Electives for Medical Students
 Jinny Hartman, M.D. |  Steven Andeweg, M.D. |
(Elective descriptions and contact information listed below)
In addition to anesthesiology resident education, another educational mission of the Department of Anesthesiology is the teaching of medical students. The students who come to us work alongside the residents and attending staff for elective rotations of two to six weeks, primarily in their fourth year of medical school. Due to our affiliation with Dartmouth Medical School most of the students are from DMS, although students come from other medical schools around the country as well.
The objective of the elective in anesthesiology is to provide students with an understanding of how medical knowledge plus modern anesthetic and perioperative care contribute to the outcome of patients undergoing surgery. Secondary objectives include teaching basic airway techniques, fluid management, invasive monitoring capabilities, and regional anesthesia. Additionally, we hope to identify those students who have an interest in pursuing anesthesiology as a career, and to intellectually stimulate other students who may eventually consider entering our medical specialty.
The medical students are assigned to work with an attending anesthesiologist each day. The students accompany their attending anesthesiologist and the anesthesiology resident in performing preoperative assessments of patients, and participate in the perioperative anesthetic care of the patients assigned to each anesthesia care team that day. The students receive one-on-one teaching from the attending anesthesiologists, as well as studying reading assignments. They also attend weekly Grand Rounds lectures that review interesting topics in anesthesiology and the latest research in the field, and attend case conferences that discuss interesting patient management situations. The students also are present at either daily or weekly lectures that are part of the didactic education the residents receive.
After they complete their elective rotation, a few students pursue a month-long sub-internship. The students not only receive more teaching and hands-on exposure to anesthetic management in addition to what they were taught in the elective rotation, but they also accompany the residents who are on call one night per week. Most of these students are ones who intend to pursue an anesthesiology residency, and have a heightened interest in learning about the specialty.
We hope all the medical students, whether or not they become anesthesiologists, come away with the appreciation of how we use our knowledge of human physiology and pharmacology to provide safe and compassionate care to the patients who are entrusted to us.
Anesthesiology #501
Description:
Clinical experience in the Operating Room, PACU, Labor & Delivery, and Pain Clinic providing exposure to all types of anesthetic practice. Students should expect significant hands on experience and anesthesia team member responsibility.
Goals/Objectives:
Gain an understanding of modern anesthetic involvement in and contribution to patient care, including pre-operative assessment and plan, intra-operative, and post operative care. Identify, support, and stimulate students with an interest in anesthesiology as a career.
For more information about this elective or to schedule a time please contact:
Cynthia.Loseby@Hitchcock.org
Anesthesiology #503- Critical Care Medicine
Description:
The Critical Care Service (CCS) is a multidisciplinary service made up of faculty and house officers from the Departments of Anesthesiology, Medicine, and Surgery. The medical student on the CCS will join the group to participate in the care of critically ill patients from all of the primary disciplines. The two week elective provides exposure to many aspects of this care. Opportunities to participate in life support maintenance and resuscitation efforts are common.
Goals/Objectives:
Introduction to critical care medicine as a multidisciplinary specialty. To provide a knowledge base for the evaluation and management of issues unique to critically ill patients. This includes techniques of invasive monitoring, hemodynamic and respiratory support, airway management, basic cardiovascular, pulmonary renal physiology and pharmacology, as well as exposure to ethical and cost/benefit issues of intensive care medicine.
For more information about this elective or to schedule a time please contact:
Terry.S.Johnson@hitchcock.org
Anesthesiology #504- Pain Medicine
Description:
A clinical and didactic exposure to all aspects of pain medicine in a tertiary care medical center; includes exposure to acute, chronic, and cancer pain in an adult population.
Goals/Objectives:
To acquaint the student with a multidisciplinary approach to pain management. The student will become familiar with the options for treatment of pain and gain instruction for the use opioids, NSAIDs, and other agents in the treatment of pain.
For more information about this elective or to schedule a time please contact:
Sarah.E.Duncan@hitchcock.org
Anesthesiology #505- Palliative Medicine
Description:
An intensive exposure to patients and their families when the goals of therapy are not curative. Attention is directed towards pain and symptom management, emotional, social, and spiritual issues. Exposure to hospice team meetings and home care is available if desired.
Goals/Objectives:
Learn to communicate bad news. Understand DNR orders and DPOA-HC elements. Learn to treat pain, nausea, delirium, constipation, and other distressing symptoms that often occur at the end of life. Understand how to elicit an emotional, social, and spiritual history and how to incorporate this information in to a plan of care.
For more information about this elective or to schedule a time please contact:
Kim.DeVillers@Hitchcock.org
Anesthesiology #410- Subintership in Anesthesiology
Description:
The student will work closely with members of the Anesthesiology faculty in a capacity paralleling that of an intern/CA-1. Exposure will encompass subspecialty areas of anesthesia, general areas of anesthesia, pain management, and ICU.
Goals/Objectives:
Teach crucial aspects of clinical physiology and pathophysiology. Common problems encountered include pulmonary disease, cardiac disease, renal disease, neurological disease, and issues within OB/Gynecology, Critical Care, and Pain Management.
Teach principles of clinical pharmacology, and familiarize students with commonly used inhalational agents, sedatives, narcotics, and local anesthetics.
Teach how to prepare patients for anesthesia, how to manage patients intra-op and post-op.
Teach principles and practical aspects of airway management (face mask, tracheal intubation, and laryngeal mask airway).
Teach techniques of general and regional anesthesia.
Teach various monitoring techniques both non-invasive (EKG, BP Pulse Oximetry) and invasive.
Expose students to invasive monitoring with hands on experience with arterial lines, CVPs and PA catheters.
Expose students to the management of critically ill patients (CPR, IV fluid resuscitation, and mechanical ventilation).
Expose student to the management of various pain syndromes.
For more information about this elective or to schedule a time please contact:
Cynthia.Loseby@Hitchcock.org
