Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship

About the Program

Welcome from the Fellowship Director

Dr. Martin Mueller

Thank you for your interest in the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at the University of Iowa!  The pediatric anesthesia team is delighted to work in the beautiful University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital and would be proud to participate in your training.

Our one year ACGME-accredited program will expose you to all aspects of Pediatric Anesthesiology.  Our goal is to provide fellows with an outstanding clinical education to become capable independent pediatric anesthesiologists who are ready to pursue careers in academic medicine or private practice.

Martin Mueller, M.D.
Clinical Associate Professor
Program Director, Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship

 

Clinical Experiences & Rotations

Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Rotations

PICU Dr. Haskell

Operating Rooms Pediatric Anesthesia

6 ½ months–the majority of the fellowship year consists of clinical anesthesia for general pediatric surgeries, pediatric cardiothoracic surgeries or cardiac catheterizations, pediatric neuroanesthesia surgeries, night call, or ambulatory pediatric cases in UI Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

2 weeks–during this required rotation, the fellow physician will focus on intensive care management of pediatric patients. 

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

2 weeks–fellow physician will focus on high acuity post-op neonates, with exposure to ventilation modes and umbilical cord lines.

Pediatric Pain Service & Regional Anesthesia

1 month 

Pediatric Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

2 weeks

Pediatric Sedation

1 week

Academic Project/Scholarly Activity and Meeting Time

3 weeks–fellow physician completes a QA/QI project, simulation project, and a scholarly project to be presented at the SPA (Society for Pediatric Anesthesia) meeting.

Elective

1 month–one week of international mission trip doing pediatric cases is possible.

Pediatric Independent Practice

1 month–fellow physician functions as the supervisor of a pediatric anesthesia team in UI Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Didactic Teaching Program

Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Didactics

The program schedules formal didactic presentations on Monday mornings from 7-7:45 am in conference room 42215 of UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. In addition to the traditional lecture format, didactic teaching includes Problem-Based Learning Discussions, Journal Club, and Workshops.

Anesthesia Grand Rounds

The Anesthesia Grand Rounds meets on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Tuesdays from 7-7:45 am. One of these Tuesday mornings will be devoted to the Mortality and Morbidity (M & M) meeting, a patient management conference where residents and fellows are expected to share teaching moments and difficult cases and to discuss complications with their peers to enhance the education of all clinical department members. M & M is moderated by a faculty member. The moderator selects the patient cases for discussion, which are presented by the resident or fellow primarily involved in the patient's care.

Journal Club

Pediatric Anesthesia Journal Clubs are held at locations outside of the hospital complex. Prior to the meetings, the journal articles to be discussed, names of the discussants, and location are published by e-mail and on the Department intranet calendar.

Simulator Program

This program is run by Clark Obr, M.D.  Simulation facilitates fellow learning by using a Peds anesthesia simulationcontrolled, but very realistic, learning environment.  Patient scenarios are manipulated so that fellows can work on specific skills, especially rare events, and crisis scenarios.  Fellows are scheduled to attend simulator sessions periodically throughout fellowship. 

Workshops & Courses

The Anesthesia Department and other Carver College of Medicine departments hold workshops and courses throughout the year, including:

  • Advanced Airway Symposium
  • Iowa Anesthesia Symposium
  • RASCI (Regional Anesthesia Study Center of Iowa)
  • Pain Medicine symposiums
  • Transplant Anesthesia
  • Ethics in Healthcare (Internal Medicine's Program in Bioethics and Humanities)

Program Accreditation & Board Certification

Program Accreditation

The pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Our last ACGME site visit was in November 2016 and our accreditation status is continued accreditation. The program is approved for two (2) fellow positions.

Information specific to program requirements for a pediatric anesthesia training program and milestones for fellow performance may be found at the ACGME’s Anesthesiology Review Committee (RC).

Board Certification

The ABA-American Board of Anesthesiology-certifies physicians in pediatric anesthesiology by administering the Pediatric Anesthesiology examination.

