Anesthesiology Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Do you participate in ERAS?

Yes. All applications must be received through ERAS.

How many positions will you have open this year?

We enroll 8 PGY-1 (categorical) positions each year through the NRMP Match process. All applications must be submitted through ERAS. Please refer to our program information listed in FREIDA online for further information.

What is your application deadline?

We receive applications until December 31.

Do you offer positions outside the MATCH?

We do not. You must register with the MATCH separately from ERAS.

How does the program respond to signaling? 

Once qualified candidates are identified, we will prioritize inviting those with gold signals for interviews first, followed by candidates with silver signals, and lastly, those who have not signaled the program.

What visas do you sponsor?

The institution currently accepts residents on J-1 visas only.

Do you interview students from Osteopathic schools?

Yes.

Do you interview students from foreign schools?

Yes.

I'm a medical student. How can I do a rotation at Lahey?

US and foreign students who wish to complete an elective at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center should apply through the VSLO system and apply to Lahey via Tufts University. 

Is there a limit to the number of times an applicant can attempt Step 1 or Step 2?

The program prefers first-attempt-passing of the USMLE to be considered for an interview. More than one attempt is acceptable depending on other qualifications and the complete application.

If I have taken COMLEX, is the USMLE required?

Yes, the USMLE Step 1 score and Step 2CK are required along with the COMLEX scores.

Do you have a minimum score that is required?

We take a holistic approach when evaluating applications, taking many factors into account including scores, the dean’s letter, medical school performance, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities and research. There is no minimum score cutoff for applications to be considered.

Do I need to take step 2 to apply?

A step 1 score is a must for the application. Both step 1 and step 2 scores are required to start the PGY 1 year.

Is there a cut-off date of medical school graduation?

Application within five years of medical school graduation is strongly preferred. When there is a break between medical school graduation and application to residency, the quality of the intervening experience and the continuity of medical education will be strongly considered.

How many individuals do you interview each year?

We typically interview approximately 100-150 individuals each year.

When will you be conducting interviews?

For the 2024-2025 interview season, interviews will be conducted virtually. Interviews will begin at the end of October and conclude in January. 

Invitations will be issued after all application documents are received through ERAS. As interview slots are limited, delayed completion of all ERAS requirements (including letters of recommendation) may put you at a disadvantage for securing an interview with us. 

Do you conduct interviews in person or virtually?

We are currently conducting interviews virtually.

How does the program respond to signaling?

Once qualified candidates are identified, we will prioritize inviting those with gold signals for interviews first, followed by candidates with silver signals, and lastly, those who have not signaled the program.

My partner is interviewing at Lahey for another residency. Can we coordinate our interviews?

All the residency programs at Lahey have a close working relationship and we will be happy to help coordinate interview dates with the other departments as much as possible. Please contact our office about your partner’s interview, as we may not have that information. Note: not all departments interview on the same day.

If you are couples-matching with another applicant in Anesthesia and both have been invited to interviews, we will make every attempt to schedule both interviews for the same session. Each applicant will be ranked based on individual qualifications.

How is the Fundamental Clinical Skills (FCS) Year organized?

The Fundamental Clinical Skills (FCS) year has 13 rotations, each 4 weeks long. There are 12-14 weeks of General Surgery and Internal Medicine, 8 weeks of MICU and Anesthesia and 4 weeks of ER, Neurology and Electives. All rotations are at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s main campus.

What types of cases will I see in the Operating Room?

Residents are exposed to a variety of cases ranging from minor ambulatory procedures to complex liver transplants and cardiothoracic cases during training. Lahey is a regional leader in liver transplants, urologic oncology, colorectal, cardiothoracic and catheter based cardiac procedures.

Are residents involved in resuscitations?

Yes, residents will be assigned during the daytime and while on call at nights to be part of the resuscitation team under supervision of a faculty.

How much elective time is offered; is there a lot of freedom in the CA-3 year?

During the FCS year, there are 4 weeks of electives. During the CA-3 year, there are 3 months of electives for residents to augment their clinical experience. CA-3 year is organized in a way that residents practice and experience planning and executing anesthetic care in semi-independent fashion with indirect supervision by faculty.

Are complex transplant cases available to residents?

Lahey Hospital & Medical Center has a robust liver and kidney transplant program. We are a regional leader in liver transplantation and residents actively participate in the transplantation and non-transplantation care of these patients.

Is simulation just available or is it integrated as part of the curriculum?

Simulation is considered an integral part of residency training and is incorporated into our curriculum. The simulation sessions starts from FCS year and continues throughout the CA years. During CA years, there are biweekly simulation sessions ranging from simple technical exercises to complex clinical scenarios, incorporating OSCEs that will prepare the residents for the Anesthesiology Board Examinations.

When do new residents begin taking call?

During the Clinical Anesthesia (CA) years, residents will start taking calls at the end of August/start of September of their CA-1 year. Projected call during the clinical anesthesia years of training is approximately every fifth night when averaged over a month.

How is the cardiothoracic anesthesiology experience?

There are three cardiac rotations, one at each year of residency, and two thoracic rotations (CA-1 and CA-3 years). Additional CA-3 elective time to augment the cardiothoracic experience is available. Residents will also get cardiothoracic cases as a part of their Advanced General OR rotations and when on call. Lahey does approximately 600 on pump cardiac cases a year and 250-300 thoracic cases. TAVR and other catheter based cardiac procedures are in addition to these cases.

