Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship

The Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia provides one year of comprehensive training in providing anesthesia for neonates, infants and children undergoing the following: surgical procedures, diagnostic and therapeutic non-surgical procedures, acute and chronic pain management as well as an overview of intensive care issues for the pediatric patient. Each year 1-2 candidates are accepted into the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program at Tufts-NEMC.

Our ACGME-accredited 12-month fellowship qualifies successful graduates as Pediatric Anesthesiologists and fulfills the requirements of this and most other institutions for credentialing of anesthesiologists who provide anesthesia for neonatal and pediatric patients.  The period spent in the fellowship can be no less than 12 months, with no more than one interrupted period due to reasonable circumstances. Salary is monthly, based an an annual stipend. Vacation time of 20 working days and 5 CME days are included. Fellows typically begin in July.

Detailed information about our fellowship, credentialing requirements and the application process are delineated below:

Thank you once again for your interest in our fellowship program. Good luck!

Aman Kalra, MD

Director, Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Program

Department of Anesthesia

800 Washington Street, Box 298

Boston, MA 02111

All candidates for the Fellowship program must be currently enrolled in an ACGME-accredited core residency program, or be a recent graduate from such a program. They must be eligible for a Massachusetts Medical License.

An application for a fellowship position will be considered after the residency coordinator has received the following items: 

• Up to Date CV
• A Personal Statement is encouraged
• Three Letters of Recommendation from current peers
• Copies of USMLE Step 1 & 2 scores
• Copy of USMLE Step 3 score (if taken)
• Copies of most recent in-training exam scores

These materials should be sent to:

Latescha Ettienne

Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Program

Department of Anesthesia

Tufts Medical Center

800 Washington Street, Box 298

Boston, MA  02111

Phone:  617-636-9303

Fax:  617-636-8384

Email:  LEttienne@tuftsmedicalcenter.org

Fellowship Structure

•  10 months of intensive clinical anesthetic training that includes: surgical correction of congenital cardiac disease, major organ transplantation, neonatal surgical emergencies, acutely and severely pre-term infant, difficult airway management, outpatient and multiple off-site scenarios
• One month of acute and chronic pain management as well as perioperative pain management throughout the clinical year
• One month of intensive care unit training (NICU and PICU)

Goals and Objectives

The Clinical Fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia provides one year of comprehensive training in pediatric anesthesia and related diagnostic and therapeutic procedures involving infants and children.

This fellowship qualifies successful graduates as Specialists in Pediatric Anesthesia and fulfills the requirements of this and most other institutions for credentialing of anesthesiologists who provide anesthesia for the preterm infant, neonate, infant or child undergoing surgery.

Experience you will acquire through your fellowship training: 

• Complex pediatric surgical case scenarios, including all those listed above.
• You will be given training in the application of a variety of regional anesthetic techniques.
• Placement of invasive monitoring catheters and large bore intravenous access lines in both very young as well as older children.
• Teaching and supervision of junior residents.
• In-depth understanding of normal pediatric physiology; pathophysiology of congenital cardiac disease and many other conditions; the typical pathophysiology of the pre-term infant; and psychological/behavioral issues distinguishing neonates, infants, toddlers and school-age children.
• Opportunities to participate in ongoing clinical research.
• Techniques for appropriate non-threatening interactions with pediatric patients and their families.
• Anesthetic care of healthy neonates and infants for outpatient surgery.
• Anesthetic care of infants and children with complex congenital cardiac disease undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, both surgical and less invasive techniques.
• Separation from cardiopulmonary bypass.
• Anesthetic care of pediatric patients undergoing hepatic transplantation.
• Placement of invasive monitoring and securing IV access in small infants and neonates.
• Placement of epidural catheters at various anatomic levels in the pediatric patient.
• Administration of spinal anesthesia to infants.
• Administration of anesthesia to children in a variety of non-OR sites, including the MRI suite and cardiac catheterization lab.
• Introductory training in pediatric intensive care as well as acute and chronic pain management in children.
• Creation of a formal presentation to the residents and other clinical teaching opportunities.

Evaluation of Fellows

Each pediatric staff attending does a written quarterly evaluation. Characteristics evaluated include attitude, professionalism, knowledge base, technical skills, clinical judgment and systems awareness. The Fellowship director meets with each fellow quarterly to discuss these evaluations, provide feedback and hear concerns or questions of the fellow.

Perioperative feedback from attending staff is an on-going, continuous process.

Critique of formal presentations by each fellow is done by the staff. “360 degree” evaluations are used during the year to allow comments from other health care providers, patients and their families.