Medical Students

The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center values the opportunity to offer an introduction to clinical anesthesiology during our elective medical student rotations. For more than fifty years, the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has been committed to the education and training of medical students and residents. Each month, medical students from around the country engage our staff, residents, and faculty in the science and art of the practice of anesthesiology. Our mission to provide excellent patient care, practice-enhancing research, and superior student and resident training has made our department one of the best anesthesiology departments in the country.

Most students elect to participate in our basic Anesthesia rotation. This four-week rotation is available to both UTSW and visiting medical students. In addition to working alongside our residents and faculty at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Clements University Hospital, medical students can expect a broad didactic series as well as low- and high-fidelity simulation sessions designed at the medical student level. The curriculum is designed for all medical students, not just those interested in pursuing anesthesiology as a career. Emphasis is placed on developing a basic understanding of anesthesia pharmacology, pre-operative consultation, and acute care in the perioperative setting. Simulation sessions focus on diagnosis and management of very basic hemodynamic and respiratory crises as well as team-based skills valuable for any physician. We are very enthusiastic about our multi-faceted curriculum in anesthesia for medical students.

Advanced rotations are available to students who have satisfied pre-requisite requirements in Acute Cardiovascular Anesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care as well as a Sub-Internship in Anesthesia. These rotations are usually reserved for UTSW students who have decided to pursue Anesthesiology as a career.

Offerings have recently expanded to include a 4-week elective rotation in pain management through our department.  This rotation is available to UTSW medical students interested in learning about acute and chronic pain syndromes and management.  The rotation consists of two 2-week blocks on the acute pain service and in the chronic pain clinic at Parkland Hospital.  We are excited to offer this curriculum to all of our UTSW students as it becomes a growing public health concern.  We believe this is an important rotation for any physician-to-be.

Med Student Simulation Session: 

• MS-1 Applied Physiology Clinical Correlate Simulation Lab: We have partnered with the physiology faculty at the UTSW medical school to establish a simulation-based clinical correlate curriculum for the first year physiology course
• MS-3 & 4 Clerkship in Anesthesia: Medical students are then re-introduced to the simulation lab as third and fourth year anesthesia clerkship rotators, where their knowledge base of physiology in the context of disease is expanded upon to build their foundation in critical care medicine. The clerkship curriculum allows for medical student simulation on a weekly basis throughout the academic year

If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact us.

Edward R. Johnson Outstanding Visiting Medical Student Award

Pepper Jenkins Outstanding Medical Student Award