Anesthesiology Residency Program

Historic stone and iron entrance gate with the university seal on the campus of Georgetown University, Washington DC

The MedStar Health - Georgetown University Hospital Residency Program in Anesthesiology

MedStar Health - Georgetown University Partnership Since 1956, the anesthesiology residency program at Georgetown University Hospital offers residents an outstanding blend of clinical experience, didactic instruction, and personal attention. It is a medium-sized academic program within a large, non-profit health care system that provides high quality perioperative care to patients of all genders, races, and socioeconomic status in the Washington, D.C. region. Georgetown residents are well prepared to excel as either community or academic consultant anesthesiologists. Residents train to become perioperative physicians who can handle the simplest cases to the most complex anesthetics and intensive care situations.

The residency program utilizes the breadth and depth of clinical experiences available at Georgetown and its affiliated hospitals (Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center). Residents build an educational portfolio that includes a high volume of subspecialty cases in cardiothoracic, neuro, obstetric, hepatobiliary, and transplant anesthesia. They provide care for patients undergoing advanced “fellow level” cases in a department which does not offer competing fellowship programs. The senior year is nearly completely elective, allowing residents to personalize their education through a variety of pathways.

Residents are taught by dedicated faculty who cultivate a supportive learning environment and who exemplify clinical excellence, professionalism, and life-long learning. The clinical experience is supplemented by a carefully designed didactic and simulation program where residents are both learners and teachers guided by experienced faculty. In the Jesuit manner of the institution, the program fosters a culture of cura personalis – placing value on the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of our patients and our physicians.

Mission

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital will provide expert, compassionate care for each and all of our patients, advancing the tradition of Catholic health care and the Jesuit spirit of service to others. We are committed to promoting health and wellness through the delivery of the highest-quality education and first-class research.

We will commit to a culture of patient care by physicians and staff who are grounded in standards of bhavior, accountability and loyalty.
By attracting the best doctors, nurses and staff, we will ensure superior clinical outcomes in a safe environment, using innovative state-of-the-art procedures and technology.
We will provide a workplace of positive regard, mutual respect and open communication that empowers our employees to develop and excel and recognizes and rewards outstanding performance.
As part of a premier academic medical center, we will work to educate and mentor the next generation of health care professionals and leaders.
With Georgetown University, we will develop and support innovative research for the betterment of our patients and humankind.
Through careful financial stewardship based on sound business principles, we will assure our patients, physicians and employees of our continued fiscal strength.

Values

Knowledge: We believe that excellent patient care is contingent upon a strong knowledge base and innovative research.

Compassion: We will treat our patients and their families with kindness and empathy while attending to their physical and spiritual comfort.

Service to Others: We will strive to anticipate and meet the needs of our patients, physicians and co-workers.

Heritage: We pledge to continue and advance the tradition and ideals that flow from more than a century of excellence at Georgetown University Hospital. As a Catholic hospital, Georgetown University Hospital subscribes to the Ethical and Religious Directives as promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Trust: We are committed to open communication and mutual respect, engendering interdependence and confidence in each other.

Integrity: We will be honest, direct and just in our everyday interaction, respecting each other in a professional manner and protecting the confidentiality and privacy of our patients.

Sense of Team: We will endeavor to work together in an efficient and seamless manner, bridging divisions and disciplines, and continuously adapting to the changing health care environment.

Accountability: As physicians, management and staff, we will accept ownership and fully discharge the responsibilities of our respective positions.

Curriculum

Program Structure

The goal of the residency program of the Department of Anesthesiology is to train physicians to become both consultants in anesthesiology as well as diplomats of the American Board of Anesthesiology. It is a four-year categorical program organized in accordance with the American Board of Anesthesiology and the RRC of the ACGME. The current structure is:

PGY 1 & 2: Clinical Base Year and Basic Anesthesiology
PGY 3 & 4: Subspecialty and Advanced Anesthesiology

Throughout their training, residents are fully supervised by anesthesiology faculty and staff members. The faculty is composed of about 30 full- and part-time anesthesiologists whose subspecialty training includes fellowships or expertise in cardiovascular anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, neuro-anesthesia, pain management, and critical care medicine. During their training, residents continually reflect on their performance, seek feedback and guidance from faculty, and work towards improvement and eventual mastery. This cycle is the key to life-long learning and mastery of the skills necessary to become an independent consultant anesthesiologist.

