After completing the Transitional Year Residency (PGY-1) curriculum, our residents complete three years of clinical anesthesia training (CA-1 to CA-3 or PGY-2 to PGY-4). Our clinical anesthesia curriculum covers basic, advanced, and subspecialty anesthesia, as well as opportunities to participate in research. Rotations vary in length between one and three months.

Our off-campus rotation sites include Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Banner University Medical Center, Banner Desert Medical Center, and Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.

Opportunities for electives include a trauma anesthesia at Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland, general anesthesia at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, neuroanesthesia at Barrow Neurological Institute.

Additionally, rotations may be arranged at Mayo Clinic’s campuses in Rochester, Minnesota or Jacksonville, Florida. Mayo Clinic helps cover the costs of travel, housing, auto rental, and licensure fees. Rotations include pediatrics at Nemours Children's Health in Jacksonville and critical care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

See an example block schedule for all residents CA-1 through CA-3.

CA-1 and CA-2 years

The first and second years of clinical anesthesia training (CA-1 and CA-2) consist of clinical rotations in all basic and subspecialty areas with increasing levels of responsibility as you gain experience. Although most rotations occur at the Mayo Clinic hospital, our program collaborates with large local private practice groups to facilitate subspecialty anesthesia education in a private practice setting.

CA-3 year

The first month of the CA-3 year is spent supervising and mentoring the new CA-1 anesthesia residents in the general operating room. CA-3 residents are involved in orientation, basic anesthesia instruction, and supervision of routine anesthetic cases. This opportunity allows you to advance your own teaching skills, increase your responsibility in the operating room, and prepare you for independent practice. At all times, you have direct supervision by a faculty member.

The CA-3 year curriculum consists of rotations in a variety of subspecialty areas. During this training, which is distinctly different from the CA-2 subspecialty experience, you will participate in the care of the most seriously ill patients and the most challenging procedures in an increasingly independent manner.

As a resident, you will plan your CA-3 year with help from your advisers based on your interests, needs, and future career goals. Final approval of rotations is made by the program director to ensure all requirements for completion of the Anesthesiology Residency have been met.

CA-3 research track

Research opportunities at Mayo Clinic are outstanding. As a resident, you may dedicate up to six months to research during your anesthesia training, doing clinical or laboratory research, or both.

The goal of the research rotation is to provide you with exposure to graduate- and postgraduate-level research and include you in publication-quality research efforts. 

Call frequency

Residents are typically on call one weekend per month. General calls take place on Saturday and Sunday and are 12-hour in-house shifts (7a-7p or 7p-7a) with either Friday or Monday free of clinical obligations.

Cardiac calls are 24-hour weekday or weekend home call shifts (7a-7a) with a post-call day free of clinical obligations. Liver transplant calls are 12-hour weekday or weekend home call shifts (6:30a-5p or 5p-6:30a).

When rotating at other sites, residents do not take call at Mayo Clinic but will have calls 2-3 days per month at those sites in different subspecialties (obstetrics, pediatrics, trauma.)

The ICU service operates on a 12-hour shift schedule with 6 shifts per week on average, typically day shifts. Residents do not cover the ICU at night.

Example call schedule by CA year:

CA-1:

General OR call, 1 weekend call per month, on average

CA-2:

Cardiac call after completing cardiac rotation, 1-2 weekday home calls per month while at Mayo, 1-2 weekend calls per month either cardiac call (home call) or general call (in-house call)

CA-3:

Liver transplant call after completing liver transplant rotation, 1-3 home calls per month while at Mayo; 1 weekend home call per month either Liver or Cardiac call