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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Anesthesia
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the Anesthesia Residency program offered by the Department of Anesthesia at IU School of Medicine.

Anesthesia Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Medical students interested in the Anesthesiology Residency program at IU School of Medicine can find information here about the application requirements. For the 2025 ERAS® cycle, our program will be collecting and reviewing data from applicants' supplemental ERAS applications. Completion of the standard MyERAS application is a requirement; completion of the supplemental ERAS application is optional. In its second year of use, the supplemental ERAS application is designed to help applicants share more information about themselves and assist our program in finding applicants that fit our program's setting and mission. There is no cost to applicants and participation is optional.

The supplemental ERAS application includes geographic preferences (by division and by urban or rural setting); information about an applicant's most meaningful experiences and other impactful life events, if applicable; and program signals. Anesthesiology has five gold signals and 10 silver signals. It is recommended that you use all of your signals, as programs often use signals when prioritizing interview offers. Additionally, the AAMC suggests that applicants signal their most interested programs regardless of whether they are home or away rotations. This is the most fair and equitable process for all applicant types (MD, DO and IMGs) and provides all programs that participate in receiving signals with the same information about interest level.

Thalamus Guide to Signaling

AAMC supplemental ERAS application

The Department of Anesthesia fills 30 residency positions each year through the Match program: four categorical positions (PGY1-4) and 26 advanced positions (PGY2-4) for a total of 90 residency positions during the CA1-CA3 years. The Residency Selection Committee uses a holisitic review process during the invitation, interview, and ranking process. It is highly recommended that applicants apply for both categorical and advanced positions through ERAS. Interview offers are not based upon applications to a specific track.

The PGY1 Fundamental Clinical Skills (FCS) year includes at least six months of clinical rotations during which the resident has responsibility for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with a variety of medical and surgical problems, of which at most one month may involve the administration of anesthesia and one month of pain medicine. Acceptable FCS experiences include training in internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, neurology, or family medicine—or any combination of these as pre-approved for by the anesthesiology residency program director. Other rotations within the 12 months of broad education should be relevant to the practice of anesthesiology. Training as a fellow in a subspecialty program is not an acceptable FCS experience.

The Department of Anesthesia requests that the FCS year includes two months of Critical Care Medicine and one month of Emergency Medicine.

The four categorical positions are preliminary internal medicine positions. The anesthesia preliminary interns are joined by other preliminary interns from neurology, radiology, radiation oncology and dermatology. During the PGY1 year, anesthesia prelims will complete:

  • Two months of critical care in a medical ICU (usually at the VA)
  • One month of emergency medicine (usually at Methodist Hospital) 
  • One month of anesthesia pain elective
  • One month of anesthesiology elective (both anesthesia electives are usually in the final three months of the year before starting PGY2 year)
  • Four to five months of general internal medicine wards rotations (might include one month of night float)
  • Three to four months of medicine consult electives (i.e. cardiology, GI, nephrology)

Of note, the mandatory orientation for internal medicine and the anesthesia preliminary year/categorical year occurs two weeks prior to other orientations on campus, typically in early to mid-June.

The Department of Anesthesia accepts residency applications through ERAS, including an optional supplemental application. Applicants must have passed Step 1 USMLE or COMLEX and report their Step 2 CS score prior to the application deadline.

Find details on admission requirements and processes through the IU School of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education.

 

The ERAS application, including all supporting documentation, including the personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and USMLE Step 1 results, should be completed by October 1. Applications completed after this time may be considered on a rolling basis if interview slots are still available. The earlier the application is finalized, the better.

Interviews are held roughly October through February. Dates vary each year. Interviews are offered on a rolling basis.

Yes, the couples match is an option through ERAS.

DO candidates are not required to take the USMLE, however they must have passed COMLEX Level 1 and report their COMLEX Level 2 score in order to be considered for an interview. 

Requirements for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) are available through the Office of Graduate Medical Education.  Among other required qualifications, IMG applicants should have U.S. citizenship, be a permanent resident of the United States or have a J-1 Visa and have a permanent medical license for Indiana. Please note that H1-B Visas are typically not accepted, and F-1 Visas are not accepted by the Department of Anesthesia at IU School of Medicine.

At this time, observership positions are not offered.

No problem. ERAS allows up to four letters of recommendation. The Department of Anesthesia considers a complete application to include three letters of recommendation. Four is fine.

Please refer to the AMA Residency & Fellowship Database (FREIDA) for additional information. For details about the IU School of Medicine Anesthesia Residency program, contact Jennifer L. Stewart, DO by phone at 317-274-0275 or by email at anesres@iu.edu.