On Saturday, August 16th, UNC Anesthesiology welcomed first-year anesthesiology resident (CA-1) support persons to the cutting-edge simulation lab settings of UNC School of Medicine’s Roper Hall for the department’s annual CA-1 Family Anesthesia Day. Six weeks into the 2025-2026 residency year, CA-1 Family Anesthesia Day was timed to when CA-1s are immersed in simulation learning of core anesthesiology practice, prior to patient care application. This year, 14 CA-1 residents exposed 37 family and friend support persons to a purposeful, firsthand look at the three-year anesthesiology training experience that immerses CA1s-CA3s in preparing to become competent, ready-for-practice anesthesiologists.
This year’s CA-1 Family Anesthesia Day offered guest support persons the chance to meet peers and program leaders who become like UNC Anesthesiology family for residents spending long hours at the hospital in the formative three years of learning their specialty. Guest attendees also participated in a day of observing what CA-1s had mastered to date, demonstrations and hands-on learning opportunities at UNC School of Medicine SIM Lab stations at Roper Hall.
UNC Anesthesiology Residency Program Director Susie Martinelli, MD, noted: “This year’s [CA-1 Family Anesthesia Day] was well attended and we received very positive feedback. I’m grateful to everyone who spent a large part of their Saturday with us to make this happen! Emily Teeter, Ben Cobb, Bridget Marroquin, Rob Isaak and Irina Phillips all participated as faculty. Andi Fritz and her husband Devin, Emily Newton and her mom Jill, and Jeremy Interrante and his husband Tyler were all members of the panel and these residents helped with the hands on stations too. Haylee did work ahead of time and came to the event to ensure that everything ran smoothly. Rob’s son Sammi, Emily’s daughter Madeline, and my kids Sammy and Cooper helped today too.”