Anesthesiology Residency
Overview of the Program
The Anesthesiology Residency Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School cultivates, trains, and mentors anesthesiology residents to achieve success in both their professional and personal lives. Residents are exposed to diverse cases and graduate from the program with a tremendous clinical experience that prepares them to be expert consultants in anesthesiology.
The program has a long track record of high-quality didactic education with protected time each week for the residents and a successful board pass rate. Most importantly, the department has a strong record of sub-specialty fellowship placement and successful job placement in top practices locally and around the country. Our program also hosts 5 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved fellowship training positions in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology and interventional pain management.
Throughout our 20 years, we have successfully recruited talented faculty with diverse interests and attracted superb residents. Our residency program was awarded ongoing full accreditation for an additional 4-year term beginning in 2011.
Curriculum / Clinical Training
Intern - Postgraduate Year (PGY1) is the Transitional Year and includes American Board of Anesthesiology Requirements.
Clinical Anesthesia (CA)1 Rotations includes the Introduction to Anesthesiology. The first two months are dedicated to a robust clinical and didactic orientation program. Residents begin clinical training where they are paired with either a one-on-one attending or a senior resident. Each day ends with formal didactics to emphasize and reinforce fundamental academic topics. You will continue to solidify your foundations while gaining autonomy after this month. Residents do not take any calls during this time.
The rest of the year consists of 11, four-week rotations. Rotations includes cardiac anesthesia, vascular anesthesia, pain medicine, surgical ICU, post anesthesia care unit(PACU) and ambulatory preoperative evaluation clinic (PAT).
A typical rotation schedule is outlined below:
Intern PGY1 |
CA1 Rotations |
CA2 Rotations |
CA3 Rotations |
|---|---|---|---|
| SICU (8 weeks) | Introduction to anesthesiology months (8 weeks | Cardiac anesthesia (4-8 weeks) | Regional anesthesia (4 weeks) |
| Emergency Medicine (4 weeks) | General Anesthesiology (24 weeks) | Pediatric anesthesia (4 weeks) | Pediatric anesthesia (4 weeks) |
| Internal Medicine (12 weeks) | Pain Medicine (4 weeks) | Neuro anesthesia (4 weeks) | Pain Medicine (4 weeks) |
| General Anesthesiology (4 weeks) | Cardiac (0-4 weeks) | Vascular anesthesia (4 weeks) | Neuro anesthesia (4 weeks) |
| Pediatrics (4 weeks) | Obstetric anesthesia (0-4 weeks) | Thoracic anesthesia (0-4 weeks) | Thoracic anesthesia (4 weeks) |
| Cardiology (4 weeks) | Perioperative Medicine/Pre-op Evaluation Clinic (4 weeks) | ENT anesthesia (2 weeks) | Obstetrics anesthesia (4-6 weeks) |
| Pulmonology (4 weeks) | Vacation (4 weeks) | PACU (2 weeks) | Night Float (3pm – 9pm) |
| ENT (4 weeks) | Vacation (4 weeks) | PACU (2 weeks) | |
| Elective (4 weeks) | Elective (2 weeks) | ||
| Vacation (4 weeks) | Vacation (4 weeks) |
Resident Advocacy
TBD - NJSSA Resident Delegate – Executive Committee
ASA Resident Delegate - State of N.J.
Our resident representative for the New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists (NJSSA) is pending announcement. NJSSA represents and supports NJ anesthesiologists both on the local and national level. One of his main initiatives as your representative is our commitment to supporting NJ’s anesthesiology residents and fellows during your training and beyond.
- Anirudh (Rishi) Gorti, MD (CA3) - Representative: Graduate Medical Education
- Luke Karl, MD (CA2) - Representative: Graduate Medical Education
- Peter Nelson, MD (CA1) - Representative: Graduate Medical Education
- Kevaughn Henry, MD (Intern-PGY1) - Representative: Graduate Medical Education
- TBD - Delegate: Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR)
The Committee of Interns and Residents represents the residents under Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, along with other residency programs across the nation. They play a crucial role in negotiating our residency contracts and assuring the residents' best interest is represented. Examples include call meal allowances, compensation days/extra pay for holidays worked, reimbursement for conferences/books/etc
In Our Own Words
-
Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ! We are thrilled about your interest in a career in anesthesiology and appreciate that you are taking the time to learn more about our program.
Our mission is to cultivate, train, and mentor our anesthesiology residents to achieve success in both their professional and personal lives. Residents are exposed to diverse cases and graduate from the program with a tremendous clinical experience that we feel truly prepares them to be expert consultants in anesthesiology.
The residency program is transitioning from an advanced match program to a categorical program with twelve (12) positions. In 2022 we will match 4 categorical positions and 8 advanced positions. By 2024 we will match only categorical residents with twelve per class.
