Medical Students

Introduction to Anesthesiology is a 2 week rotation designed to provide students with a solid foundation of the principles of anesthesiology. Students will have the opportunity to participate in the anesthetic care for an ample variety of surgical procedures and be exposed to a broad scope of anesthesia practices. The anesthesia rotation is a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the preoperative evaluation of patients presenting for surgery and to understand how their underlying clinical conditions impact the elaboration of an anesthetic management plan.

*This course is a prerequisite for ANES 7183 and ANES 7185, Anesthesiology Advanced Electives. 

ANES 7181

Anesthesiology Research is an individually formulated course with a University of Minnesota faculty member that will include on and off campus learning experiences in areas not covered by regular courses. This rotation focuses on advanced anesthesia structure with an emphasis in clinical and research practice and will provide an increased understanding of perioperative care of patients needing Anesthesia services.

ANES 7182

This 4-week advanced rotation is focused on the medical student who has completed ANES 7181 and is interested in pursuing a career in anesthesiology and/or desires additional anesthesia experience in managing medically complex patients undergoing medium to high-risk surgery. Students will have the opportunity to care for the aging veteran population. There will be an emphasis on managing patients with multiple co-morbid conditions undergoing cardiac and vascular surgery. Additionally, medical students will learn more advanced concepts during cases that include ENT, thoracic, and abdominal surgery. The medical student will develop skills including placing peripheral intravenous catheters, endotracheal intubation, arterial lines, and central lines. The medical student will develop a greater understanding of perioperative cardiovascular physiology/hemodynamics and pulmonary physiology, ventilator management and interpretation of data from multiple simultaneous monitors. They will function at the level of a sub-intern and will be given advanced responsibilities consistent with their level of knowledge and skill.

Training sites include the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical Center.

ANES 7185

This is a 4-week advanced elective that takes place in the Preoperative Anesthesia Clinic with the department of Anesthesiology faculty.  The goal of this elective is for medical students to gain experience evaluating medically complex patients and optimizing them prior to their procedures.

This elective is geared towards medical students planning to go into the primary care fields, surgery, or anesthesiology.  Primary care physicians routinely perform the preoperative history and physical examinations for patients’ procedures. They will gain a greater understanding of the anesthetic and procedural considerations that affect their patients. 

Medical students will work closely with the Preoperative Anesthesia Clinic faculty and anesthesiology residents. Initially, the medical student will shadow residents/faculty, then they will progress to see patients independently and present to staff pertinent history and physical, assessment, and plan of action. They will also assist in the coordination of the patient’s care which involves contacting primary care providers, surgical teams, and consultants

The medical student will have the opportunity to follow select medically complex patients from a patient-centered, longitudinal perspective including coordination of care; application of evidence based, best practice protocols and pathways; observation of the anesthetic care of the patient intraoperatively; observation of the recovery and rehabilitation of the patient post operatively; and finally return of the patient to his or her primary care physician. This is a unique, all encompassing view of a complex health care event not typically afforded trainees in traditional rotations.

ANES 7187

Pain is a common ailment that physicians across a range of specialties manage. Therefore, accurately diagnosing and effectively managing pain is an important skillset to acquire. Medical students will gain a greater depth of understanding of the complex mechanisms that contribute to pain and appreciate the multidisciplinary approach to pain medicine. Medical students will spend their two weeks in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. In the chronic pain clinic they will evaluate patients with faculty, fellows, and residents, and observe and participate in interventional pain procedures. In the inpatient setting, they will observe and participate in regional anesthesia procedures prior to surgical procedures, evaluate hospitalized patients with chronic pain or complex pain management concerns and round on patients on the inpatient pain management service.

ANES 7188

In the U.S., cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and many patients require surgical treatment for cardiovascular disease. Understanding the principles of diagnosis and management of complications in cardiac surgical patients is essential for students interested in pursuing a career in critical care regardless of avenue (surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine, and anesthesiology). The goal of the Cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) clerkship is to give students the opportunity to develop basic skills in evaluation and treatment of patients requiring cardiac surgery including management of patients requiring mechanical circulatory support such as ventricular assist devices (VAD's) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

ANES 7189

Introduction to Medical Device Innovation will provide a 4 week experience for fourth year medical students to immerse themselves in the world of medical device innovation. Students will have opportunities to visit industry and see first hand how medical devices are developed. Students will come to the course with their own ideas and gain experience with prototyping in our own Bakken medical devices center and will work with the Carlson School of Management to participate in the evaluation lab and perform a marketability assessment of their idea.

ANES 7601