Johns Hopkins Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine

Saying Hello and Goodbye in 2009

Every summer, the Johns Hopkins Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine bids an emotional farewell to its graduating residents and fellows at the annual Graduation Dinner. Then, without missing a beat, the entire department celebrates the arrival of the newest class of anesthesiology residents and fellows. It is a very busy yet wonderful time in the seasonal life of the Department. In a whirlwind, the newest residents are outfitted in green scrubs and working shoulder to shoulder with some of the giants in their future specialty. It is a time when the intense dedication of the faculty to the department’s teaching mission is unmistakable. It is the moment when the second and third year residents start exploring their new roles and responsibilities, and they realize that they are no longer the new kids on the block. Faculty volunteers typically take a two week rotation in the Operating Rooms with the residents each July. When asked about this time of the teaching year, one faculty member recently commented, "I just love it. It is one of the best experiences in the world to work with the new Hopkins residents."

The initial weeks of training are carefully choreographed by the Residency Director Deborah Schwengel, her support staff and the Chief Residents to provide the maximum amount of mission critical information to the new arrivals before they begin a series of rotational assignments known as “blocks”. All activities must occur within a very tight timeframe of just a few weeks, so not a minute can be wasted.

The big Hopkins campus can be overwhelming compared to the medical school campuses where some of the new residents have just spent their last four years. Luckily, their brief orientation period during their first weeks in the ACCM residency program affords the residents the rare luxury of checking out the sprawling campus and surrounding community. The residents travel around in smaller groups exploring the nooks and crannies of the mega campus as they work their work through a sizeable list of routine intake and human resources processing tasks, such as physical exams and completing information technology training courses. Director John Ulatowski welcomed his newest residents to the Dome. The head of the OR Pharmacy came to in-service the new arrivals on the pharmacy information system known as Pxyis. During the week, the Anesthesiology Information Systems manager also gave a presentation on the universe of Hopkins computer systems they would encounter.

The Clinical Associate 1 residents, known simply as CA1’s, will be treated to lunch by their new department for the next four weeks. Over time, the daily lunches have proven to be a popular venue for the rest of the clinical team including the other resident classes, CRNAs, fellows, faculty, and also Anesthesiology Director John Ulatowski to get to know their new colleagues outside the busy hum of the 56 operating rooms. Each resident is paired with an anesthesiology faculty member, who voluntarily serves as their personal mentor and guide through the new and sometimes daunting complexities of life in a major academic medical center.

On a recent Friday in June, the small 15th floor conference room was bursting at the seams with new residents, and the pace of speakers moving in and out of the room to orient the new arrivals was fierce. Over deli sandwiches and desserts, the bonds between members of the class were clearly forming quickly, as collegial ribbing and survival skill sharing was already evident in the small meeting space. This year, major changes to the residency program have been made to form “colleges” within the residency classes. The residents will gather on two days of each month for exclusively academic days.

Dr. Schwengel keeps quiet watch over the proceeding, counting heavily on her Chief Residents to start building a team. A graduate of Hopkins residency and pediatric anesthesia fellowship programs, she recounts with a smile a few of her own personal experiences with the Hopkins residency program before the implementation of the shortened 80 hour work week. “The 80 hour work week is much better,", she recalled.

2009 Departmental Awards

Every year the Department recognizes outstanding contributions to resident and student education. These individuals have been selected by their peers as having made consistant, selfless contributions to further the educational mission of the Department.

2009 K.P. Lim M.D. Resident Teacher of the Year Award
Haitham Al-Grain, M.D.

2009 Merel Harmel, M.D. Outstanding Resident Award
Justin Lockman, M.D.

2009 Robert T. Donham, M.D. Ph.D. Outstanding Teacher's Award
Vineesh Mathur, M.D.

2009 CA-3 Teacher of the Year Award for Outstanding
Intraoperative Teaching and Clinical Mentorship
Richard Elliott, M.D.

2009 CA-2 Teacher of the Year Award for Outstanding
Intraoperative Teaching and Clinical Mentorship
Vineesh Mathur, M.D.

2009 CA-1 Teacher of the Year Award for Outstanding
Intraoperative Teaching and Clinical Mentorship
Thai Nguyen, M.D.

2009 CA-2 Resident of the Year Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Patient Care and Citizenship
Ty Martindale, M.D.

2009 CA-1 Resident of the Year Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Patient Care and Citizenship
Wesley Liao, M.D.

2009 Sylvan Shane Award
Mark Young, M.D.


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