The veterinary anesthesiology residency at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center (VHC) conforms to the standard three-year training program of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA). The residency is focused on developing clinical and technical expertise in all aspects of veterinary anesthesiology in a variety of species with diverse medical conditions. The VHC includes small animal, equine and food animal clinics that provide a sufficient anesthesia caseload to allow meeting the core caseload requirements for certification set by the ACVAA. Experience in the anesthesia of species designated as ‘other’ by the ACVAA, including birds, reptiles, fish, small mammals and other non-domestic animals will be met by a combination of time spent within and outside the VHC. The program is supported by three board-certified veterinary anesthesiologists. Veterinary technician support of the anesthesia section includes eight dedicated small animal technicians and one equine technician.
The bulk of the resident’s time will be spent participating in the direct management of anesthetized patients under the guidance and supervision of a board-certified anesthesiologist. Anesthesia faculty, house officers and technicians share after-hours emergency duty. Residents will be directly supervised during after-hours cases by anesthesia faculty for a minimum of six months depending on the rate of development of the resident. To minimize emergency response time when on call, residents are expected to obtain housing within a 30-minute radius of the VHC. During the final six months of residency, the resident will have the opportunity to serve as point person for the anesthesia section to gain experience in management of an anesthesia service.
The resident is expected to attend weekly didactic conferences with anesthesia faculty focused on the basic and applied aspects of veterinary anesthesiology including in-depth study of pharmacology, cardiopulmonary physiology and anesthetic equipment. Opportunities to participate in hospital-wide morbidity/mortality rounds, journal clubs and topic rounds with other disciplines are also available as scheduling permits. Residents will participate in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery house officer seminar series by attendance at weekly seminars and presentation of one seminar per year. Pursuit of a graduate degree (MS or PhD) is not mandatory but will be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the resident’s overall goals and qualifications. Regardless, each resident is expected to complete one research project and generate one peer-reviewed publication to satisfy the credentialing requirements of the ACVAA.
Our anesthesia service is a family. We support one another both inside and outside the clinic walls. We treat our residents as we would like to be treated. Days and weeks can be long. Life happens; we all get sick, have car trouble, etc. While we are interested in academically qualified candidates, we are also focused on bringing in residents who will integrate well into our team. However, the residency program is rigorous and our residents leave well-prepared for specialty work in anesthesiology.
Further information may be obtained by contacting the anesthesia residency program leader Alex Bukoski PhD, DVM, DACVAA at bukoskia@missouri.edu.