The Department of Anesthesiology
The members of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) work together for a single purpose: to provide the best possible perioperative care for all patients. The anesthesia care teams provide services for approximately 50,000 procedures in the operating rooms and satellite anesthetizing locations such as the obstetrical suites, the gastroenterology outpatient center, radiology department, cardiovascular laboratory and the University of Tennessee Ambulatory Surgical Center. For over five decades, our core training philosophy combines progressive clinical responsibility with careful supervision to maintain patient safety and resident support. The caseload of our Level 1 trauma center provides a broad-based clinical experience and upon completion of the residency, our graduates easily achieve board certification.
Innovative Education Programs
The mission of the Department of Anesthesiology is to practice, teach and study perioperative medicine. Toward this end, our department has a prominent role in the ICU care of patients at UT Medical and is solely responsible for the institution’s only Comprehensive Pain Management Clinic. Furthermore, our department provides exclusive medical direction for the Pre-Anesthesia Clinic. While this degree of departmental involvement in perioperative care is not unique, our residents train in these areas much more extensively than the minimum required by the ACGME Anesthesiology RRC. Specifically, over the 4-year continuum, our residents complete 6 weeks each of Pre-Anesthesia Evaluation and Post-Anesthesia Care (RRC minimum is 2 weeks each), as well as 5 months of Critical Care experience (RRC minimum is 4 months). Even with this significant commitment to teaching perioperative medicine, our residents meet or exceed the national averages for intraoperative experience as defined by subspecialty and anesthesia technique.
The innovative aspect of our education in perioperative medicine hinges on our belief that the future of anesthesiology leadership will be defined by both clinical and management abilities. Thus our curriculum incorporates teaching from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Physician Executive MBA (PEMBA) program faculty, including education in LEAN processes, financial reporting, and management skills. Furthermore, we host a Perioperative Medicine Fellowship which involves clinical experience through the medical direction of anesthesia care at UT Medical while obtaining the PEMBA degree. The College of Business has consistently been ranked for its top-tier MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and other prestigious publications. The PEMBA program at the University of Tennessee is a preeminent, nationally ranked degree program exclusively for physicians seeking leadership, management, and business skills.
Facilities
Anesthesia Pre-Op Clinic
As part of its role to provide peri-operative medical care, the Department of Anesthesiology directs the Anesthesia Pre-Op Clinic. A staff anesthesiologist and resident work with registered nurses to obtain a detailed electronic record of patients' past medical history, a directed physical examination, and appropriate laboratory and evaluative studies for approximately 800 patients per month.
The ultimate goal of the anesthesia pre-op clinic is to minimize surgical and anesthetic risk by assuring that patients are in a state of "best possible condition" in regard to their co-existing disease. By performing this assessment in the pre-op clinic, the additional goal of cost containment can be achieved by avoidance of unnecessary "blanket" pre-op testing, as well as minimizing delays and/or alteration of the Operating Room schedule. Thus, the Department of Anesthesiology strives to provide optimal perioperative patient care, cost containment, and optimization of OR scheduling and personnel utilization.
The Operating Rooms, Critical Care Units, and Obstetrics
The University of Tennessee Medical Center performs more than 50,000 anesthetics annually in 44 different operating rooms, 7 cardiac cath lab and radiology locations, 3 endovascular suites, and 7 endoscopy and bronchoscopy suites. Separate critical care areas include Cardiovascular, Trauma, Neurological Intensive Care, Medical Intensive Care, Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care. Over 5100 deliveries were performed in 16 labor rooms and 4 Obstetrical Operating Rooms. Epidural analgesia is provided for approximately 70% of deliveries.
The University of Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center
Over 5,500 operative procedures per year are performed in the seven operating rooms at the University of Tennessee Day Surgery Center located adjacent to the main hospital. This is a separate facility from the ambulatory surgery unit found within the main hospital.
University Center for Pain Management
The University Center for Pain Management includes both our comprehensive pain management clinic as well as the Anesthesia Interventional Pain Clinic (AIPC) located in the University of Tennessee Day Surgery Center. It is led by physicians trained in acute, chronic, and cancer-related pain management. Consultative services are available for those who are hospitalized as well those referred for evaluation in the ambulatory setting. The pain management team members develop an individualized and comprehensive plan for optimal pain treatment that will allow each person to return to an optimal level of function in his or her work and personal life. More than 2,400 pain procedures are performed each year and include procedures such as: spinal cord stimulation trials, intrathecal pain pump trials, superior and inferior hypogastric nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablations, celiac plexus blocks, cervical, thoracic and lumbar medial branch blocks, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve blocks, sacro-iliac joint injections, epidural steroid injections, lumbar discography, peripheral nerve stimulation and dorsal root ganglion stimulation as well as Intrathecal pain pump trials and implantation.
Other Department of Anesthesiology Facilities
The Department of Anesthesiology facilities consist of the Preston Medical Library, department conference rooms, and the Advanced Center for Medical Simulation. A team of administrative staff provide support for the faculty, residents, CRNAs, and SRNAs. The Anesthesiology Research Division at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) is dedicated to advancing knowledge that directly improves patient care while shaping the future of perioperative medicine through basic science and clinical research.
Learn More about Our Department
The UTHSC COM-Knoxville at UT Medical Center: Take a Tour
Department Chair
Patrick O. McConville, MD
UTHSC COM-Knoxville has named Patrick O. McConville, MD, Associate Professor, as Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.
Dr. McConville, a graduate of Tulane University School of Medicine, completed his residency training in anesthesiology at the UTHSC COM-Knoxville, followed by a fellowship in obstetric anesthesia at Wake Forest University. After joining the faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology in 2010, Dr. McConville was section head of Obstetrical Anesthesiology from 2010-2022. Additionally, as the Department of Anesthesiology Residency Program Director and Vice-Chair of Education since 2017, Dr. McConville led the expansion of the residency program to 10 residents per year. Dr. McConville has authored book chapters, presented broadly at both regional and national professional meetings, and serves as an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. McConville has served as President of the Tennessee Society of Anesthesiologists, board member for the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, and the UTMC Chief of Staff.
News
Dr. Vanterpool and Dr. Buehler Discuss Opiod Alternatives
Frontiers magazine features Stephanie Vanterpool, MD, MBA, Director of Comprehensive Pain Services and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, and Jason Buehler, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Division of Pain Medicine discussing options to treat pain as alternatives to opioids. Learn more.
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Medical Simulation
At the University of Tennessee Center for Advanced Medical Simulation (UTCAMS), physicians, students, and other members of the healthcare team attain not only improvement in individual skills, but also learn and practice team skills that are essential for patient safety. This type of multi-faceted, orchestrated training improves critical thinking, decision making, and clinical techniques - all without imparting risk to a real patient. Discover how the UTCAMS is enhancing the learning of our anesthesiology residents and nurse anesthetists:
