Ranked fourth overall by U.S. News and World Report, the University of Pennsylvania is the highest-ranked institution with an anesthesiology program. The department of anesthesia provides medical students with a selection of educational opportunities at different levels of their careers. Senior medical students can apply to the anesthesiology program, where courses and clinics are available to more thoroughly understand what it means to be an anesthesiologist. Accepted students are given an advisor who serves as their observer during clinic hours. Students in this program have access to on-site laboratories, pain clinic, operating rooms and other medical facilities to gain hands-on experience. The department also provides an internship and fellowship program for students who show great interest and skill in the field. Most students who are accepted to the program go on to clinical practice, but those interested in research are also welcome to apply.
University of Pennsylvania
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care
University of Pennsylvania Health System
3400 Spruce St.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-662-3719
uphs.upenn.edu/dripps
Columbia University provides a complete program geared to medical students interested in the field of anesthesiology. Columbia made U.S. News and Report's best colleges list at number eight, making it the second-highest-ranked institution with a program devoted to anesthesiology. In their first year of medical school, students start observing operating rooms and the real-world applications of anesthesiology. The second year is based largely in pharmacology, focusing on anesthetic drugs and issues with post-surgical and life-long pain management. The third year offers a one-week clerkship as part of its five-week surgical sub-specialty program. Lectures within this rotation focus on pharmacology, oxygen therapy and patient assessment. Fourth-year students spend the majority of their time in the OR, and the program includes three month-long electives. The first is an OR elective, where students spend time observing, practicing IV placement and airway protection. The remaining rotations include time with the pain management team and time in the intensive care unit. The ICU rotation is the most popular and provides students the opportunity to follow a critical patient and give input into care and procedures. All rotations are open to Columbia medical students and, space allowing, students from other institutions.
Columbia University
212 Hamilton Hall, Mail Code 2807
1130 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10027
212-854-2522
cumc.columbia.edu
Situated at the heart of the city, the University of Chicago provides students with a complete education in the anesthesiology sub-specialty. The school educates both medical and nursing students, graduating anesthesiologists in both fields. Medical students can choose a selection of degree-specific courses and electives, and the school provides internship and fellowship options. The location of the school gives medical students a diverse population of patients, allowing for a variety of cases and experiences. Lectures during classes and rotations will focus on pharmacology, pain management and anesthetic drugs. Students learn about pain management, IV placement and are graded by classmates on their bed-side manner during rotations.
University of Chicago
5801 South Ellis Ave.
Chicago, IL 60637-1546
773-702-1234
anesthesia.uchicago.edu