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 nestled 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. This means we have a very diverse set of experiences at each of our clinical sites.
After intern year you will begin your Clinical Anesthesiology 1 (CA-1) training at Ben Taub Hospital, one of two Level 1 trauma centers in 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, and where we have the opportunity to complete an extra cardiac elective as a CA-3.
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, CABG, liver transplants, and more! 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. Finally, we have the opportunity to rotate at the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center to not only provide care in the intensive care units but also as part of the Acute Pain service. On the acute pain service, we learn advanced regional techniques like thoracic epidurals, lumbar erector spinae catheters, and serratus anterior blocks as well as comprehensive opioid management. After the rigorous subspecialty training during CA-2 year, our CA-3s spend their time fine-tuning their skills and leadership skills as they prepare to become fellows and attendings.
Within this array of clinical sites, we also work with a diverse cohort of faculty who hail from all over the country, bringing along their training experiences from highly reputable institutions. Without a doubt, the heart and soul of our program lie in our faculty and residents. We are a tight-knit bunch, even across residency classes. CA-3 residents proudly take on the role of senior residents while on trauma calls and never shy away from teaching and making friends with junior residents. We are also never short on great places to have happy hours with Rice Village and Midtown nearby. Our large professional network, along with our reputation for producing highly skilled anesthesiologists, helps our residents match to top-notch fellowships and land great career opportunities after graduation.
While our clinical training is robust, we firmly believe in a strong foundation of knowledge. Protected time for lectures 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.
Outside of work, 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.
Once again, thank you for your interest 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!
Paul Bui, Molly Kudela, Sanjana Malviya
