mornings for CA-2 and CA-3 residents, but all residents are encouraged to attend.

Specialized Training

Simulation Training

We offer a robust simulation program to prepare incoming CA-1 residents for the OR environment, anesthetized patient care and critical event management. Residents are trained in key perioperative scenarios to support their transition from 1:1 to 2:1 supervision. Each resident also completes a simulation scenario during the Thursday morning conference with guidance from a faculty mentor.

Simulation Tactical Training (STAT) Curriculum

Training, led by resident-faculty pairs, takes place weekly on Thursdays from 6–6:30 a.m. at Feinberg and Prentice ORs. Residents engage in short 7–10-minute scenarios followed by structured debriefings. These cover a wide range of pre-, intra- and post-operative situations, focusing on rare or critical events, team dynamics, competing management goals, ethical challenges and empathy.

Goals of the training are to:

Learn about using simulation-based education by experience in designing, deploying and debriefing a scenario
Practice real-time management skills
Exercise strategic implementation of primary and alternate plans
Avoid fixation error
Develop a comprehensive picture and maintain flexibility in the face of dynamic clinical conditions
Appropriately call for and manage help
Function effectively in the role of a helper

Topics include transfusion medicine, wrong-site surgery, trauma in a Jehovah’s Witness patient, off-site airway management, serotonin syndrome in chronic pain, local anesthetic toxicity, ICU care withdrawal, PACU delirium, medication errors and family interactions during postpartum hemorrhage.

New Resident Simulator Training

Residents receive training in managing acute clinical events that are rarely encountered early on but essential for semi-independent (1:2) practice. In groups of five to six, they participate in afternoon sessions after the noon lecture, each focused on a single simulated event followed by structured debriefing. These sessions build strategic thinking, task prioritization and skills for approaching and managing acute intraoperative scenarios.

Point-of-Care Applications of Ultrasound (PoCUS)

The resident ultrasound education is a longitudinal curriculum embedded throughout various rotations from CA1-CA3 training years. Below is a description of activities by year. The ultrasound curriculum is both rapidly evolving and expanding based on resident feedback and to meet educational needs in this growing field.

CA-1

Residents receive an introductory lecture series that provides a basis for FoCUS (Focused Cardiovascular Ultrasound) training. The CA-1 PACU and preoperative clinic rotations include extensive hours of hands-on ultrasound patient scanning, image acquisition and review sessions with an ultrasound faculty attending. By the conclusion of a scheduled two-week, individual training period, CA1 residents are required to demonstrate mastery over basic cardiac image acquisition and interpretation of normal cardiac function.

CA-2/CA-3

During the intensive care unit rotation, residents participate in a series of lectures focused on cardiac pathology, fluid status, hemodynamic monitoring and ultrasound evaluation of patients in shock. In addition, weekly ultrasound rounds with a faculty attending and cardiac ultrasonographer provide residents with hands-on ultrasound training and tips for acquiring difficult-to-obtain views in critically ill patients. On the obstetrical rotation, residents participate in lectures and hands-on training to gain expertise in pulmonary ultrasound.

CA-3

For senior residents, advanced ultrasound lectures are available as part of the senior lecture series. They additionally revisit pathophysiologic states in the context of FoCUS in the intensive care unit. Lastly, senior residents on their perioperative medicine rotation are given personalized, 1:1 ultrasound scanning sessions with a faculty attending to focus on an ultrasound area of choice that best supports their career goals.