Name: Michelle LeRiger, MD
Medical school attended: UNMC
Location of your residency/fellowship training: UNMC for anesthesiology residency. Nationwide Children’s Hospital for pediatric anesthesiology fellowship.
What residency/fellowship program at UNMC are you serving as program director for?
Pediatric anesthesiology
Number of trainees: Up to two per year
How long have you been the program director? Three years
What made you chose to become the program director? I enjoy working with the residents and fellows who also love taking care of pediatric patients. Their enthusiasm and desire for learning is inspiring. Watching our graduates become expert practitioners is fulfilling and I feel honored to have a role in that process.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future? Our trainees have so many non-clinical expectations and requirements in a one-year period that ensuring fellows graduate feeling ready for independent practice will need to be continually assessed.
What are the strengths of your training program? As a small training program our fellows easily surpass the requirements for all index cases including neonatal emergencies, which can be difficult in larger training programs. Our faculty have created a comprehensive web-based didactic program that we are very proud of. We incorporate simulation throughout the year including participation in national bootcamps. Fellows can participate in basic science research and have many electives to select from. There also is the opportunity to continue training with a pediatric cardiac anesthesiology fellowship. Most importantly, faculty and staff at Children's Hospital & Medical Center love working with fellows and create a positive environment for learning.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of: Our program's 12 graduates have practiced in both private and academic settings across the country. Five fellows have stayed on as faculty at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center and now play an integral role in the education of new fellows.