Here at the University of Iowa, we are especially proud of our home base: “The Lounge”. Just above the main operating rooms, the anesthesia residents have a dedicated lounge space—complete with 1) a work area with 8 computers and a printer, 2) a full kitchenette and dining space, and 3) a chill zone with dozens of board games, multiple full-size couches, a large screen TV, and a few different gaming systems. This lounge is exclusively used by Anesthesia residents, requiring a passcode for entry that even the faculty anesthesiologists do not have. As such, the lounge is a safe space for residents to go during breaks and to hang out after work.

In the lounge, junior residents can ask other residents for advice on anesthetic management, and senior residents can tell stories on lessons learned over the years. It’s a place full of hilarious stories, vent sessions (as needed), and words of inspiration. At any point in time during the day, there is typically a handful of residents gathered around talking about how their cases are going, some fun music playing in the background, a couple of residents studying or working on projects in the corner, and occasionally a fiercely competitive board game stealing the attention of everyone else in the lounge! Even though we have fully equipped call rooms just across the hall, most of the residents on night float will choose to sleep in the lounge as a group instead (there’s plenty of room on all the couches and recliners!) … It’s like having a giant sleepover with friends!

During anesthesia residency, we are often working alone in the OR throughout the day without much interaction with our peers. At many institutions, anesthesia residents do not have a dedicated space and instead must utilize communal areas without the ability to discuss cases and learning topics freely. Here at Iowa, we are so grateful to have a space where we can hang out with each other and fully be ourselves. In a specialty that can sometimes feel isolated from your co-residents, it’s important to consider whether you need to have fun, stress-free interactions with your friends throughout the day to keep you going! Here at Iowa, we love our lounge because it’s the place where we can always find a listening ear, a captive audience, or words of encouragement.