Educational Courses & Conferences

The Vanderbilt Department of Anesthesiology provides a full calendar of educational opportunities for anesthesiologists and other medical professionals.To access the Anesthesiology Events Calendar and view all upcoming lectures, click here.

Continuing Medical Education
The Continuing Medical Education program offered through the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine strives to enhance professional development and clinical practice so participants are able to improve their knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and clinical outcomes for their patients.The incorporation of new knowledge, from research through delivery of care, will continue to improve the quality of medical practice and patient management worldwide.

Visit Vanderbilt University Medical Centers CME website to learn more about the learning opportunities available throughout the Medical Centers many departments.

CME courses offered by the Vanderbilt Department of Anesthesiology include airway workshops, FCCS, Grand Rounds, Morbidity, Mortality & Improvement (MMI), regional workshops, resident lectures, TEE workshops and others, as scheduled. See menu at left for additional details on specific courses.

Medical education offerings of the Department of Anesthesiology include:

For Medical Students:

• Critical Care Skills Week: week-long workshop conducted quarterly for third-year medical students to prepare them to recognize and manage critical problems encountered in clinical practice. This training includes hands-on education using simulation skill stations at Vanderbilt University Medical Schools Center for Experiential Learning and Assessment (CELA). Critical Care Skills Week also includes lectures by departmental faculty.
• Medical Student Conferences: daily discussions lead by faculty members on selected topics for third- and fourth-year medical students assigned to anesthesiology clerkships.

• Boot Camp: workshops held during orientation, as well as periodically throughout the year, focusing on developing specialized skill sets essential to anesthesia and perioperative care.
• Intern Conferences: Introduction to Anesthesia Seminars, Matrix Seminars, practice-improvement discussions, organized using the Healthcare Matrix, and Basics of Anesthesia lectures.

For Residents:

• ABA Basic Conference: daily conferences for CA-1 residents on fundamental concepts and principles of anesthesiology.
• Subspecialty Conferences: conferences coordinated by individual divisions of the department, including Pediatric, Obstetric, Cardiothoracic, Critical Care and Multispecialty Anesthesia.
• Advanced ABA Conference: seminar series for senior residents focused on problem-based learning and preparation for Oral Exams.
• Professional Development Conferences: resident conferences focused on elements of subspecialty selection, career paths, and business practices related to perioperative anesthesia.

For All:

• Journal Clubs: informal meetings in which current medical articles pertaining to the specialty are summarized and reviewed. Journal Clubs are held by specific divisions of the department, including Multispecialty, Pediatric, Cardiothoracic, Critical Care and Pain Medicine.
• Academic Development Conferences: for fellows, residents and faculty on topics related to educational theory and practical aspects of classroom and clinical teaching, mentorship, etc.
• Grand Rounds: formal lectures held on Friday mornings featuring recognized experts in the field of anesthesiology, perioperative medicine or pain medicine.
• Mortality & Morbidity Conferences: monthly conferences focused on case studies with the goal of improving future patient care. Each quarter, Perioperative M,M &I Conferences also include surgical specialties and nursing services to better facilitate the exploration of cases and the exchange of ideas.

Special Courses & Workshops

• Fundamentals of Critical Care Support (FCCS): a multidisciplinary, two-day comprehensive course addressing fundamental management principles for the first 24 hours of critical care. This course is held at CELA and sponsored by the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The course is directed by members of the Anesthesiology Departments Critical Care Division and includes instructors from multiple specialties at Vanderbilt University Medical School.