All resident rotations are located at one location, reducing the need to learn multiple systems in a short period of time. The main hospital is Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where all four years are based. All pediatric rotations are located at Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital which is directly attached to the main hospital and staffed by our faculty. The Plum Street Surgical Center is located across the street and staffed by our faculty as well.
The program has a long track record of high-quality didactic education with protected time each week for the residents and a successful board pass rate. Most importantly, the department has a strong record of sub-specialty fellowship placement and successful job placement in top practices locally and around the country. Our program also hosts 5 ACGME-approved fellowship training positions in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology and interventional pain management.
The faculty members in our program have a strong sense of commitment to the education and mentorship of our residents. We believe in helping each resident grow to achieve his or her life goals. At Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School we strive to be a warm, friendly, and non-intimidating environment in which to train. Best of luck with your journey. We hope to see you soon!Benjamin Landgraf, MD
Residency Program Director
Assistant Professor of Anesthesia
landgrbr@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Phone: 732-235-6631
Fax: 732-235-5100 -
Dear Applicants,
Welcome to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Anesthesiology Residency Program!
As the 2023-2024 Chief Residents, we greatly appreciate your interest in our program and are excited to give you a glimpse into our world. In short, this is a wonderful place to train, developing residents that become well-rounded, clinically adept physician consultants of anesthesiology. Under the leadership of Dr. Mellender as our program director, our residency continues to evolve with weekly resident didactics and the incorporation of a state-of-the-art simulation center into our training.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is a Level-1 trauma center located in New Brunswick, NJ. Residents spend their entire training at the 800-plus-bed University Hospital, which also includes The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Providing care to a diverse population, our residents are exposed to a wide array of high-acuity cases, while attending to multiple critical care needs and performing various subspecialty procedures. With our state-of-the-art operating rooms and cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, and trauma intensive care units, we are a leading referral center for the most demanding cases in New Jersey. All of these rich clinical experiences will help you develop and hone skills that will ultimately serve you exceptionally well for the rest of your career.
Moreover, not just our tremendous pride in our clinical training, we also value a balanced life. Our 55-65 hour work week (on average) gives us adequate time outside of the hospital to pursue personal interests and enjoy life away from training. We are conveniently located within driving distance from both New York City and Philadelphia, and the Central New Jersey area is a safe, affordable, and developing community suitable for any lifestyle. Finally, as a testament to our program, many of our graduates decide to stay here for fellowship and/or join our faculty, infusing a department full of experience and knowledge with energy and innovation.
Thank you for your interest in our program. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any of your questions. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to meeting you!
Best regards,
Shalonda Cook, MD
Anirudh "Rishi" Gorti, MD
Steven Pope, MD
Current Residents
Benefits and Salary
Our residency and fellowship programs offer a uniform package of benefits consistent with those provided at all graduate medical educational programs operated by the medical school. Full details regarding benefits and salary are continuously updated by the Office of Graduate Medical Education.
Didactics
We are committed to helping our residents be as prepared as possible for their American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Basic and Advanced Examinations, along with the ABA Oral Examination. There is dedicated four-hour protected didactic time every week for all residents. The didactic program consists of individualized curricula for each training year as well as combined didactics.
Combined Didactics
Combined didactics occur weekly on Wednesday mornings from 6:30 am-8:30 am and include lectures and Grand Rounds consisting of either clinical case presentations, journal club, M&M or an invited outside speaker.
CA-1 Lecture Series
The CA-1 lecture series focuses on preparation for the new ABA Basic Exam that follows the CA-1 year. This lecture series is a weekly lecture on Wednesday mornings from 9-11 am. Every CA-1 is relieved from all clinical duties to attend these lectures.
CA-2 and CA-3 Lecture Series
The CA-2/3 lecture series focuses on advanced topics and takes a more in-depth approach to both fundamental physiology and pharmacology, along with the subspecialties of anesthesia. This lectures series is designed to provide a foundation for the ABA advanced written board examination. Lectures occur weekly on Wednesdays from 11-1 pm (CA-2s) and 1-3 pm (CA-3s) just as the CA-1 lecture series, all CA-2/3 residents are relieved from clinical duties.
Research
We encourage students, residents and fellows to engage in academic and scholarly activities. We consider participation in scholarly activities to be an essential component of education and resident development.
Most of our residents present at least one local or national annual conferences or meetings. Residents who participate in scientific presentations at local or national anesthesiology meetings or conferences get expenses reimbursed by the department.
Contact Us
Dr. Benjamin Landgraf
Residency Program Director
Assistant Professor
Phone: 732-235-6631
Fax: 732-235-5100
Email: landgrbr@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Doreen M. Stillwell
Residency/Fellowship Program Supervisor
Phone: 732-235-6631
Fax: 732-235-5100
Email: doreen.stillwell@rutgers.edu
Martha Caldera
Residency Program Assistant
Phone: 732-235-6153
Fax: 732-235-6131
Email: caldermv@rwjms.rutgers.edu
