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Our GME Office has preliminary eligibility requirements that all prospective trainees must meet before applying for a training program at our institution. In addition to these criteria, our program also includes the following requirements:? All candidates for the Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine (RAAPM) Fellowship Program must have completed a U.S. or Canada-accredited residency in Anesthesiology in good standing.  Each applicant must be ABA board-certified or board-eligible in Anesthesiology in order to begin the fellowship training. Please submit the following application materials to Monique Rodriguez at MJValdez@mdanderson.org. 

Required Application Materials: 

• Online Application 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• Personal Statement/Letter of Intent 
• Three Letters of Recommendation ¨C One letter should be from training program director? 
• Medical School Diploma
• Medical School Transcript
• USMLE/COMLEX and ABA Basic Exam Score Reports 
  

• Provide perioperative interventions for the management of acute pain following a variety of surgical as well interventional procedures 
• Perform a comprehensive range of advanced regional anesthesia procedures, with a thorough understanding of indications as well as benefits/risks of each intervention 
• Serve as a medical consultant for other perioperative personnel, including anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, and medical professionals 
• Develop leadership in the organization and management of an acute pain medicine service within the hospital setting 
• Incorporate strategies for multimodal pain management, enhanced recovery, and opioid-sparing techniques in the comprehensive care of patients 
• Acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to establish a RAAPM service in future practice and to adopt emerging techniques for acute pain management 
  

Fellowship Core Rotations: 

• Regional Anesthesia 
  • Oncologic Surgery 
  • Ambulatory Surgery 
  • Trauma  
• Acute Pain Medicine 
  • Adult 
  • Pediatric 
• Chronic Pain - Cancer 
• Operative Room Anesthesia 

During the regional anesthesia rotations, the fellow will perform a variety of peripheral nerve blocks, fascial plane blocks, and neuraxial anesthesia for a full spectrum of surgical specialties, including orthopedics, breast oncology, plastics, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, and abdominal surgery. The regional anesthesia rotations will include clinical time at both the main campus (MD Anderson Cancer Center) as well as at an affiliated ambulatory surgery center and trauma hospital.  

On the acute pain medicine service, the fellow will be expected to act as a consultant in evaluating patients and developing strategies for the treatment of acute postoperative pain. Clinical care will involve the use of multimodal medication regimens, performing rescue blocks, as well as managing neuraxial and peripheral nerve catheters. Fellows will also rotate though the chronic pain service to develop skills in the management of chronic pain as well as cancer pain. As part of the academic year, the fellow will also spend clinical time managing the care of patients in the operating room under the supervision of a faculty anesthesiologist. The goal will be to assign the fellow to surgical cases that incorporate the utilization of peripheral blocks/neuraxial anesthesia, enhanced recovery protocols, and management of extensive postoperative pain.   

Education and Research:   

As part of the program¡¯s lecture series, fellows will receive comprehensive education in current practices of regional anesthesia and acute pain management. In addition to clinical time, fellows will be expected to participate in clinical research work for submission to peer-reviewed journals and to present abstracts/posters at annual conferences. Each fellow will also be required to finish a quality improvement (QI) project prior to completion of the fellowship. Throughout the academic year, fellows will be expected to lead case discussions and journal club as part of monthly RAAPM departmental meetings. 

Institutional benefits and support

Graduate Medical Education (GME) trainees¡¯?salary stipends?are updated every year based on the ACGME¡¯s recommendations, and because our trainees are considered workforce members, they also enjoy?MD Anderson¡¯s?employee?benefits, including health insurance, retirement planning, disability insurance, and six weeks of parental leave.

Our trainees have access to?MD Anderson¡¯s employee networks, fitness center, and other wellness resources provided by the institution. Additionally, our Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC), which provides oversight of our accredited programs, implements various initiatives dedicated to supporting the wellness of our trainees. 

Beyond MD Anderson

Our main campus is nestled inside the Texas Medical Center, the world¡¯s largest medical center which boasts about 10 million patient encounters each year. Many of our faculty are involved in interorganizational research collaborations, both within the TMC and across the nation, exposing trainees to groundbreaking advancements in medical care in real time. Most importantly, the city of Houston is a great place to call home and raise a family. We are one of the most culturally diverse cities in the nation, with more than 145 different languages spoken across the city. And, paychecks here stretch farther than most U.S. metro areas, thanks to our low cost of living. 

Visit our Why Houston page to learn more about our city¡¯s affordable housing, fine dining, entertainment scene, nationally renowned museums and other great attributes.

When does the application process start?? 
Applications are accepted on a continual basis. The final deadline is April 1 of the calendar year prior to the anticipated start of fellowship training.  

Do you use SF Match for the application process?? 
No, we use a common application in addition to supplementary materials. 

Do all listed documents have to be provided in order for the application to be reviewed?? 
Yes, only complete applications with all required materials submitted by the deadline will be considered for review by the faculty. 

How many positions are offered for the RAAPM fellowship? 
Currently, one fellow position is offered each academic year. 

When are interviews held?? 
Fellowship interviews will be extended to chosen applicants following review of submitted materials, typically in the months of March - June.