The pediatric anesthesiology discipline includes the evaluation, preparation and management of pediatric patients undergoing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in operative and critical care settings. In addition, this discipline also entails the evaluation and treatment of children with acute and chronic painful disorders.

Subspecialty certification is detailed in the ABA's BOI (Booklet of Information).

How to Apply

UI Children's Hospital

Qualifications

  1. Applicants must have completed a 4-year ACGME-approved anesthesia residency.
  2. Must be able to apply successfully for an Iowa state medical license.
  3. Board eligible or board certified in Anesthesia.

Application Process

  1. Applicants should submit their application through ERAS – ERAS for Fellowship Applicants. Applicants can begin applying to December cycle ACGME fellowship programs, which applies to Pediatric Anesthesia, beginning in November. Thru ERAS, you will submit your:
    • ERAS application
    • Curriculum vitae/resume
    • In place of a personal statement on the ERAS application, applicants should answer question #1 as well as any two (2) of the questions #2a-2d. Please identify the question you intend to answer at the top of each answer.

      Question 1:
      What particular personal qualifications and characteristics will allow you to become an effective consultant in pediatric anesthesiology, and why is it important to you to become a pediatric anesthesiologist?

      Question 2:
      Please choose two of the following questions to answer.
      2a. How will completion of a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship allow you to further your goals?
      2b. Describe what you consider to be your most significant contribution or achievement, including the impact you made.
      2c. Being a part of hospital leadership should be important to anesthesiologists. What role do you think you might take within the leadership structure of your future hospital?
      2d. Describe a challenging situation in your life or career and what you learned from it.
       
    • Letter of reference from Anesthesia residency program director
    • Two additional letters of reference from either pediatric anesthesia faculty, other anesthesia faculty, or the Anesthesia Chair.
    • USMLE Step 1, 2 and 3
    • Copy of ECFMG certificate (applies to international medical graduates only)
    • Medical school Dean’s letter (MSPE-medical school performance evaluation)
       
  2. Fellowship applicants must register with the NRMP starting in June. Match day occurs in mid-October, with the fellowship beginning the following July.
  3. Applicants should email their ABA Basic Exam report to the fellowship coordinator.
  4. Following review of a completed application and all supplemental documents, applicants may be offered an interview. Note: Due to COVID-19, all interviews will be conducted online.
  5. For additional information about the fellowship program, contact:

    Tammi Steffen, BS
    Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Coordinator
    Department of Anesthesia
    University of Iowa Health Care
    200 Hawkins Drive, 6-JCP
    Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1079
    1-319-356-7205
    tammi-steffen@uiowa.edu

The Department of Anesthesia at Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and UI Health Care shares the University of Iowa’s commitment to equal access and, consistent with its academic mission and standards, strives to achieve excellence through the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the Department of Anesthesia, we are mindful of all aspects of human difference and define diversity in the broadest sense to mean inclusion of all persons. This means we do a holistic review of applications, with particular interest in recruiting applicants who have shown grit and resilience in their path to medicine, as well as potential to lead anesthesiology in the future.

Fellowship Interviews

The Interview

To minimize health risks associated with travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in compliance with institutional, state, and national recommendations, we will conduct all interviews online only. We will not offer any in-person interviews or site visits during this cycle. The online-only interview requirement applies to all candidates, internal or external, so that we may provide an equitable experience to all applicants.

We plan to interview beginning in April and ending in June. Match Day for the Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship is typically in October for the following July 1 start.

Invitations to interview

Interview invitations from our program will be extended via ERAS. You will be able to see available times and dates and self-schedule your interview.

What should I expect on the interview day?

Your interview day will begin at 11 a.m. and end around 2 p.m. We plan to conduct interviews on the Zoom platform. The interview day includes an overview of the program and interviews with the program director, current fellows, and Pediatric Anesthesia faculty.

Our People

Pediatric Anesthesia Faculty