St. Joseph’s University Medical Center has a rich, more than 150 year history, and the anesthesia residency training program- New Jersey’s oldest – has been training leaders in the field for over 60 years. The hospital has again been ranked as one of the best in the New York/New Jersey area by US News and World Report. Both the hospital and the anesthesia department continue to grow, providing our residents with the finest clinical and academic training in a world-class institution.
With 24 residents (8/year), our program is a comfortable size allowing for a “small-program” feel with personalized attention but in a “big-program” setting with all the necessary resources, the latest educational modalities and broad clinical experiences. As a major teaching hospital with medical school affiliations including the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and St. George’s University School of Medicine, our residents experience all the advantages of both university-based and community-based training. Teaching medical students and learning how to teach are integral components of our training. Our Simulation Laboratory provides residents with a variety of learning experiences to advance their technical and non-technical skills, decision making, team work, task management and situational awareness. We have designed an innovative “Leadership Symposium” helping to train all our residents to become future leaders in our specialty. I invite you to see a small sample of recent leaders we have produced under the “Leaders in Anesthesia” heading on this website.
In 2011, St. Joseph’s expanded its campus with the opening of the Critical Care Building which included state-of-the-art operating rooms, intensive care units and the emergency room. We have seen continued expansion of the surgical and high-risk obstetric services offered at St. Joe’s. As a state-designated Children’s Hospital, our residents become comfortable providing care to our smallest population. Our regional anesthesia program has undergone explosive growth and is a huge part of our increased perioperative involvement as we move closer to the “perioperative surgical home” model of anesthesia care. At St. Joseph’s and St. Michael’s Hospitals our residents experience the latest in adult and pediatric open heart surgery. St. Joseph’s is nationally recognized for stroke care and features a neuro-interventional suite where residents on their neuro-anesthesia and non-operating room anesthesia rotations have played an important role in the care of patients with aneurysms, AV malformations, stroke, and carotid artery disease. As a level two trauma center with a helipad, residents experience the excitement of life saving shock-trauma care.
St. Joseph’s has received national attention for its landmark “Alternatives to Opiates (ALTO)” pain management program, designed to reduce narcotic use as a first line therapy. It was signed into law by the Congress, Senate and the President as part of a bill to combat the opioid crisis and has become adopted across the country as a paradigm in this fight. We have incorporated the principles of ALTO into our Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols to minimize the risk of post-operative opioid dependence. Our residents get pain management experience in both the inpatient setting as well as in community-based, outpatient pain management centers.
During the COVID pandemic, the Department of Anesthesia was tasked with running a COVID ICU, caring for the most critically ill victims of the disease as well as handling an overwhelming demand for airway management throughout the hospital. Both the faculty and residents stepped up and embraced this incredible challenge. The teamwork and dedication was remarkable as we all learned together how to best combat this unique disease. I have never been prouder to be associated with this department than during this physically and mentally stressful crisis.
This is just a small sampler of what you can expect to experience during training at St. Joe’s. The quality of our residents is evident not only in their high board pass rate (over 90%), but also in their continued acceptance to prestigious fellowships. We also take great pride in the number of graduates who stay on as attendings to train the next generation of residents. Please explore the links on this site to learn more about our hospital, our department and our training program. Welcome to St. Joe’s!
Stephen P. Winikoff, MD
Chairman
