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Message from the Chief Residents

Dear prospective residents:

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the University of Cincinnati Anesthesiology Residency Program! We are excited for you to get to know us and why we love our program. 

Here at UC, we pride ourselves on our community and teamwork. In 2023, our program increased our residency cohort from eight to ten residents per class. Although our program continues to grow, the residents remain very close-knit. Residents and faculty share mutual respect and success as a common goal. Our attendings get to know us well and prioritize resident education. We have access to expertise in all subspecialties, with all fellowships offered at our institution.

Our camaraderie extends beyond the operating room – faculty, residents, and their families attend numerous social events all around the city.

Our well-rounded education and clinical experience equip residents to pursue a variety of clinical paths confidently. Over the past several years, our residents have successfully obtained fellowships in regional/acute pain medicine, chronic pain medicine, critical care, cardiothoracic anesthesiology, and pediatric anesthesiology. Graduates have also accepted a variety of private practice and academic positions nationwide. Of our 2024 graduates, all eight received either their top choice for fellowship or joined the practice of their choosing.

Interns spend time at both UC Medical Center and the VA (which is conveniently located across the street), rotating through and learning from other specialties including internal medicine, neurocritical care, otolaryngology, and emergency medicine. In addition to the wide exposure to multiple fields, one of the unique highlights of our PGY1 year is the number of rotations within our Anesthesiology department. In fact, five of the thirteen rotations are anesthesia rotations, including Inpatient Perioperative Service (FLEX), Preoperative Clinic (CPC), Chronic Pain, Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), Critical Care Anesthesia Team (CCAT), and two OR anesthesia-based rotations. We believe that the substantial time spent within our anesthesia department as an intern allows residents to develop the foundational skills to transition into their CA-1 year at a much earlier timeframe. Additionally, it allows interns to meet and develop relationships with our faculty and other residents, with whom they will work closely throughout their clinical anesthesia years. 

The CA-1 year is an introduction to general anesthesiology and multiple anesthesia subspecialties including obstetric anesthesia, neuroanesthesia, cardiothoracic anesthesia, regional/acute pain, chronic pain, and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Our CA-1s are introduced to complex and high acuity cases early on in their training. UCMC is home to one of the busiest transplant centers in the country, so our residents are involved in numerous orthotopic and living donor liver transplants by the end of their first year, and are well prepared to handle increasingly complex cases. Additionally, the CA-1 curriculum includes a general anesthesia rotation at our West Chester hospital, where surgeries tend to be less acute and faster paced. At West Chester, residents can expect to perform many neuraxial procedures and experience a high volume of cases.  

The CA-2 year includes two consecutive months at the nationally renowned Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, which serves as an introduction to pediatric anesthesia. As a CA-2, we spend several months completing regional anesthesia rotations, both on the acute pain service and in the outpatient setting. Overall, our residents often graduate with more than five to eight times the minimum ACGME graduation requirement for regional blocks. CA-2 residents also spend time on the following rotations throughout the year: surgical ICU (SICU), vascular anesthesia, cardiothoracic anesthesia , neuroanesthesia, obstetric anesthesia, chronic pain, and night float. Our CA-2 cardiothoracic experience is completed at Bethesda North Hospital, where we work with attendings from a local private practice group, Seven Hills Anesthesia. In addition, our CA-2 obstetrics rotation is completed at Good Samaritan Hospital, which has one of the highest annual delivery volumes in Ohio. These rotations have become a favorite amongst the residents, as they provide an early look into the private practice setting. 

The CA-3 year is designed as a year-long transition to life as an attending anesthesiologist. The curriculum provides three months of elective rotations that can include, but are not limited to TEE, POCUS, regional/acute pain, critical care, pediatric anesthesia, cardiac anesthesia, transplant anesthesia, AOD (board running), “pretending,” and global health. These are in addition to our core CA-3 rotations which include obstetric anesthesia, night float, preoperative clinic, CCAT, regional/acute pain, ambulatory surgery, “pretending” at West Chester Hospital, and pediatric anesthesia. Additionally, there are several opportunities to practice anesthesia abroad. Over the past several years, many residents and faculty have taken part in yearly trips to Belize, Tanzania, and Uganda. We have many faculty members who are passionate about global health, not only by providing anesthetic care but also by teaching outside of the United States; they are always willing to work with residents to establish new opportunities in other locations as well. 

One of the notable perks to our program is the availability of internal moonlighting. Residents can moonlight on CCAT immediately as a CA-1, in the main OR starting in January of CA-1 year, and on OB following the completion of two OB rotations. Many residents take advantage of this opportunity to supplement their income while gaining additional anesthesia experience. Our residency program allows ample time to enjoy life outside of work as Cincinnati is very desirable and affordable. There are many activities for both single residents and those with families. Due to our milder four seasons, we have both indoor and outdoor activities year-round. In fact, our residency beach volleyball team has been known to play outside well into November. From the Cincinnati Symphony to the Bengals, Cincinnati displays a vibrant culture of arts and music while also offering a robust sports scene. 

Residents can choose to live in either the Greater Cincinnati area or Northern Kentucky. One of the running jokes about our city is that no matter where you are currently located in the city, you can get to where you need to be in 15 minutes or less. Cincinnati has ample neighborhoods in which our residents reside. Some of the more popular neighborhoods in which residents live are Hyde Park, Oakley, Madisonville, Over-The-Rhine, Mt. Adams, Mt. Auburn and Mt. Lookout (all of which are less than a ten-minute drive into work!).

Here at UC, our anesthesia residency is highly regarded for our strong academic and clinical experience. At the completion of your four years, you will graduate as a competent, well-rounded anesthesiologist, a desirable perioperative consultant, strong fellowship candidate and an even better person! We are very proud of our residents, faculty and program.

Please feel free to schedule a visit or contact us with any questions. You can also follow us on Instagram (@cincyanesthesia). We look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Chris, Mel, and Christina (UC Anesthesiology Chief Residents)


Donna Benesch
Anesthesiology Residency Coordinator
Phone: 513-558-6356
Email: donna.benesch@uc.edu

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Department of Anesthesiology

Medical Sciences Building
Room 3502
231 Albert Sabin Way
PO Box 670531
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0531

Mail Location: 0531
Phone: 513-558-2402
Fax: 513-558-0995
Email: mcclanpa@ucmail.uc.edu