Residents are assigned an individual clinical advisor to act as a mentor throughout the 3 years of Clinical Anesthesia training. Residency training is a team effort by the resident and the faculty, with an emphasis on progressive independence, constantly improving knowledge, and development of a professional and ethical attitude that defines the best physicians. Each training year and each individual clinical rotation has its own educational “Goals and Objectives.” Meeting the “Goals and Objectives” of the training years and rotations is the pathway of the educational process.
Our program has 12 residents per class. The Department participates in the National Resident Matching Program for all positions at the PGY1 level.

Clinical Base Year (CBY)
We are a Categorical program that includes a Clinical Base Year (PGY-1) with balanced rotations in several specialties. The goal of this year of training is to obtain a base of knowledge in order to treat a variety of patients undergoing anesthesia. All residents rotate at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Rotations include:

OR Anesthesia: 3 blocks

Acute Pain Service: 1 block

Presurgical Testing Clinic: 1 block

MICU: 2 blocks

CCU: 1 block

Medical Wards: 3 blocks

Emergency Medicine: 1 block

Night Float: 0.5 block

Vacation: 1 block
CA-1
The goal of the first year of clinical training is to give residents the broadest possible exposure to the range of the practice of anesthesia. This is achieved through a series of month-long clinical rotations at Georgetown University Hospital. At the start of the CA-1 year, a week-long session of lectures and workshops will serve to orient each resident to the fundamentals of anesthetic practice. Throughout the year, supervision of a resident’s performance will be guided by the levels of proficiency and comfort each resident exhibits, in a manner that allows for independence in judgment and action while ensuring safe patient care. At the completion of the CA-1 year, each resident can expect to have experience in a broad sampling of anesthetic care and techniques.

Rotations include:

Ambulatory

Chronic Pain

ENT / Airway

ENT Surgical Service

General & Gynecologic Surgery

Neuro

Satellite

Obstetrics

Orthopedics

Pediatrics

Urology
CA-2
Rotations include:

Cardiac at Washington Hospital Center

SICU

Neuroanesthesia

Obstetrics

Acute Pain/Regional

Chronic Pain

Pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center

Thoracic/Vascular

Transplant (Adult and Pediatric Liver, Kidney, Small Bowel, Pancreas)
CA-3
Residents pursue a year of advanced training in those clinical or research areas of greatest interest, which includes 6 months of elective rotations. Elective rotations exist at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center, University of Maryland Shock Trauma, Hospital for Special Surgery, Georgetown Pain Management, MedStar SiTEL, and MedStar Lafayette Ambulatory Surgery Center. Residents may also choose to pursue an international mission trip to provide anesthetic care in an underserved region.

Rotations include:

Acute Pain/Regional (MGUH, WHC, HSS)

Advanced Clinical Track

Ambulatory (MedStar Lafayette Center)

Cardiac

Chronic Pain

Obstetrics

PACU

Pediatrics

Point of Care Ultrasound

Thoracic/Vascular

Transition to Practice

Transplant

Trauma

Training locations

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Children’s National Medical Center

Georgetown Pain Management

MedStar Surgery Center at Lafayette Centre

Hospital For Special Surgery (HSS)

A message from our department chair

Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

The MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Residency Program in Anesthesiology has been a hallmark of medical excellence, offering comprehensive, hands-on training to physicians committed to mastering the art and science of anesthesiology. As Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, it is my distinct honor to welcome you to our community of learners, educators, and clinicians.

Founded in 1851, Georgetown University School of Medicine is deeply rooted in the traditions of Catholic and Jesuit principles, with a long history of advancing medical knowledge and compassion through service to others. These principles form the foundation of our department’s mission: to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care, promote groundbreaking research, and foster the education of future medical professionals. At Georgetown, we emphasize cura personalis—the care of the whole person—a philosophy that shapes not only how we treat our patients but also how we guide and support our residents throughout their medical journey.

Our residency program stands out for its balance of robust clinical experience and dynamic academic instruction. As a medium-sized academic program within the extensive MedStar Health network, our residents benefit from unparalleled exposure to a wide range of cases and patient demographics. With rotations at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, residents experience a diverse array of subspecialty cases, including cardiothoracic, neuro, obstetric, hepatobiliary, and transplant anesthesia.

What truly sets our program apart is the culture of support and excellence we cultivate. Our dedicated faculty, experts in all areas of anesthesiology, are committed to fostering both your professional development and well-being. As a resident, you will be encouraged to embrace lifelong learning, progressive independence, and the highest ethical and professional standards that define the best physicians. You will graduate from our program fully prepared to handle the spectrum of anesthetic care, from routine procedures to the most complex critical care cases.

At MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, we provide the tools, experiences, and mentorship you need to succeed in this dynamic and rewarding field. Whether your future lies in academic medicine or community practice, our residency program will equip you to excel in all aspects of anesthesiology.

We look forward to welcoming you into our department and supporting you on your journey to becoming a skilled and compassionate anesthesiologist.

Warm regards,

Kerry DeGroot, M.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Welcome from our Chief Residents

Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to get to know Georgetown Anesthesiology! We’re excited to share a little bit about our program, our people, and what makes training here such a unique experience. Our residency is a wonderfully diverse program, not only because of the people who make up our department, but also because of the clinical experiences we offer, the different hospitals where we train, and the city we get to call home. While many of the things that make Georgetown special have remained the same, our program is always evolving. Each class brings new ideas and perspectives, and we’re excited to continue building that foundation with new opportunities for education, mentorship, and resident life. A big part
of that process has been listening to our residents and finding ways to incorporate their feedback into the program.

As an intern (CBY) in our categorical program, you will be heavily involved with the Anesthesiology department from your first day. Three months of the intern year are spent in the operating room, where you will meet our faculty, learn from your seniors, and start developing the skills that will prepare you for your CA-1 year. You will also spend a month on a surgical rotation, which not only gives you a better understanding of the surgical perspective and helps prepare you for anesthesia training, but also gives you the chance to make some friends on the other side of the curtain who you’ll be working alongside throughout residency. An additional month is spent on the Pre-Anesthesia Testing and Acute Pain Services, giving you a broader understanding of the patient’s entire perioperative course. The remaining months consist of Internal Medicine, ICU, and Emergency Medicine rotations, providing a strong clinical foundation in pathophysiology, pharmacology, and patient management that will serve you every day in the operating room.

Throughout your remaining three years of training, you will have the opportunity to work at multiple institutions, allowing you to experience different clinical environments, learn from a broad network of faculty, and get a better sense of the many paths an anesthesiology career can take. At our home institution, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, residents experience a significant volume of complex and high-acuity cases, including neurosurgery, orthopedics, and robotic surgery. Our senior residents also receive extensive training in transplant anesthesia, as Georgetown is one of the highest-volume abdominal transplant centers in the country, providing care for patients undergoing liver, kidney, pancreas, small bowel, and pediatric transplantation. As a CA-1, you will receive early exposure to multiple subspecialties, including obstetric anesthesia, regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine, pediatric anesthesia, and chronic pain. During the CA-2 and CA-3 years, you will have the opportunity to train at nationally renowned Children’s National Medical Center, developing the skills needed to care for pediatric patients across the spectrum of ages and illness. At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, you will train at one of the highest-volume cardiothoracic centers in the Mid-Atlantic, gaining experience with cardiac bypass, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplantation. In your final year, you will have the opportunity to travel to the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City for additional regional anesthesia experience while enjoying a month in one of the greatest cities in the country. Additional elective opportunities allow you to tailor your final year toward your individual interests and career goals, including rotations at other MedStar sites to experience different approaches to perioperative care.

One of the things we love about our department is that we do not have fellows. This means residents are consistently involved in the highest level of clinical care being provided throughout the hospital. Our residents routinely work alongside ICU teams to provide airway support across MedStar Georgetown, with opportunities ranging from awake fiberoptic intubations to caring for some of our most critically ill patients with direct attending involvement, even as CA-1s.

We are also excited about some of the new things happening within our residency. We’ve been fortunate to have residents who are willing to speak up about what is working well and where we can do better, and we genuinely value that feedback. Over the past year, we’ve been working to turn some of those ideas into action, including new simulation and skills-based learning opportunities, evolving our didactic curriculum, and creating additional opportunities for mentorship and resident engagement. We think one of the best parts of residency is having a voice in what your training looks like, and we hope to continue making Georgetown a place where residents feel comfortable sharing ideas and where those ideas can actually lead to change. And then there’s life outside of the hospital. We have a very active social community within our residency, with monthly opportunities to get together outside of work, from happy hours and casual dinners to holiday parties and other resident-organized events. These are some of our favorite chances to get to know one another outside of the OR and to spend time with people we might not otherwise see during a busy rotation. And when we’re not at a residency event, Washington, DC has no shortage of things to do. Whether you’re looking for a great meal after a long day, catching a game, exploring one of the city’s many museums, or getting out of the city for the weekend, there is always something nearby. DC’s location also makes it easy to explore the rest of the East Coast, while Maryland and Virginia offer plenty of hiking, wineries, concerts, and smaller towns to explore. Our residents have a wide range of interests, and we’ve found that some of the best memories of residency happen outside the hospital, trying a new restaurant with co-residents, exploring the city together, or simply finding time to unwind after a busy week.

