Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship
The Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at the University of Minnesota Department of Anesthesiology is an ACGME-accredited, one-year program offering one fellowship position annually. This intentionally small program provides individualized mentorship and comprehensive clinical training, preparing fellows to deliver safe, compassionate, and expert anesthetic care to newborns, infants, children, and adolescents across the full spectrum of pediatric surgical and procedural settings.
Fellows gain broad experience in routine and complex pediatric anesthesia, including newborn emergencies, congenital heart disease, solid organ transplantation, neurosurgery, craniofacial reconstruction, scoliosis repair, and procedures outside the operating room. Training emphasizes mastery of pediatric airway management, including difficult airways, developmental physiology and pharmacology, perioperative fluid and temperature management, mechanical ventilation strategies, and the anesthetic implications of congenital and acquired disease. Graduates are prepared to confidently manage critically ill children, major surgical interventions, and perioperative emergencies.
Procedural training includes advanced pediatric airway techniques, vascular access for resuscitation and invasive monitoring, caudal and lumbar epidural analgesia (with and without catheter), peripheral nerve blocks, and comprehensive perioperative pain management. Fellows develop expertise in caring for patients experiencing significant blood loss, hemodynamic instability, and organ dysfunction, as well as in the safe transport and coordination of care for critically ill children.
In alignment with the educational objectives of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the fellowship integrates clinical excellence with structured academic development across all core competencies. Equally important, fellows cultivate the communication skills and emotional intelligence necessary to care for children and support families during vulnerable moments. Upon completion of training, graduates are well prepared for careers in academic pediatric anesthesiology or high-level community pediatric practice.
As per new ACGME requirements, fellows must have successfully completed an ACGME accredited residency in anesthesiology or RCPSC/CFPC (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada/College of Family Physicians of Canada) accredited training in Canada. Applicants who have completed non-ACGME accredited anesthesiology residencies may be considered if they are eligible for "exceptionally qualified applicant" status.
Applications for the fellowship position should be made by applying through SFMatch.
Cognitive Training
Develop comprehensive mastery in the following:
- Preanesthetic assessment and preparation of the pediatric patient
- Pediatric and developmental anesthetic pharmacology
- Developmental anatomy and physiology pertinent to anesthesiology
- Interpretation of pediatric laboratory results
- Assessment and care of the normal pediatric airway
- Intraoperative temperature regulation and its maintenance
- Perioperative fluid therapy
- Implications of common diseases and surgical interventions in infants and children
- Postoperative pain care, its assessment and treatment
- Evaluation and care of common pediatric postanesthesia care unit issues
- Advanced life support for pediatric patients
Develop expertise and significant experience in the following:
- Congenital heart disease: evaluation and perioperative care
- Evaluation and care of the newborn, infant or child with a difficult pediatric airway
- Methodologies and goals of mechanical ventilator support
- Care of those encountering massive fluid and/or blood loss
- Pharmacological support of the circulation
- Considerations for anesthesia care during diagnostic/therapeutic procedures outside the operating room complex
- Anesthetic care of major pediatric surgical interventions:
- Newborn emergencies
- Solid organ transplantation
- Craniotomy
- Craniofacial reconstruction
- Scoliosis repair
- Understanding of chronic pain conditions and options for care
- Recognition and care of perioperative vital organ dysfunction
- Transport of critically ill pediatric patients
- Understanding of the psychological impact of serious medical conditions and surgery on pediatric patients and their families
Introductory familiarity with the following experiences:
- Pediatric critical care and emergency medicine
- Anesthetic evaluation and care for uncommon conditions or procedures with uncertain implications (e.g. care of newborns during the exit procedure)
- Appropriate consultation for other specialists
Psychomotor Training
Develop comprehensive mastery in the following:
- Care of the normal pediatric airway with and without tracheal intubation
- Vascular access for fluid and pharmacological therapy
- Common peripheral nerve blocks and TAP block
- Intraoperative placement of caudal and lumbar epidural nerve blocks with and without catheter
Develop significant experience in the following:
- Techniques for care of pediatric patients with a difficult airway
- Vascular access for invasive hemodynamic monitoring
- Nerve blocks for anesthesia care
Gain an introductory familiarity with the following:
- Airway care for one-lung ventilation
- Intraoperative thoracic epidural nerve block with catheter placement
- Nerve blocks for chronic pain care
Affective Training
Develop expertise in the following:
- The psychological response of the pediatric patient about to undergo anesthesia
- The psychological response of the adult(s) caring for the pediatric patient about to undergo anesthesia
- Methods to develop and demonstrate positive relationships among physicians, paraprofessional staff, pediatric patients and others caring for them.
Contact
Joss Thomas, MBBS, MHA, MPH
Fellowship Program Director
[email protected]
Meagan King, MD
Associate Program Director
[email protected]
Tammy Carpentier
Fellowships Program Administrator
[email protected]