Are trainees exposed to transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)?

Residents will learn TEE during their Cardiac, Transplant and TEE rotations. A dedicated TEE elective can be taken during FCS and CA-3 years. Our Simulation curriculum includes regular didactic sessions using our TEE/TTE simulator (with VR capability). A monthly TEE conference also covers basic and advanced topics in TEE. Advanced hemodynamic monitoring, including TEE and advanced transthoracic cardiac ultrasound, is an important part of resident training at Lahey.

Do residents take the Basic Perioperative Transesophageal (Basic-PTE) Exam?

It is not a requirement of the program to take the Basic-PTE examination, but all residents should have the skills and knowledge by the end of their residency to sit for the exam if they wish.

What exposure do residents have to regional anesthesiology?

The department has a robust Acute Pain and Regional Service (APS). The Regional and Acute Pain rotations provides a high volume regional experience that is rich in variety; placing neuraxial, compartment, and peripheral nerve blocks and catheters on surgical, trauma, and medical patients throughout the hospital under ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance. Residents will also perform neuraxial and regional blocks and catheter on cases they are assigned to on their General OR and Subspecialty Rotations. The residents’ regional experience will be augmented by our Simulation equipment, which includes simulators for neuraxial and ultrasound guided upper extremity, lower extremity, and truncal regional techniques. Residents can also elect additional Regional and/or Acute Pain rotations during their CA-3 year (Electives).

How is the obstetric and pediatric anesthesia experience?

There is a three-month rotation in Pediatric Anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital and a two-month rotation in Obstetric Anesthesia at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital during the CA-2 year.  There is a one-month rotation in Obstetric Anesthesia at Beverly Hospital during the CA-3 year.  Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, approximately 17 miles from Burlington. Beverly Hospital is approximately 20 miles east of Burlington. Trainees will require their own transportation.  Parking will be paid for by the department. 

Are residents allowed to moonlight?

CA-2 and CA-3 residents are eligible to moonlight in the surgical critical care unit (SICU) at LHMC on the weekends and daily OR shifts from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, subject to approval by the Program Director and the Director of the Clinical Competence Committee.

Weekday moonlighting in the SICU will be allowed only if the residents have an allowable day off after the moonlighting shift (e.g. vacations, holidays).

Only those CA-2 residents who have passed the ABA Basic exam and have done at least one month of SICU rotation will be eligible to moonlight.

Moonlighting residents may not be on a J1 visa.

Is there a faculty mentorship program for residents?

Mentors play an important role in the training of residents. Early during the FCS year, a faculty member is assigned to each resident. The mentor will stay in contact with the new resident throughout the first year, providing guidance and direction when needed and connection to their home department during their important year of transition. During the CA-1 year, residents choose a mentor from the faculty based on professional and personal preferences who will stay with them for the duration of their residency.

What professional leadership opportunities are available to residents?

The Lahey Anesthesiology Department and the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) offer many leadership opportunities at the departmental and institutional level. A full list of committees with opportunities for residents is available.

How are residents prepared for their oral board exams?

Daily resident conferences include a monthly mock oral board examination session to prepare residents for the exam. The Department includes faculty who are current and past ABA examiners, writers, editors, and examination committee members. Residents who want additional practice sessions, can arrange mock oral examinations with the appropriate faculty.

How are didactics structured?

Didactics take place Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:45 am – 10:30 am. On Fridays, lunch is served with the lecture at 11:15 am. In addition, there is a resident-led keyword didactic session on selected Wednesday mornings from 6:30 – 7:00 followed by the departmental conference from 7:00 – 8:10 which includes Grand Rounds; Clinical Practice Reviews (CPRs); Journal Club; visiting speakers; and Outcome, Process and Peer review (OPPs) conferences. Finally, in addition to the didactic lecture series covering a curriculum based on the ABA content outline, residents participate in simulation sessions, wellness activities, and meetings with the program director on selected Wednesday afternoons. Residents are expected to actively participate in all of these conferences.

Do residents attend national conferences?

Residents are encouraged to attend and present posters/papers at regional, national and international conferences.

Can residents travel to meetings during their training?

Residents are encouraged to participate as presenting authors or committee members at regional, national, or international professional conferences by granting limited professional time for such activities. Otherwise, residents utilize their personal vacation time to attend professional conferences of their choice.

Is financial support provided to attend national conferences?

The Alumni Association (AA) and Anesthesiology Department supports traveling expenses for residents who are presenting authors at regional or national conferences according to the departmental and AA reimbursement policies. Residents are responsible for all other conferences and extra expenses.

What is the book allowance?

Residents can receive an annual GMEC allowance which they can use for educational purposes such as books providing they meet certain criteria set annually by the GME. The department provides three anesthesiology books for each residents at PGY-1 and CA-1 year.

What opportunities are there for research?

The department and institution considers research an important part of resident training and promotes research and other scholarly activities. Residents participate in a quality improvement project and are encouraged to participate in a research project during residency. Residents have opportunities to join either ongoing research or start a new research project under the supervision of a faculty member.

How far away do residents park?

Residents park on site in an outdoor parking lot. Parking is free.

Where do residents live?

Residents live in Burlington, or one of the many surrounding suburbs such as Woburn, Waltham, Bedford, Lexington and Winchester. It is strongly recommended that residents have a car during residency to travel to the OB and pediatrics rotations.

What fellowships do you offer?

We currently offer a one-year Transplant Anesthesia fellowship.