If we can take a moment to say so, beyond the clinical training and our location, it really is the people who make our program what it is. The residents, faculty, CRNAs, staff, and everyone else who makes up our department create the environment that you will experience every day. We are excited for each of you to spend time getting to know us, and just as importantly, for us to get to know you. We hope that when you interview with us, you’ll get a sense of the same things that made us choose Georgetown and the reasons we’re still happy to call it home.

Please reach out with any questions you have along the way, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @georgetowngas for program updates and a glimpse into life at Georgetown.

Thank you so much for your interest in our program, and we wish you the absolute best throughout this next step and your entire career.

Warmly,
Steph & Melvin

Chief Residents, Anesthesiology, Class of 2027
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

Frequently asked questions

How many residents are in the program?

Each future incoming class will have 12 residents per PGY class, totaling 48 categorical positions.
What are the “pros” of the residency program?

The superb faculty – house staff interactions, the diversity of clinical experiences, the outstanding quality of the residents, great location in Washington, DC, the opportunities for varied electives, and the responsiveness of the administration to resident concerns all stand out as highlights. There are no fellows at Georgetown, and so residents perform advanced fellow-level cases early in their clincal training. Our transplant program in particular is very strong. Our interns get the opportunity to rotate with the anesthesia department for up to 5 months during their first year which allows them to experience challenging cases early in their CA1 year. Every graduate has obtained their first choice of post-residency fellowship or job placement.
What are the differences between Georgetown (GUH), Washington Hospital Center (WHC), and MedStar?

Georgetown has had many years of partnership with MedStar Health, the largest health system in the Mid-Atlantic region. MedStar is a not-for profit organization. This partnership was entered in order to better manage the Georgetown University Hospital and physician practice; MedStar is known to excel in financial management of hospital systems. Georgetown University Hospital program is the only University-based residency program in the MedStar system.
Are the patients at Georgetown “private” patients?

All patients admitted to GUH have a designated attending of record. The vast majority of these patients (approximately 80%) are admitted to full-time, on site faculty. Most of these patients are admitted to our full-time hospitalist service, and are essentially “service” patients.
What are the advantages / disadvantages of rotating through the various hospitals in the MedStar system?

Our affiliates add tremendous diversity (in terms of demographics, diseases, acuity, hospital size, location) to the program. WHC offers superb cardiovascular and trauma experience within the MedStar system. The faculty members at all of our affiliates are tremendously loyal to Georgetown, and have been educating students and residents for more than 60 years. The advantage is the breadth of experiences available to the Georgetown Anesthesiology resident, as well as opportunities for residents to become familiar with private practitioners – this may be helpful for future job opportunities.
What about the cost of living in the DC area?

True, Washington DC is viewed as a high cost place to live. Many residents choose to live in less expensive areas within a few miles of DC (Arlington, VA / Rosslyn – just over Key Bridge / suburban Maryland) – these areas are easily accessible to Georgetown and all affiliates and significantly reduce housing costs. Significant salary increases over the past two years have also helped ease the burden to some extent.
Where do most of the residents in this program live?

There are numerous areas where residents live. Some areas that are popular include Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Georgetown, Arlington (Virginia), Alexandria (Virginia), Silver Spring (Maryland), and Bethesda (Maryland). Some people even live as far north as Columbia, Maryland, which is half-way between Baltimore and Washington DC.
What about vacation time?

You have a total of 20 days of vacation (the maximum allowed by the ACGME): 15 days of vacation/sick and 5 days of meeting/conference time (which can be taken as vacation days as well). The chief residents and program leadership work hard to accommodate each residents’ calendar requests.
What is the status of the information technology systems at Georgetown?

Hospital financial successes have allowed for dramatic improvements in the computer and systems services at Georgetown. The medical floors, physician offices, common workspaces and ORs are all equipped with computers that are updated on a regular basis. All clinical sites have fully implemented the Cerner electronic medical record (EMR) system. We have Pyxis Medstations in all of our operating rooms as well. In all, MedStar Health System is at the cutting edge in terms of technology and IT.

Your recent searches

Your recent searches