Didactic Program
Departmental morning lectures and conferences are held daily from 7:00 to
7:40 a.m. Friday morning case discussion conferences are approved by the AMA
to fulfill the requirement for continuing education units; these conferences
meet the criteria for Category 1 credit on an hour for hour basis. Below is
an outline of morning conferences.
Introductory Lecture Series:
The Introductory Lectures are designed specifically for the new residents to
provide basic information pertaining to anesthesia. The Introductory
Lectures are held Monday through Thursday during July, August, and September
in room R5-265 of the Academic Research Building. The Introductory Lecture
Series is repeated each summer for all residents and faculty, but focuses on
the needs of new residents.
Anesthesiology Lecture Schedule:
The Anesthesiology Lecture Schedules are made up of “lecture blocks”
addressing subspecialties of anesthesia such as: Cardiovascular, Ambulatory,
Neuroanesthesia, OB, Pain, Pediatrics, Intensive Care, Pharmacology, etc.
All of these subspecialty lecture blocks are incorporated into the lecture
schedules over a three-year course that repeats itself every three years.
This normal lecture schedule will resume in October beginning with the Pain
lecture block. Generally, five conferences are held each week from 7:00 to
7:40 a.m. The
lecture schedule for the current and coming months
is available on the web.
Problem Based Learning Sessions (PBLs):
PBLs are scheduled small group learning sessions occurring occasionally
throughout the year. There are six small groups consisting of approximately
10-15 residents. Various faculty members are assigned as moderators during
the course of the year, but resident groups and seminar room numbers remain
the same throughout the year. PBL exercises are designed to help residents
learn to use literature and computer resources for active learning about a
particular topic. Each member of the group has an assigned area to teach to
the remainder of the group. Assignments are made for the first PBL meeting
for each particular problem. Residents receive a handout a few days before
PBL exercises and are responsible for reading material and using references
provided in order to prepare. Reference packets are available for preview in
the Residents Library.
Residents Breakfast:
On the first and second Thursday of each month, breakfasts are held to
discuss new business and problem areas. Both breakfasts begin at 7:00 a.m.
in Room R5-265 ARB. The breakfast held on the first Thursday, listed as
“Chairman’s Conference,” is conducted by the Chairman and the Associate
Chairman for Education. The breakfast held on the second Thursday, listed as
“Residents Conference,” is conducted by the chief residents.
Resident Review Seminar:
These seminars are scheduled on many Thursdays during the year; and are run
by Dr. Mahla and other ABA Examiners. The conference topics are based on the
results of the American Board of Anesthesiology In-Training Examination.
Topics chosen for the seminar are based on those questions where our
department’s residents as a group scored poorly. A case will be developed
emphasizing teaching points relevant to these topics and a public Oral Board
style examination will be given. All residents are expected to participate
in these examinations. Not only will education about each of these topics
occur, but also, residents will be given the opportunity to see the
responses of actual board examiners to resident answers/answer styles,
strategies, etc. Residents will see what strategies/approaches to the oral
examination are effective and which ones lead to problems.
In addition, each resident will be expected to prepare up to three one-page
referenced study guides chosen from this same list of topics. These study
guides are collected and edited by the Associate Chairman for Education
assisted by a group of editors chosen from the residents. Residents
assisting in this project will satisfy their requirement for a senior
presentation. This collection of study guides will facilitate studying for
the next In-Training Examination.
Case Discussion Conference:
Case Discussion Conferences are held every Friday in Room 6120 of Shands at
7:00 a.m. Case Discussion is a forum of ideas and cases of significant
clinical teaching value. These are not lectures; questions and discussions
are encouraged and necessary in order for these conferences to be
effective. Case Discussions are moderated by various faculty members, and
residents are frequently asked to participate either by presenting cases or
presenting a brief review of literature relevant to the presented case.
Quality Assurance/Improvement Conference (QA/I):
On one designated Friday every other month, case discussion is directed
toward quality assurance issues. The conference is moderated by Dr. Jerry
Cohen. Quality and resource management issues summarizing our quality
assessment activities, opportunities and strategies for improving care, risk
management activities, and the impact of economic constraints on the quality
of care, are discussed at this conference.
Senior Presentations:
During the CA2 or CA3 year, each resident is required to present a formal
lecture on a topic of his choice. Once the resident selects a topic and
receives approval from the faculty member responsible for the lecture(s), he
must give a presentation, which may include PowerPoint, slides,
transparencies, and/or handouts. Senior Presentations are a requirement for
graduation. Alternatively, the resident may prepare for publication one of
the cases presented on a Friday morning. These articles become part of a
column in The Journal of Clinical Anesthesia called “Case Discussion
at the University of Florida.” The faculty members presenting the case with
the resident will help prepare the article. Either one of these publications
or a senior presentation will be required for graduation.
Attendance:
Accurate attendance records for all conferences are maintained. Conference
begins at 7:00 a.m.; please show courtesy by being prompt to morning
lecture. It is the responsibility of each faculty member to scan his I.D.
badge on the attendance computer on a daily basis. The time one “badges-in”
is logged. Credit for conference attendance will not be given if one
“badges-in” after 7:05 a.m. All faculty members should attend at
least 25 conferences per year. Attendance is considered as a criteria area
for the annual performance evaluation.
