Our clinical anesthesia curriculum covers basic, advanced, and subspecialty anesthesia practice. Rotations vary in length between one and three months.

The majority of the rotations take place at the Mayo Clinic Campus in Phoenix. Rotations in pediatrics, obstetrics, and trauma anesthesiology take place at several high-acuity hospitals within driving distance from the main hospital. 

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

Our program also offers several elective rotations, including trauma anesthesia at the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland, general anesthesia at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center, and neuroanesthesia at the 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 year

The first month of the CA-1 year is boot camp, where each incoming resident is paired with a senior anesthesia resident. CA-1 residents have full ownership of their cases with the reassurance of having the senior resident in the room at all times. During this month, CA-1s are relieved from the OR in the afternoon to attend an introduction to anesthesiology didactic curriculum.

Following boot camp, CA-1 residents will be immersed in various subspecialties and provide anesthetics for routine surgical procedures as well as for complex robotic surgeries, multidisciplinary oncological resections, renal transplants, multilevel spine surgeries, and high-risk head and neck interventions. Furthermore, the orthopedic rotation provides extensive experience in performing neuraxial anesthesia, upper- and lower-extremity nerve blocks, and managing continuous nerve catheters.

During this year, residents will also spend one month each in non-OR anesthesia locations, in our multispecialty intensive care unit, and with our acute pain service managing pain consults.

CA-2 year

Late CA-1 and into the CA-2 year, residents will begin their anesthesia subspeciality training. Our cardiothoracic anesthesia rotation takes place at the Mayo Clinic hospital and residents will care for patients requiring cardiac surgery for a multitude of cardiac pathologies as well as heart transplants, lung transplants, and mechanical circulatory support device placements.

Our pediatric anesthesia rotation takes place at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, a comprehensive acute care pediatric hospital. We care for patients ranging from neonates to teenagers requiring surgical procedures across almost every specialty.

Our obstetric anesthesia rotation takes place at Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix. This is a high volume and high acuity obstetric service where we receive extensive training in neuraxial anesthesia and in the management of complex peripartum and post-partum patients.

We continue to rotate at Mayo Clinic during this year as well and are involved in thoracic and esophageal surgeries, endovascular and open vascular surgeries, and electrophysiology and structural heart procedures.

CA-3 year

During their CA-3 year, residents will round out their anesthesia training with rotations both at Mayo Clinic and at outside hospitals. There are opportunities to take elective rotations including shock trauma in Baltimore, Maryland, neuroanesthesiology at Barrow Neurological Institute, and cardiothoracic anesthesia at Banner University Medical Center to further explore subspeciality interest and fine tune skills for a desired job or fellowship.

Mayo Clinic in Arizona leads the nation in liver transplantation and the volume allows for a dedicated liver transplant rotation. CA-3s will have the opportunity to care for critically ill patients and apply the skills they have acquired throughout residency including invasive line placement, complex hemodynamic management, and TEE and TEG guided large volume blood product resuscitation.

During the CA-3 year, residents have the opportunity to supervise junior residents and nurse anesthetists.

This allows residents to refine teaching skills, learn to manage multiple rooms and patients, learn how to work in a care team model, and be well prepared for practice after residency. Residents will still have supervision by a faculty member at all times.

Residents will plan their CA-3 year with help from the program director based on 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 while on their Mayo Clinic rotations. General calls take place on Saturday and Sunday and are 12-hour in-house shifts (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) with either the preceding Friday of the following Monday free of clinical obligations. 

Residents will take cardiac and liver call upon completion of those rotations. Cardiac calls are nine-hour home call shifts (7 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and liver calls are 10.5-hour home call shifts (6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Saturday and Sunday, with either a Friday or Monday post-call day.  

When rotating at other sites, residents do not take call at Mayo Clinic but will have 2-3 days or calls per month at those sites. The call structure varies for each of these rotations.

The ICU service operates on a 12-hour shift schedule, averaging six shifts per week, typically day shifts.