Upon completion of residency, qualified physicians can undertake additional training to develop expertise in perioperative pediatric anesthetic care. Fellowship training in pediatric anesthesiology is a 12-month, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited experience. While each institution’s fellowship program is unique, all programs strive to develop pediatric anesthesiologists who are champions for children. Upon successful completion of the program, fellows are eligible for Pediatric Anesthesiology subspecialty certification through the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA).

While pediatric anesthesiologists often work in the operating room, they also care for children in critical care settings, radiology suites, procedure rooms, cardiac catheterization suites, and clinics.  These physicians often serve in hospital leadership and medical education due to the central role of anesthesiology in a well-functioning health system. Pediatric anesthesiologists work in freestanding children’s hospitals, academic medical centers, community hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers.

Pediatric anesthesiology fellowship programs enable the acquisition and refinement of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become expert perioperative consultants in pediatric anesthesiology.  Training includes the preoperative evaluation, preparation, and perioperative/postoperative anesthetic management of infants, children, and adolescents undergoing a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Fellows will also evaluate and treat children with acute and chronic pain disorders as part of an acute pain service and/or chronic pain clinic, and will learn to manage critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit.

Fellows will improve their medical knowledge, refine their patient care skills, participate in scholarship and research, and grow as medical professionals under the mentorship of pediatric anesthesiology faculty.  The curriculum prepares the individual for success across many settings and can enhance opportunities for those looking to enter the private sector as well as academic institutions.

Application Process
Typically, residents in anesthesiology will apply to fellowship during their third post-graduate (CA-2) year. However, applicants are also welcome to apply any time after their CA-2 year.

Interested applicants must register and apply through the SF Match. The SF Match is sponsored by the Pediatric Anesthesiology Program Directors’ Association (PAPDA), which is a section of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Applications will be completed, submitted, and distributed through the SF Match Central Application Service (CAS). A complete list of Pediatric Anesthesiology fellowship programs can be found on the ACGME website.

Pre-requisites:

• Passing scores on the USMLE Step 1, 2, and 3 or COMLEX 1, 2 and 3 examinations
• Completion or anticipated successful completion of one of the following training programs:
  • ACGME-accredited anesthesiology residency
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or College of Family Physicians Canada-accredited anesthesiology residency
• SF Match Application through CAS
  • Three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the current Program Director
  • Personal Statement (please see below for more information)
  • Medical School Transcripts
  • MSPE
  • CV
  • BASIC and ITE scores (optional)

Personal Statement: Each applicant must answer Question 1 (below) and any two questions from Question 2 (2a – 2d, below).

Question 1: What particular personal qualifications and characteristics will allow you to become an effective consultant in pediatric anesthesiology, and why is it important to you to become a pediatric anesthesiologist?

Question 2: Please choose two of the following questions and answer each one. Please be sure to copy and paste the question you have chosen to answer just above each response.

• 2a. How will the completion of a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship allow you to further your goals?
• Describe what you consider to be your most significant contribution or achievement, including the impact you made.
• Being a part of hospital leadership should be important to anesthesiologists. What role do you think you might take within the leadership structure of your future hospital?
• Describe a challenging situation in your life or career and what you learned from it.

Matching Process
Beginning in January of 2024, pediatric anesthesiology fellowship programs and applicants will use the SF Match services. The SF Match will support the application, rank list submission, and matching process. With over 40 years of experience, SF Match will provide a single centralized resource for both applicants and programs.

• Applicants and Programs must register with SF Match
• Applicants submit applications utilizing the SF Match Central Application Service (CAS). CAS application distribution fees are determined by the number of applications submitted.
• Applicants and Programs submit confidential rank lists, which are used to determine the match. Only programs where an applicant has applied and interviewed can be ranked in the match.
• All Programs and Applicants are expected to abide by the SF Match Rules. All match violations will be handled by PAPDA and the SF Match.
• The results of the SF match are a legally binding commitment between the applicant and the program.

Exceptions to the Match
Exceptions to the standard match process have been agreed upon by the Pediatric Anesthesiology Program Director’s Association in the following situations:

• Military applicants, when separately approved and funded by the US Military
• Applicants who are accepting advanced fellowship positions, with at least a 24-month contract signed as part of the offer letter
• Applicants who are applying together as a couple (both must be participating in the pediatric anesthesiology match)
• Internal program applicants (i.e., applicants from the core residency program affiliated with the fellowship program)

Exception Agreements allow an applicant and program to agree to match each other prior to submitting their respective rank lists. Programs and applicants can make an Exception Agreement prior to submitting their rank list to SF Match.

• Both applicant and program must still submit a rank list. All positions must be included in the match, including exception positions.
• Program Directors must initiate the match exception process CLICK HERE (coming soon). Applicants will then receive an email with further instructions.
• Any match irregularities will be referred to and reviewed by PAPDA leadership.

Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Match Timeline:

From sfmatch.org/specialty/pediatric-anesthesiology—fellowship/Timetable