Our didactic curriculum is continually evaluated and revised to teach new and evolving knowledge, address needs related to recently added certification exam components, and to match changing learning styles.

Didactic sessions are presented daily, with faculty involvement in all sessions either as presenter or facilitator.

• Weekly reading assignments are distributed to guide residents through the reading of a major renowned text.  Each topic covered by the assigned chapter(s) is then used throughout the week during Morning Report didactics.  This way, the curriculum is introduced with independent reading and reinforced with lectures, keywords, and mock oral exams.
• Monday morning kicks off the week with a lecture presented by our faculty on the assigned reading topic.
• Monday afternoons, there are two 45-minute lectures comprising Anesthesiology Grand Rounds, in which lectures of interest are presented by UAB faculty and/or Visiting Professors.
  • Tuesday mornings, an hour long Continuous Quality Improvement Lecture is presented.  Quarterly didactic sessions include formal lectures by faculty Board Certified in Medical Quality, Quarterly Review of departmental quality measures, and case presentations by residents and fellows illuminating areas where continuous quality improvement may be employed.
  • Wednesday mornings, 30-minute Key Word sessions are presented by a resident and faculty pair that relate to the assigned reading for the week.
  • Thursday mornings, a 30-minute Mini Mock Oral board format is used by faculty to present interesting clinical scenarios and provide residents experience in this format of testing.  The subject matter for the “mini” mock oral is related to the assigned chapter(s).
  • Friday mornings, a 30-minute Morning Report consists of a “grab bag” of faculty lead discussions to round out the educational curriculum.  Faculty from various subspecialties within the department present interesting cases from the week, a basic lecture series aimed at reviewing the core concepts of trauma anesthesiology, written board review questions and explanations, and a lecture series offering introduction to ultrasound and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).
  • Clinical Professor Workshops are small group discussion sessions led by faculty covering major areas of focus for CA1 residents.  These sessions are intended to prepare and motivate our CA1 residents for successful completion of the Basic Exam.

In addition, most subspecialty rotations conduct independent lecture series for residents and students on those rotations.

Journal Club

There are multiple journal club series.  The primary journal club is held approximately six times per year to discuss relevant recent articles.  In additional subspecialty journal clubs are led by the cardiothoracic faculty, pain faculty, regional faculty, obstetric anesthesiology faculty, and the critical care faculty.  Both fellows and residents attend these subspecialty events.

Simulation

UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine has recently opened a state-of-the-art simulation center. High fidelity simulation sessions are part of every resident's training experience during each year of training. 

Mock Oral Board Exams

To provide residents experience in the oral board format used by the American Board of Anesthesiology, each resident will do a mock oral board exam every 6 months.

Digital Curriculum

Multiple digital curricula are utilized and available to residents to enhance their educational opportunities.

Difficult Airway Workshop

Each year the department sponsors a half-day training session addressing management of patients with difficult airways. Both brief didactic sessions and hands-on opportunities with multiple airway devices are provided.

Annual Review Course

The Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine sponsors an annual review course with world-renowned experts in February each year.  Residents are encouraged to attend and their registration fee is provided by the department. This course provides an excellent chance for residents to hear from leaders in our field.

Basic Perioperative Echocardiography Curriculum (TEE & TTE)

The Basic Perioperative Echocardiography Curriculum (BPEC) is a new course for educating residents in perioperative transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography and will be comprised of a series of lectures, online didactics, simulation, and directed independent study. The course will be conducted from October to May, and residents participating in BPEC will have learning assignments and will receive evaluations on their performance in the course. During the BPEC, residents will gain knowledge and experience in the perioperative echocardiographic assessment of patients.  The purpose of this curriculum is to equip residents with the medical knowledge and skills necessary to perform basic perioperative echocardiography and to prepare them to take the National Board of Echocardiography’s Basic PTEeXAM at the conclusion of the CA-2 year.