Description
The residency in veterinary anesthesia is a three-year program aimed at developing the clinical and technical skills required to administer anesthesia, perioperative patient care, sedation, and pain management across a wide variety of species with diverse medical conditions. The training is designed specifically to fulfill the requirements for Board qualification set forth by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia (ACVAA), which may be reviewed on the ACVAA website at www.acvaa.org. A detailed Anesthesia Residency Program guide is available upon request via e-mail to the program director listed below.
The Anesthesia Residency Program provides residents with anesthesia experience across a wide variety of species. Small animal and exotic species experience is gained at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a very busy hospital with a large (> 5,000 animals anesthetized annually) and varied caseload. It is located in West Philadelphia, at the heart of the University of Pennsylvania's main campus, which includes the Medical School and its University Hospital, allowing for close interaction with the School of Medicine. During the first two months of the training program, the resident will attend an introductory anesthesiology class for MD residents in the Department of Anesthesiology.
Large animal anesthesia training occurs at the New Bolton Center Hospital for Large Animals, located approximately 35 miles west of Philadelphia in rural Pennsylvania. The Large Animal Anesthesia Service anesthetizes an average of 1,500 cases per year, predominantly equine, but also including farm animals, wildlife, and zoo species. Exotic, wildlife, and zoo animals are also anesthetized by the Penn Vet team at the Philadelphia Zoo, the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, Delaware, and occasionally at other sites.
The anesthesia resident is offered a broad spectrum of didactic classes, seminars, and rounds, as well as clinical opportunities, to develop thorough knowledge and skills in the anesthetic, analgesic, and perioperative intensive care management of a wide variety of animal patients.
The anesthesia faculty consists of seven ACVAA or ECVAA board-certified anesthesiologists, four and three at the small and large animal facilities, respectively, who are all actively involved in the training program. The resident will spend approximately equal time at each facility and is expected to participate in on-call duties while at both the small and large animal hospitals.
Dates of Program: July 1, 2027 – June 30, 2030
Available positions: Two
Closing date for applications: February 1, 2027
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Qualifying applicants must have graduated from veterinary school (i.e., received a DVM, VMD, or equivalent degree) and completed a one-year rotating internship or equivalent clinical experience (i.e., at least one year of clinical practice in veterinary medicine following graduation).
The application must include:
(a) A letter of intent indicating the reasons for seeking this program and professional career goals
(b) Current résumé or curriculum vitae
(c) Transcript of university performance
(d) A list of at least three persons (including full addresses and phone/fax/e-mail information) knowledgeable about the applicant’s veterinary school performance, clinical training, and subsequent experiences, and willing to provide a letter of reference.
An interview and a visit are strongly recommended to familiarize applicants with the program.
Questions regarding the position and application materials can be sent to Dr. Bernd Driessen, the Anesthesia Resident Program Director at driessen@upenn.edu.
