Choosing a residency is one of the most important decisions you will make as a physician. Residency training is the time you will gain the knowledge necessary to practice your chosen specialty, develop technical expertise, and hone your clinical judgment skills. It is also the period during which a physician is nurtured into an ethical, responsible, and knowledgeable practitioner. Anesthesiology is an exciting rapidly changing field which will provide you with a challenging and rewarding career.
The Department of Anesthesiology at UAB welcomes your assessment of our residency training program. Our goal is to provide a balanced academic environment in which aspiring young physicians develop into excellent consultant anesthesiologists. Such an environment promotes clinical excellence, sparks investigative interests and helps to develop administrative and teaching skills that will be applicable throughout an evolving career. Upon graduation, these physicians enter the practice of their choice, whether private or academic, and rapidly develop the respect and admiration of their colleagues and patients.
While our residents come from diverse backgrounds they share many traits; the ability to function as part of a team which is critical to success in medicine, a successful background in medicine and often other endeavors, and an enthusiasm for learning. I greatly value both the diversity of our residents and their common commitment to become the best at the art and science of anesthesiology. Our residency classes include 21 residents in each of the 3 years of clinical anesthesiology training. In addition, a Clinical Base Year is offered. Currently 9 PGY1 positions are available with plans to expand that number in subsequent years. Our Clinical Base Year consists of rotations in medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, and anesthesiology. Over the 3 years of clinical anesthesiology training, residents are exposed to the entire spectrum of anesthesiology, receiving training from faculty anesthesiologists with subspecialty expertise in all subspecialty areas. ACGME accredited fellowships in Pain, Critical Care Medicine, and Cardiac Anesthesiology are also available.
Birmingham, with its low mountain scenery and mild climate, is a delightful place to live. It is quite a pleasant surprise to those unfamiliar with our city.
As you carefully examine the following pages, you will find evidence of a highly successful, dynamic, academic department of anesthesiology dedicated to resident education and training, respected for its research achievements and, above all, committed to the best patient care possible.
Susan Black, M.D.
Professor of Anesthesiology
Vice-Chair for Education
sblack@uab.edu
(205) 934-6525