Regional Anesthesia at The George Washington University is a core rotation for CA-2 residents and is available for CA-3 residents as an elective. It consists of a 1-month block rotation in the main operating room at The George Washington University Hospital. The rotation covers all aspects of regional anesthesia with specific emphasis on peripheral nerve blocks techniques.
The goal of the CA-2/3 Regional Anesthesia rotation is to become proficient in performing basic and advanced peripheral nerve blocks. Specifically, the resident should be able to recognize procedures in which the patient may benefit from a regional technique and ultimately become proficient at performing them. By the end of the rotation, the resident should be familiar with pertinent anatomy specific to the various blocks. The resident should know commonly used local anesthetics and understand their pharmacology. The resident should be familiar with potential resulting complications from their application and be prepared for their appropriate treatment.
The resident is expected to create a plan for the management of the peripheral nerve block; understand neural physiology and anesthetic action; be familiar with adjuvant techniques that modify duration, speed of onset, and intensity of the nerve block; study the anatomy and motor and sensory innervations of major nerves amenable to regional anesthesia; understand the proper use of nerve stimulator, ultrasound and paresthesia techniques. The regional resident is responsible for communicating the plan for care to the OR anesthesia team to ensure flow and continuity of care.
