As a member of the department of anesthesiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, each fellow spends all of his/her time assigned to labor and delivery at UF Health Jacksonville.

Clinical Practice Roles and Responsibilities

Our fellows participate daily in the care of both normal and high-risk parturients, under the direct supervision of the attending faculty anesthesiologist assigned to the labor floor each day. The fellows are involved in providing analgesia and anesthesia to parturients during labor, assisted vaginal deliveries, cesarean deliveries and other obstetric procedures.

Educational activities include the following:

• Daily clinical responsibilities on the labor and delivery floor, including performing clinical anesthesia under the supervision of faculty anesthesiologists
• Daily teaching of residents and student registered nurse anesthetists assigned to their obstetrical anesthesiology rotation
• Occasional clinical responsibilities in the operating room on obstetrical procedures under the supervision of faculty anesthesiologists
• Consultations for preoperative assessment and other anesthesia-related consults for obstetrics inpatients and outpatients
• Preparation of assigned material for conferences and lectures
• Participation in quality improvement assignments and projects
• Active participation in basic and clinical research projects under the supervision of the research director and department chair
• Work schedule (typical) of Monday through Friday, 10 hours/day; note: no participation in the faculty call schedule

Teaching Roles and Responsibilities

All fellows are involved in the teaching mission within the department. Fellows are expected to participate in morbidity and mortality conferences in anesthesia and obstetrics and conduct one grand rounds a year. Fellows also participate in daily clinical teaching of residents and student nurse anesthetists on the labor ward.

We have residents each month in obstetrical anesthesiology from either the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville or the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville anesthesiology residency programs. We are also a major clinical training site for teaching of student nurse anesthetists from the University of North Florida and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Nurse Anesthesia Program.

Research

Active participation in research is highly encouraged. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research projects while encouraged to initiate their own scholarly ideas. In-depth guidance and counseling are provided by faculty well-versed in the area of research. Training spans the spectrum from constructing study protocols, to enrolling patients, to gathering and analyzing data, to writing abstracts and manuscripts.

The University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville encourages resident/fellow research through the availability of Dean’s Fund Research Awards and an annual Research Day, with residents and fellows from all disciplines presenting their work. Well-designed studies conducted in collaboration with the faculty have resulted in residents and fellows presenting their research at regional, national and international meetings.