Introduction to the NMTRC Portsmouth Anesthesiology Residency Experience

• Class size:  6 residents/year for PGY2-4, 2+ categorical interns

• Program Overview and Highlights:

  • Boundless research opportunities

  • Staff fellowship trained in cardiothoracic anesthesia, critical care anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, obstetric, and chronic pain management

  • Robust academic curriculum, including weekly conferences and didactics, heavy simulation involvement, and private faculty mentoring

  • Annual residency wellness retreat and quarterly wellness afternoons

  • Operational opportunities: USNS Comfort

• About the hospital:

  • Largest and oldest US Navy Hospital

  • Patient population: Large active duty, retiree, and dependent population

  • Tertiary Care Center with all surgical subspecialties except cardiac

• Rotations outside of the medical center:

  • Cardiothoracic Anesthesia: University of Virginia and Carilion Medical Center

  • Trauma: Cooper University

  • Neuro Anesthesia: University of Virginia

  • Pediatric Anesthesia: Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters

  • Critical Care: University of Virginia and Sentara Norfolk General

• About the base:

  • Situated on historic Hospital Point in the center of the Hampton Roads area

  • Supports the Atlantic Fleet

  • The largest military concentration in the world

  • Easy commute from VA Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth

• About the area:

  • Olde Town Portsmouth

  • Elizabeth River Ferry, Waterside District

  • Virginia Beach

  • Concerts & Festivals

  • MWR at NSA Norfolk, NAS Oceana, JEB Little Creek, Fort Story

  • Downtown Norfolk Waterfront Harbor Park

  • Norfolk Harbor Fest

Applying and Interviewing for a Residency Spot at NMRTC Portsmouth

1. Set up a rotation (required clerkship through OSA, electives following the scheduling guidelines). 

2. Please contact Ms. Dora Breaux (dora.c.breaux.civ@mail.mil) for interviewing specifics.

Director's Welcome:

We would love to meet you. Please reach out to Ms. Breaux for coordinating interviews and rotation details (after following the scheduling guidelines). Feel free to reach out to Dr. Booth directly for pointed questions about the program.

When you interview with us, we request your CV and personal statement prior to meeting. We will also ask about board scores, but please do not provide formal reports. During your visit, you’ll interview with Dr. Booth or one of the APDs and separately have an opportunity to chat with residents. Dress code for interviews is Khaki’s, but uniform of the day is also acceptable if you are on a demanding clinical rotation at NMRTC Portsmouth.

For clinical rotations, Ms. Breaux will refer you to our rotation coordinator (a staff anesthesiologist). There are no exams or assessments (other than the evaluations) if you're on an elective rotation. Our goal is to expose you to our fantastic field and get to know you better. Prior to your rotation, you’ll be provided materials via email that outline rotation expectations and core education content you’ll be expected to learn. 

We allow you to tailor your clinical experience to your interests. Each day, you’ll select which room or clinical experience you’d like to explore on the following day. We hope you will choose a variety of cases and experiences to explore all the great opportunities in anesthesiology (e.g. OR, non-OR anesthesia, obstetrics, regional and acute pain, pediatrics, etc.). The expectation is that for whatever room or experience you choose, you’ll prepare by knowing about the patients’ comorbidities and a bit about the unique anesthesia considerations specific to that experience. For example, if you would like to spend a day in obstetric anesthesia, you should read a bit about epidurals and spinals.

Our department and program welcome you and are excited to share our diverse experiences. We boast a core faculty group with extensive clinical, research, operational, and leadership experiences. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions!

Please review this application and interview advice from the Anesthesiology Military Residency Program Directors.