Welcome to the MUSC Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine Residency! Our Anesthesia Residency offiers an integrated 4-year training program (intern year and 3-year residency) that produces excellent anesthesiologist with extensive experience in every area of the speciality. Please take the time to read about our department and our program. Please contact us with any questions about elective rotations or residency applications and interviews.
Residency Information
General Department Information and Case Load
The Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at MUSC is a highly integrated, collaborative group of adult and pediatric anesthesiologists with all subspecialties represented. The department is comprised of 46 staff doctors, 37 residents in clinical anesthesia training and more than 50 nurse anesthetists, all of whom are committed to providing optimal care to adult and pediatric patients requiring anesthesia, acute/chronic pain management, and/or critical care management. Members of the department also conduct basic and clinical research, teach undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses, and lead CME programs.
Each year, MUSC anesthesiologists supervise almost 30,000 cases assisted by residents and nurse anesthetists. This large number of cases, integrated with ongoing research and education, results in our residents obtaining wide-ranging expertise in the anesthetic, pain, and critical care management of patients of all ages.
Department members are organized into subspecialty groups, each focusing on a segment of anesthesiology, including adult cardiothoracic, pediatric cardiothoracic, transplant, general pediatric, critical care, acute pain, and chronic pain services.
Education - Didactics, Simulation, In-house Workshops, and Mock Orals
Our educational program for the residency is based on a 18-month cycle with a different educational topic/focus each month (e.e. CT, trauma, neuro, etc). The design of this program is such that our residents receive didactic training in each of these 18 high-yield areas twice during their residency. This is in addition to the specific clinical and didactic training received while on each rotation. More specifics about the scheduled components of our educational system are outlined below. Of course, all of this occurs to facilitate learning during our clinical rotations with daily teaching from faculty during patient care in the OR, ICU, and clinics. Grand Rounds/Visiting Professors
This series takes place on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 a.m. The Grand Rounds presentations come from a mix of faculty from our department, from other departments with whom we collaborate on campus, and from our Visiting Professors Program. Many prominent professors from around the United States visit MUSC each year in this program. They present their work during morning lectures and participate in hospital rounds. They also present a PBLD session for our residents the afternoon before they give Grand Rounds. Residents are given the opportunity to go to dinner with them afterwards. These are great opportunities for further education in areas of personal interest and for networking for future career directions and opportunities. Class-specific Lecture Series
Our CA-1 Lecture Series is managed by Dr. Carlee Clark and starts in June of the intern year with daily didactic and/or simulation sessions that are 2-4 hours in length. Basics of Anesthesia ("Baby Miller") is covered during this introductory series, as well as simulation experiences covering everything from machine check-out to airway management to the basics of case management. It is an intense and focused preparation to transition our residents from their intern year to the OR. (They are alo paired 1-on-1 with a resident each day during this time). In July, the series transitions to a weekly lecture series on Wednesday afternoons from 4-5 p.m. This series progresses through Clinical Anesthesiology by Morgan and Mikhail. The bulk of this series ends just before the March ABA In-Training Exam and then transitions to PBLD-style sessions for the remainder of the year as a preparation for advanced rotatins in the CA-2 year. Our CA-2/3 Lecture Series is managed by Dr. GJ Guldan and occurs on Monday afternoons from 4-5 p.m. This series runs throughout the year and is composed of three main parts. First, there is an ABA Key Words Review once each month where 6-8 key words from the last ABA Written Exam are covered. Second, there are 1 or 2 PBLD-style lectures from Visiting Professors that correspond to the monthly education topic being covered for the program. Third, there are 1 or 2 lectures each month from MUSC faculty concerning advanced anesthesia topics related to the monthly education topic. Finally, in addition to the above didactic sessions, our residents receive numerous subspecialty lectures related to Critical Care Medicine and Chronic Pain Management when they participate on those rotations. *Residents are relieved from clinical duties in order to attend these lectures. Simulation
