Anesthesia

The purpose of the Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally Trained Candidates is to offer advanced training in Pediatric Neuro-Anesthesiology to fully-trained anesthesiologists from abroad with an interest in advancing the practice of the specialty in their country of origin. The Program is 18 months in duration.

The terms of agreement between the International Fellow in Pediatric Neuro-Anesthesiology (trainee) and the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology (training program) are as follows:

• An eligible candidate for the Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally trained candidates is a Doctor of Medicine who has satisfactorily completed a post-graduate training program in General Anesthesiology.

• The position we offer the trainee is entitled the “Fellowship in Neuro-Anesthesia for Internationally Trained Candidates" (FNA). This position is NOT accredited by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), as ACGME guidelines do not permit certification of a non-US residency graduate.

• The program will be 18 months in duration. Training may be lengthened for up to six additional months following mutual agreement between the trainee and Program Director.

• The first 6 months of FNA will include rotations on the following services:

a. General OR

b. Neurosurgical Suite

c. Neuro-Monitoring Service

d. Neuro-Imaging Service

e. Acute Pain Service

f. Medical Intensive Care Unit

g. Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

h. Other rotations at the discretion of the Program Director. Potential clinical and research opportunities include working in our labs, emergency room, outpatient surgery (Liberty Township), Palliative Care, and dental clinics.

During Stage 1, the trainee will hone their English language skills, further expand their technical and non-technical medical skill set, become facile with our information technology, and develop a greater understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, including expectations of professionalism and work ethic. During this period, the trainee will work one-on-one with our teaching faculty in the OR, and will be supervised by our faculty in the ICU’s and Pain Service. During this period, no overnight call will be required. The trainee will participate in all Departmental educational activities, including Grand Rounds, Continuous Quality Improvement, Research Conference, Simulation sessions, and all Fellowship lectures. The clinical fellow will also participate in the Neuro-monitoring program, learning the theory and practice of intra-operative somatosensory and motor evoked potentials. The trainee will be formally evaluated in writing following each rotation during Stage 1 of the fellowship, and on a daily basis during time in the OR. Following their satisfactory performance during this phase of training, the candidate will begin the advanced training in pediatric Neuro-anesthesia. This advancement may be accelerated under special circumstances; conversely, promotion to advanced status may be delayed, or revoked, at the discretion of the Program Director, if performance is unsatisfactory. If the fellow is promoted to advanced status early, the entire training program will remain 18 months.

Stage 2 (Advanced Training in Neuro-Anesthesia (months 7-18) During the advanced training period, the candidate will further hone their expertise in pediatric anesthesia care, with a special emphasis on the broad range of procedures treating pathology of the central nervous system. This experience will include the following if the candidate is promoted to advanced status for at least 12 months. (If the candidate advances for a period less than 12 months these experiences will be pro-rated accordingly)

a. 4 one-week rotations in Neuro-monitoring

b. 2 one-week rotations in Neuro-anesthesiology

c. 2 one-week rotations in Neuro-imaging

d. two 2-week rotations in Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology

e. two 2-week rotations in Pediatric Pain

f. 5-10 reading days (non-clinical)

g. intermittent days at Liberty Campus out-patient facility and other clinical areas, including neurovascular interventional radiology

h. participation in our educational program, including all lectures, Continuous Quality Improvement, Simulation sessions, Grand Rounds, and all expected Fellowship presentations

i. Participants in the program will interact on a daily basis with our core fellows in Pediatric Anesthesiology. Learn more about our ACGME-accredited core Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology.

During the Neuro-anesthesia training program, the candidate will take approximately 4-5 weeks of “night float” call. This call responsibility lasts 6 nights, followed by a 4-day period without clinical duties. The program abides by all regulations, including duty hours, created by the ACGME. Upon completion of the Program it is our expectation that the candidate will return to their country of origin to practice medicine, with special emphasis on pediatric Neuro-Anesthesia.

This training position requires satisfactory passage of the USMLE Part 1, USMLE Part 2-CS, and USMLE Part 2-CK examinations, resulting in ECFMG certification. While the application to the program can occur prior to examination completion, the candidate is not eligible to begin the program until ECFMG certification is completed in its entirety.

• This fellowship position will require a “J-1” visa, sponsored by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The Office of Graduate Medical Education at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will assist the candidate with administrative logistics to obtain an appropriate visa.

• The trainee will be formally evaluated in writing following each rotation during the Provisional Fellowship. Following their satisfactory performance during this phase of training, the candidate will join the formal “Core” Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology.  This advancement may be accelerated under special circumstances; conversely, promotion to the “core” fellowship position may be delayed or revoked, at the discretion of the Program Director, if performance is unsatisfactory. If the FNA student is advanced from Provisional to Core status early, the entire training program will remain 18 months.

• During the Core Fellowship, the candidate will take approximately 4-5 weeks of “night float” call. This call responsibility lasts 6 nights, followed by a 4-day period without clinical duties. The FNA and Core Fellowships in Pediatric Anesthesiology abide by all regulations, including duty hours, created by the ACGME.

• Upon completion of the Program it is our expectation that the candidate will return to their country of origin to practice medicine, with special emphasis on Pediatric Anesthesiology.

• Or, if it is important to retain the possibility of such a reference after 3 years, funnel them through the Program Director, such as:
  No Letters of recommendation for the candidate to pursue U.S. employment or further U.S clinical training are permitted, except with the permission of the Program Director at least three years following successful program completion.

