From the Chief Residents:

Anesthesia is one of the most demanding specialties of medicine. Indeed, its practice requires an extensive knowledge base and great dexterity. When you complete your residency you should be prepared to act as a consultant regarding almost every aspect of the patient's care. Where you receive your training will have a tremendous impact on how you achieve this goal. The Department of Anesthesia at UCSD has been especially successful in training such consultants. Our graduates are highly sought after nationwide because they graduate ready to practice independently without additional on the job training or supervision. Our anesthesia education starts as intense one-on-one training with senior residents and faculty and progresses rapidly to foster autonomy in patient care. Early on, residents are entrusted with the awesome responsibility of independent patient care. We believe we are fairly unique in this regard. Graduates who return for a visit say that this is the single most important aspect of our program that prepared them to practice.

Our department is moderate in size with approximately thirty-six residents. Many of our faculty are internationally renowned and are great didactic resources. There is a collegial atmosphere amongst us in which faculty and residents are known by their first name. Residents and faculty alike get together frequently outside of work for social occasions, journal clubs, and visiting professor lectures. While the department is dedicated to training great anesthesiologists, there is also a strong emphasis on giving residents enough time off to live a well-rounded lifestyle with two guaranteed weekends off each month and always days off after call.

San Diego is a wonderful city in which to live. The weather is usually a perfect sunny and seventy making it ideal for hitting the beach, surfing, mountain biking, running or whatever outdoor activity you enjoy. There is an exciting downtown music and restaurant scene as well as quiet beach communities. Mexico is only a few miles south, and there is an endless supply of exciting day trips around the Southern California area.

The University of California at San Diego provides a great place to learn the practice of anesthesia, both in terms of education and quality of life. We hope you will come for a visit and wish you luck making what will prove to be a most important decision.