Dear Prospective Applicants,

Welcome to the University of Kansas Anesthesiology Residency Program! We are thrilled that you are considering our program and are excited to share with you what makes it exceptional.

The University of Kansas Hospital is a 984-bed tertiary care academic medical center, serving as the region’s only nationally verified Level I Trauma Center, one of the first four in the nation (and first in Kansas City) recognized as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, one of only 70 nationwide National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, and the region’s only complex burn center. With nearly three hundred anesthetics performed daily across various clinical sites, our program offers residents comprehensive clinical training. As a part of our program, you will have the opportunity to care for a diverse and complex patient population undergoing a wide range of procedures.

Our residency training begins with a categorical base year in the Internal Medicine department, where PGY-1 residents are exposed to various areas of clinical medicine relevant to anesthesiology. These include cardiology, pulmonology, general inpatient medicine, critical care, emergency medicine, ENT/laryngology, and more. Additionally, PGY-1 residents spend four weeks with acute pain anesthesia and four weeks in our Pre-Anesthesia Clinic. The perennial highlight of intern year, “Anesthesia Bootcamp,” occurs during the last month of the academic year. PGY-1 residents pair with senior residents in the OR, labor and delivery unit, and perioperative services, to begin learning the fundamentals of anesthesia. Daily lectures and frequent simulations will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for a successful transition to the CA-1 year in July.

During our clinical anesthesiology years (CA-1, 2, and 3), our program offers early exposure to various anesthesia subspecialties. By the conclusion of CA-1 year, residents will have completed their first anesthesia rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, cardiothoracic, critical care, regional, transplant, chronic pain, and neuroanesthesia. This allows our residents to identify their subspecialty interests early enough to prepare applications for fellowship training, and often complete additional rotations in their area of interest before fellowship interviews. Our CA-2 and CA-3 years are spent further refining skills at the main hospital and our affiliated clinical sites, including Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Kansas City VA.

We offer a robust academic curriculum, including weekly lectures on diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS - Mondays), case conference and quality improvement (Tuesdays), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE - Wednesdays), pertinent board review topics (Keywords, Mock Oral Boards - Thursdays), and class-specific lectures (Fridays), as well as monthly protected didactic half-days. Our residents are consistently competitive candidates for jobs and fellowship programs and enter their careers and post-graduate training well-prepared to serve as perioperative consultants in anesthesiology.

Our department strongly encourages residents to seek out their individual academic interests. Elective rotations pursued by previous residents have included: Global Health experiences in Ghana, Peru, and Guatemala; serving as a Policy Research Scholar with the American Society of Anesthesiologists; participating in funded clinical or bench research; and participating on national committees with the ASA and the ACGME. We also have a broad array of options for elective experience including our ambulatory surgery centers (Indian Creek and KU MedWest). In addition, we provide strong institutional support for resident scholarly activity, including presentations at several academic conferences throughout the year and peer-reviewed scientific journal publications.

Kansas City is consistently ranked as one of the best and most livable metropolitan areas in the United States. The city offers exceptional dining, world-class professional and collegiate sports, and a variety of arts and entertainment options — all with an incomparable cost of living. With top-notch school systems, we are routinely ranked as one of the top 5 cities to start and raise a family. We boast a tight-knit residency program that loves to spend time together outside of work and enjoy all that Kansas City has to offer. Throughout the year, our residents get together outside of work for a program-sponsored social event, however we often end up spending much more time together than just that! Please check out the rest of our website and our social media to learn more about the fun activities our residents have recently enjoyed together.

Choosing the right residency program for you is an important decision, and we are excited to show you the incredible training and community that KU has to offer! Please feel free to contact us directly at aneschiefskc@kumc.edu with any questions.

Sincerely,

Aquib Jamil, M.D. & Matt Castinado, M.D.