Our residency program offers a robust simulation experience for our residents. We offer a high-fidelity simulatin ACLS course to our incoming interns just prior to the start of their residency. At the end of the intern year, our residents participate in 4 half-day simulation sessions with Dr. Julie McSwain covering machine check-out and basic case management, as noted above. During this time, our residents also receive a simulation course on Basic Emergency Airway Management from Dr. John Schaefer. During the CA-1 year, our residents take a Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy Airway Management course, as well as an Advanced Difficult Airway Management course, both given at the MUSC Simulation Center. The latter of these is repeated as a refresher course in the CA-3 year. Finally, during the CA-1, 2, and 3 years, our residents participate in our new Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management course. These are half-day training courses with refresher sessions mid-way through the year. In-house Workshops
In addition to the above didactic and simulation training, and in line with our 18-month educational series, our department offers several in-house workshops. These include a cardiac wet lab/TEE workshop, an ultrasound-guided vascular workshop, and an ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia workshop. Mock Oral Exams
This is the final component of our educational series. Our residents participate in Mock Oral Exams twice a year with our faculty. These sessions are planned and guided by Dr. Melinda Bailey and Dr. Fred Guidry, both of whom are senior examiners for the ABA Oral Board Exam. These sessions progress in difficulty from the CA-1 to CA-3 year. However, they are set up exactly like the real exam in every way in order to give extensive practice to our residents prior to graduation. Resident Advisers
The Program Director, Dr. McEvoy, serves as the faculty advisor during the intern year. At the end of the intern year when residents start OR rotations, each resident chooses a faculty advisor who, in addition to Dr. McEvoy, can provide comprehensive educational advice and personal support during the entire residency.
Career Development
Residents meet regularly with their faculty adviser and the Program Director to discuss their individual goals. MUSC does recruit staff anesthesiologists from its own training program and fellowships. Thus, after completion of the anesthesiology residency, career opportunities may be available at MUSC. We also have an excellent track record of placing our residents into the fellowship of their choice in all of the subspecialities and at programs across the nation. Benefits (overview)
Residents in the MUSC Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine receive the following benefits: - Full health and disability insurance coverage (coverage for spouse and family is available at an inexpensive rate)
- $300 in books for intern year (purchased by department)
- $750 book allowance (CA-1 to CA-3 year total)
- USMLE Step 3 fees (~$700)
- ABA Part 1 Application and Seat fees (~$1,500)
- Travel allowance (one conference covered each year - CA-1 to CA-3)
- Research travel allowance (if you perform research that will be presented at a regional or national meeting, additional funds are provided to cover these costs)
- $500 toward a permanent SC medical license (needed for moonlighting) OR yearly renewal of a limited SC medical license.
- Parking ($55/month)
Moonlighting Policy
Internal Moonlighting is allowed by the program. Currently, our residents are permitted the option to moonlight during liver transplant cases in their CA-2 or CA-3 year. Other opportunities may arise in the future. External Moonlighting is permitted for residents who have a permanent license in the State of South Carolina. Moonlighting should not interfere with required learning and must not violate ACGME work hour rules. Moonlighting should not compromise the educational experience, but rather enhance it. Admissions Qualifications
Senior medical students may apply for a four-year residency position at MUSC through the
National Residency Match Program (NRMP) using the ERAS system. Graduates from medical schools who are currently in non-anesthesia residency training programs may also apply. These appointments are made outside of the NRMP. Application Process
To apply to the Anesthesiology Residency at MUSC, please submit a completed Electronic Residency Application (ERAS) application, including: - Medical school transcripts (copies will suffice; need not be official)
- Official test transcripts for all applicable examinations (USMLE, LMCC, COMLEX, NBOME, FMGEMS, FLEX or NBME)
- A Dean's letter along with three other letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your professional qualifications
- A curriculum vitae
- A personal statement
- A valid ECFMG certificate (if you graduated from medical school outside of the United States or Canada)
Applicants for fellowship programs must also provide a copy of their most recent ABA-ASA In-Training Examination scores and a letter from their anesthesiology residency program director.
Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) through your medical school dean's office. Applications for each academic year, which begins in August, should be completed by October 15 to be considered for an interview. Interviews are usually conducted from late October through January.
See Interview Process About Charleston
Find out more about Charleston Program Contacts
For more information about the Anesthesiology Residency at MUSC please contact: Leslie Fowler
Resident Program Coordinator
(843) 792-4316
fowlerl@musc.edu Matt McEvoy, MD
Residency Program Director
(843) 792-2322
mcevoymd@musc.edu | 
