Training Anesthesiology Residents to Care for the Traumatically Injured in the United States

Abstract

Training and education for trauma anesthesiology have been predicated on 2 primary pathways: learning through peripheral “complex, massive transfusion cases”—an assumption that is flawed due to the unique demands, skills, and knowledge of trauma anesthesiology—or learning through experiential education, which is also incomplete due to its unpredictable and variable exposure. Residents may receive training from senior physicians who may not maintain a trauma-focused continuing medical education. Further compounding the issue is the lack of fellowship-trained clinicians and standardized curricula. The American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) provides a section for trauma education in its Initial Certification in Anesthesiology Content Outline. However, many trauma-related topics also fall under other subspecialties, and the outline excludes “nontechnical” skills. This article focuses on the training of anesthesiology residents and proposes a tier-based approach to teaching the ABA outline by including lectures, simulation, problem-based learning discussions, and case-based discussions that are proctored in conducive environments by knowledgeable facilitators.