Medical Student Anesthesiology Rotations

PCE (Core Clerkship Year)

As a required component of the Core Clerkship in Surgery, students spend one week on Anesthesia. During your rotation, you will work closely with faculty and resident preceptors to broaden your overall clinical experience and provide an introduction to the field of Anesthesiology. If you are interested in further exploring Anesthesiology as a career, or would like to further develop your clinical and technical skills, we welcome students to participate in the Anesthesia Perioperative Medicine Elective.

Core Elective in Perioperative Medicine

In addition to the required one week component, students may spend an additional two weeks on Anesthesia through the Perioperative Medicine elective. During your rotation you will explore perioperative medicine across the spectrum of care beginning with the preoperative evaluation in the Weiner Center through subspecialty services of your choosing, in and out of the operating room. Participate in caring for patients immediately postoperatively in the PACU, as well as those requiring more urgent care as part of the Code team. Deepen your understanding of acute and chronic pain management while joining the regional block team in the operating room, by following patients postoperatively on the Post-op Pain (POPS) Service and by visiting the Chronic Pain Clinic. We look forward to working with you to individualize your experience.

Post-PCE Phase/Fourth Year Elective

Anaesthesia in the Clinical Setting (AE501M.23 )

• During our one month Anesthesia elective, students will work closely with faculty and resident preceptors in the pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative management of patients. Students will spend the first week with a faculty mentor in their clinical area of expertise. During the remaining weeks, students are proactively assigned to Anesthesiology subspecialties according to their personal interests. These sub-specialties include cardiac, thoracic, vascular, orthopedic, plastic, neurosurgical and obstetrical anesthesiology, as well as the acute and chronic pain management services.
• In addition to having the opportunity to participate in hands on learning, the goal of this clerkship is to provide a more in depth exposure to the diverse field of Anesthesiology and further develop critical thinking and decision making skills. Rather than focus on technical skills alone, we strive to help students understand important clinical concepts applicable no matter what specialty they choose. Real time applied physiology and pharmacology will be emphasized. As the month progresses and in accordance with level of enthusiasm and ability, students can expect to be given limited responsibility in caring for patients. If students are interested in exploring Anesthesiology as a career, we will provide them with mentorship and career exploration opportunities. We look forward to having you rotate with us!
• All applications are processed through the Harvard Medical School Registrar’s Office. Detailed information can be found in the HMS course catalog (https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/office-registrar)

More Information

For more information about Medical Student Clerkships in our department, please contact:

Jennifer M. McSweeney, MD
Director of Medical Student Education
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Harvard Medical School