Welcome to the Anesthesiology Residency Program at Baylor College of Medicine! We are excited that you have decided to explore our program and hope you’ll enjoy our perspectives on what we find special about our training and why we are proud to call Baylor home!
Baylor College of Medicine is situated in the heart of the Texas Medical Center – the largest medical center in the world. As anesthesiology residents at Baylor, our training spans seven clinical sites. As a result, our residents graduate well-versed in taking care of diverse patient populations.
After your intern year, you will begin your Clinical Anesthesiology 1 (CA-1) training at Ben Taub Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center and county hospital that serves Harris County. Here, we take care of diverse and complex patients who not only enhance our medical knowledge but also instill in us an appreciation of healthcare inequality and its impact on population health. Ben Taub Hospital is considered the home base of our department, and we return to this site multiple times during our training to complete rotations in general, trauma, cardiac, neurosurgical, regional, remote, and high-risk obstetrical anesthesiology. The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) is the second-largest veterans hospital in the nation with over 20 cutting-edge operating rooms and procedural suites. As CA-1s, we care for our nation’s heroes, many of whom require highly specialized anesthetic care due to advanced heart failure, COPD, and cirrhosis. The VAMC is also where, as CA-2s, you will have an opportunity to work in the chronic and interventional pain management clinic.
The CA-2 year revolves around the subspecialties and includes rotations at VAMC, Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, Texas Heart Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our CA-2 year encompasses both academic and private practice models. During our time at St. Luke’s Medical center, we are exposed to neuroanesthesia in a private practice setting. This allows us to focus on efficiency while getting great exposure to a wide variety of intracranial procedures. This a rare opportunity to provide anesthesia for awake craniotomies! At the historic Texas Heart Institute, founded by Dr. Denton Cooley, we learn the fundamentals of performing cardiothoracic and transplant surgery. Here you will see plenty of TAVRs, CABGs, liver transplants, and more and learn how to take care of these patients in the immediate postoperative period while on the ICU rotation there. Texas Children's Hospital is one of the leading children’s hospitals in the world. Here, we learn to provide anesthetic care for procedures ranging from children with single-ventricle physiology, neuromuscular scoliosis, and rare metabolic derangements to routine tonsillectomies and appendectomies. We also have a unique opportunity to take a pediatric regional anesthesia elective at Texas Children’s West Campus. Finally, we have the opportunity to rotate at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center to not only provide care in the surgical intensive care unit but also as part of the Acute Pain service. On the acute pain service, we learn advanced regional techniques like thoracic epidurals and lumbar erector spinae catheters as well as comprehensive opioid management for cancer patients. After the rigorous subspecialty training during CA-2 year, our CA-3s spend their time fine-tuning their specialty-specific skills and leadership skills as they prepare to become fellows and attendings. We are proud of our graduates who match into top-notch fellowships and land amazing jobs after leaving Baylor.
While our clinical training is robust, we firmly believe in a strong foundation of knowledge. Protected time for lectures and simulation training is provided to all residents during their CA-1 through CA-3 years. The value we put on education is reflected in our residents’ outstanding performance on board exams.
Without a doubt, the heart and soul of our program lie in our faculty and residents. We are a tight-knit bunch. CA-3 residents proudly take on the role of senior residents while on trauma calls and never shy away from teaching and looking out for the junior residents. We also have a house system that promotes residency social events and provides a framework for mentorship.
Outside of work, we are never short on great places to enjoy time with our family and friends. Houston is a fun and affordable place to live as a single person or as a family. It is the fourth-largest city and one of the most diverse and multicultural melting pots of America. If you love to eat, Houston is definitely for you! You can find delicious bites from any corner of the world. The Texas Medical Center is just minutes away from live music, museums, parks, farmer’s markets, zoos, and of course, bars and restaurants. There are always events to check out at the NRG Stadium or the Toyota Center (including the annual Houston Livestock & Rodeo). Houston has just about every major sports team you can think of! No matter where you come from, Houston has something for you, and we do not doubt that you will find many reasons why you would want to call it your new home too.
We are so happy you are interested in our program. If you have any questions at all, don’t be shy—feel free to reach out to us and we will be happy to help.
Hope that you will join us!
Andrew Jensen, Meesha Khatker and Jaime Garcia
