Neuroanesthesia Fellowship
Program Director, Dr. Aldo Espinosa
The Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine at Western University is excited to offer a one-year Clinical Neuroanesthesia Fellowship based at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, Canada.
Our fellowship is hosted at the London Health Sciences Centre, a renowned national referral center specializing in the management of cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations.
The Neuroanesthesia department’s large number of cases and a variety of procedures provide a remarkable learning opportunity for residents and fellows. Teaching occurs both in the operating room and during Neuroanesthesia rounds.
Our Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship program is compliant with the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care training recommendations. After the fellowship program's completion, our fellows will receive subspecialty certification by the International Council on Perioperative Neuroscience Training.
Clinical Training
Our fellows receive extensive training in the perioperative management of neurological surgery patients. This includes a wide range of procedures such as craniotomies for tumors, carotid endarterectomy, spinal surgeries, epilepsy surgeries including awake craniotomies, and interventional radiology. Fellows will also have rotations with Neuroradiology and Neurocritical care for 4 weeks.
Research Opportunities
We believe in fostering a robust research culture. Each fellow is encouraged to embark on at least one research project. Additionally, fellows are expected to contribute to the academic community by working on the development of review articles and/or presentations at national and international conferences. We welcome and support further involvement in research and writing activities and commit to providing opportunities to explore various interests.
Fellowship Structure
- Duration: The Neuroanesthesia fellowship spans over twelve consecutive months, including four weeks of vacation.
- Positions offered: 2 fellowship positions per academic year.
- Location: Training is conducted at University Hospital. Service commitment can span across the rest of the hospitals and across our department.
- Service commitment: Fellows commit to 100 service days per year (subject to department policies). This may include rotations in subspecialties outside of Neuroanesthesia. The remaining weekdays are dedicated to subspecialty training, with potential academic time based on productivity
- Call commitment: Fellows may be on call during evenings, nights, and weekends on a rotational basis. The exact schedule depends on the number of fellows. A department-provided pager ensures connectivity during these periods.
Join Us
We invite you to join our dynamic team and be part of a fellowship program that not only hones your clinical skills but also nurtures your academic and research aspirations. At Western University, we are committed to providing a supportive and enriching environment for all our fellows.
“The best thing about this fellowship is what I learned, to deepen my knowledge into what anesthesia is; the medicine, the different therapies, the new technologies, the different anesthetic approaches for difficult patients, and the technical skills. There have been many great people around me during this amazing journey, including the mentors who helped me and promoted my career and of course the patients I had the opportunity to help, with the anesthesia and care during their surgeries. The city of London is one of the top places where I have been able to live; a quiet and nice city of green parks and wide spaces during the summer and perfect amount snow in winter for outdoor sports like snowboarding or ski. Overall, I have truly enjoyed my experience at London Health Science Centre and Western University and will always remember the people of Southwest Ontario.” – Dr. Mauricio Giraldo, Colombia / Canada
Eligibility Requirements for Canadian and Foreign Medical Graduates
- Candidates must possess a medical degree from a University recognized by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC)
- Candidates must have completed an anesthesia residency that is recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO)
- International Medical Graduates do not need to write additional exams, but must be approved by the PGE Office at Western University
- English Language Requirement for IMGs: TOEFL-iBT required to achieve an overall score of no less than 93 with a minimum score of 24 in speaking; IELTS required to achieve a minimum score of 7 in each category.
- All non-Canadian trained anesthesiologists will be required to pass an assessment period taking place over the first 4 - 8 weeks in order to continue with the fellowship (‘PEAP’ – Pre-entry assessment period).
- Please refer to the Application and Requirements page for a more detailed description
Goals and Objectives
Medical Expert
The Neuroanesthesiologist must have developed an appreciation of all aspects of perioperative medical management. This includes an understanding of basic cerebral physiology, influence of anesthetic agents and techniques on the normal control mechanism, and the influence of disease pathology on normal cerebral physiology and pharmacology.
The Fellow will be able to:
- Perform anesthetic management of acute head injury
- Apply knowledge of the anesthetic management of cerebral vascular surgical procedures including aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, carotid endarterectomy, extracranial-intracranial bypass procedure
- Understanding of anesthestic management of supratentorial tumors, and posterior fossa lesions
- Perform anesthetic management of the seated patient
- Management of interventional neuroradiology
- Proficient use of the EEG
- Practise medicine within their defined scope of practice and expertise
- Perform a patient-centred clinical assessment and establish a management plane
- Plan and perform procedures and therapies for the purpose of assessment and/or management
- Establish plans for ongoing care and, when appropriate, timely consultation
- Actively contribute, as an individual and as a member of a team providing care, to the continuous improvement of health care quality and patient safety
Communicator
- Establish professional therapeutic relationships with patients and their families
- Elicit and synthesize accurate and relevant information, incorporating the perspectives of patients and their families
- Share health care information and plans with patients and their families
- Engage patients and their families in developing plans that reflect the patient’s health care needs and goals
- Document and share written and electronic information about the medical encounter to optimize clinical decision-making, patient safety, confidentiality, and privacy
Collaborator
- Work effectively with physicians and other colleagues in the health care profession
- Work with physicians and other colleagues in the health care professions to promote understanding, manage differences, and resolve conflicts
- Hand over the care of a patient to another health care professional to facilitate continuity of safe patient care
Leader
- Contribute to the improvement of health care deliver in teams, organizations, and systems
- Engage in the stewardship of health care resources
- Demonstrate leadership in professional practice
- Manage career planning, finances, and health human resources in a practice
Health Advocate
- Respond to an individual patient’s health needs by advocating with the patient within and beyond the clinical environment
- Respond to the needs of the communities or populations they serve by advocating with them for system-level change in a socially accountable manner
Scholar
- Engage in the continuous enhancement of their professional activities through ongoing learning
- Teach students, residents, the public and other health care professionals
- Integrate best available evidence into practice
- Contribute to the creation and dissemination of knowledge and practices applicable to health
Professional
- Demonstrate a commitment to patients by applying best practices and adhering to high ethical standards
- Demonstrate a commitment to society by recognizing and responding to societal expectations in health care
- Demonstrate a commitment to the profession by adhering to standards and participating in physician-based regulationDemonstrate a commitment to physician health and well-being to foster optimal patient care
Assessment
The Fellowship Director for Neuro Anesthesia will provide face-to-face feedback to fellows at 3 month intervals. The feedback will be based on:
- Daily and weekly assessments of performance by the supervising consultant while on neuro anesthesia assignments
- 360 degree appraisal from staff anesthetists, residents, surgeons, and nurses twice yearly
