Regional Fellowship
Overview
Situated within a major tertiary teaching hospital, the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care of Prince of Wales Hospital, in affiliation with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, provides regional services for a wide variety of complex operations from orthopaedics, general surgery, cardiothoracic, obstetrics to neurosurgery. The well-established regional anaesthesia fellowship program of over 20 years has trained over 15 anaesthesiologists from around the world under the mentorship of world-renowned Professor Manoj K Karmakar, Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Director of the Regional Anesthesia Fellowship/Visiting Scholar Program. Through the comprehensive training 2 year training program, program graduates acquired essential knowledge and skills, which they were able to bring back to their own institutions – enabling them to become leaders in regional anaesthesia.
Competencies to be achieved over the 2 year training program:
- Fundamentals of regional anaesthesia (1st year)
- Basic principles of regional anaesthesia
- Principles of Image Optimization during ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia.
- Principles of Needle visualization during ultrasound guided regional anesthesia.
- Sonoanatomy relevant for regional anaesthesia.
- Ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia for the upper and lower extremities
- Ultrasound guided truncal blocks
- Quality and safety of patient care
- Advanced applications of regional anaesthesia (2nd year), including the following:
- Ultrasound of the spine – Sonoanatomy
- Pre-procedural Spine imaging
- Real-time ultrasound guided central nuraxial blocks
- Ultrasound guided paravertebral blocks – Sonoanatomy and Block Techniques
- 3D-4D ultrasound imaging
- Quantitative Doppler sonography relevant for ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia.
Fellowship opportunities
During the 2 year fellowship, fellows will undergo a comprehensive training program on regional anaesthesia. They are expected to take part in providing anaesthesia services under the guidance of enthusiastic consultant anaesthetists, including Professor Karmakar. By being situated in one of the most prominent regional anaesthesia services in Hong Kong, the fellows are expected to leave the program with the knowledge and skills to not only competently provide regional anaesthesia, but also to develop or lead a regional anaesthetic service.
The fellow will be provided with the opportunity to take part in weekly continuous medical education activities, present at academic meetings, as well as embark on a quality improvement/audit or research project.
What to expect
Fellows will be rostered to surgical procedures where regional anaesthesia is expected to be performed. Fellows are also expected to provide around 2-3 calls each month to help with service demands. Local medical and nursing staff are fluent in English and are able to help with translation and interpretation if needed. Our fellows will be provided with protected time to participate in quality improvement and research projects, and to provide teaching for anaesthesia trainees. All fellows are allocated mentors throughout the program.