Competency and professionalism in medicine.

Background: In this article some definitions of competency and professionalism will be discussed, and an overview of existing methods that assess competency and professionalism in anaesthesia resident doctors (residents) is provided. In addition, we will discuss how progression to professionalism, education in anaesthesiology and other medical specialties may be improved using the adult skill acquisition model. The goal of this paper is to refine the definitions of professionalism and competency, and to propose a new approach to medical education.

New airway device for ventilation and monitoring in pediatric patients undergoing MRI study.

A method of administering continuous positive airway pressure via a new airway device to prevent upper airway obstruction and preserve spontaneous respiration under total intravenous anesthesia has been adapted for children undergoing deep sedation for MRI studies. Presented herein is a retrospective study of 45 pediatric patients, ages 5 months to 7 years, who underwent an MRI study under general anesthesia using a modified nasal vestibule airway (NVA®), a pressure-sealing nasal cannula that can be used in conjunction with an anesthesia circuit to deliver nasal-CPAP during anesthesia. After inhalation induction of anesthesia with sevoflurane, an intravenous infusion of propofol was used to maintain anesthesia.

Personality testing may improve resident selection in anesthesiology programs.

Background: Current methods of selecting future residents for anesthesiology training programs do not adequately distinguish those who will succeed from the pool of seemingly well-qualified applicants. Some residents, despite high exam scores, may struggle in the operating room (OR) in stressful situations.

Aims: This study examined whether specific neuropsychological and personality measures can distinguish high competency residents from low-competency residents to aid in resident selection.

Role of simulators, educational programs, and nontechnical skills in anesthesia resident selection, education, and competency assessment.

Theoretical knowledge for anesthesia residents requires learning from a variety of sources. Technical skills are important and simulators are being used in many centers. Anesthesia nontechnical skills, those are, cognitive, interpersonal, and decision making, may not be uniformly acquired during clinical training and may need to be specifically taught and evaluated.

Airway management of patient with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome for gastric surgery: case report.

A case of term, 5-day-old boy, with low birth weight of 2.4 kg, with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS) who was first scheduled for gastrostomy tube placement and later for pylorotomy, is discussed. General appearance of face and small chin showed possible difficulties during intubation, which are well known from the literature.