• In order to complete your application to the program, please submit the following documents:

a. The General Application

b. A current CV and a personal statement describing why you are interested in the International Program

c. Documentation to verify your graduation from Medical School

d. Documentation to verify the completion of your post-graduate training in General Anesthesiology

e. Documentation to support your ECFMG certification

f. Three letters of recommendation from your current institution. One letter should be from your Departmental Chair, describing the nature of the institutional interest in the program.

g. A professional color photo of yourself

h. It is strongly advised that candidates participate in the Visiting Professorship Program offered by the Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology prior to applying to the FNA Program. Admission to the International Program is unlikely without spending time at our institution.

The Department of Anesthesia’s Observership program is a 2-12 week program designed to introduce Anesthesiologists to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Department of Anesthesiology. Your program/Schedule is designed around the candidate’s interests. We ask potential International Fellows to participate in the Observership so that we can carefully assess the candidates, and so the candidates can carefully assess us. An Observership is fully funded by the observer.

For a full description of the program, email Stephanie Kent at stephanie.kent@cchmc.org

For additional information please contact:

Smokey Clay, MD
Director, Neuro-Anesthesia for International Trained Candidates
Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
3333 Burnet Avenue ML2001
Cincinnati, OH 45229
U.S.A.
Email: paul.samuels@cchmc.org
Coordinator: stephanie.kent@cchmc.org

The Chinese Pediatric Anesthesiology Research Fellowship program is a two-year program designed for Chinese anesthesiologists to train in research in the areas of neurobiology, pharmacometrics, clinical trials, or quality improvement. The program provides fellows with an opportunity to advance their research skills for the purpose of continuing this research upon return to their home institution. Education in research or quality improvement methodology is an integral component of the fellowship program. The faculty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital will provide an intensive research or quality improvement experience and continue the mentorship and collaboration upon return of the fellow to China. This fellowship aims to drive scientific discovery, improve safety and perioperative outcomes for children undergoing anesthesia and surgery in China.
Director: Dr. Junzheng Wu, Junzheng.Wu@cchmc.org

The department offers a 6 month and one-year program in pediatric neuroanesthesia and neurophysiological monitoring combining clinical training with research or quality improvement. Education in research methodology or quality improvement science and conduct of research study or quality improvement project is an integral component of the fellowship program. This fellowship will facilitate the certification in Neurophysiological Monitoring by the American Board of Neurophysiological Monitoring.
Director J. McAuliffe, MD., John.Mcauliffe@cchmc.org  

The department offers a one-year fellowship in pain management combining clinical training in both pediatric and adult pain medicine with an emphasis on the former. The program has a strong focus on chronic pain management of in-patients and out-patients. After completion of the fellowship, the anesthesiologist candidate will be eligible for certification in Pain Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Director A. Szabova, MD., Alexandra.Szabova@cchmc.org  

The department offers a one-year fellowship program in pediatric palliative care which involves the care of children with life threatening conditions and their families. Physicians who are board eligible in anesthesiology or pediatrics are welcome to apply. The clinical training includes exposure to children with pain, special needs, and other complex medical conditions in the in-patient and out-patient setting. After completion of the fellowship, the candidate will be eligible for certification in Palliative Care Medicine by the American Board of Anesthesiology or the American Board of Pediatrics, depending on their previous training.
Director N. Weidner, MD., Norbert.Weidner@cchmc.org  

This advanced 6-12 month program consists of formal training in quality improvement science and safety. The fellow will complete courses such as Intermediate Improvement Science Series offered at the James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Participants will conduct a quality improvement project with the assistance of our experienced quality-improvement faculty; the project will be presented at a national meeting and published in a peer-review journal. The quality improvement fellowship may be combined with a clinical fellowship can vary in length from 6-24 months.

The department offers a twelve-month advanced pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellowship to physicians who are board eligible/certified in anesthesiology. The fellowship is designed to provide clinical training, didactic instruction and clinical or basic science research in an effort to produce a trainee who is well prepared to begin a clinical and/or academic career in Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia.  Fellows will be exposed to a variety of procedures in children with congenital heart disease, including; open heart surgery, heart and lung transplantation, cardiac catheterization, electrophysiologic intervention, cardiac MRI and echocardiography sedation.  Cincinnati Children’s and the Heart Institute will provide the breadth and depth of experience to obtain this training while developing an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of congenital heart defects, gaining a broader insight into the management of these complex patients, as well as becoming proficient in arterial and central line placement.
Director: Jennifer Lam, DO, jennifer.lam@cchmc.org

In addition to the programs we offer for We also offer a unique program for the anesthesiologist who has already completed their residency training: “Pediatric Anesthesia for the Practicing Anesthesiologist”, also known as The PAPA Program. The PAPA Program is designed for the anesthesiologist in practice who desires additional experience in pediatric anesthesia care. Participants will augment their skills and experience in a one-week program combining one-on-one teaching with hands-on experience in our busy operating rooms. Clinical activities are highly customizable depending on the interest of the student. 
Director Paul J. Samuels, MD., Paul.Samuels@cchmc.org  

The Advanced Pediatric Anesthesia in Education fellowship is a 12-month GME-approved training program designed for the pediatric anesthesiologist with a strong interest in medical education. Applicants who have completed a core fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology are eligible to apply. Through collaboration with the University of Cincinnati College Of Education, advanced fellows will complete coursework towards the degree of Masters of Medical Education, learning vital skills for success in academic medicine. In addition, fellows will continue clinical expertise as part-time attendings in the busy Cincinnati Children’s Hospital operating rooms. The clinical experience also allows fellows to apply their developing educational skills through exposure to trainees such as anesthesiology residents, clinical fellows, and others.
Director Paul J. Samuels, MD., Paul.Samuels@cchmc.org