Fellow in Bariatric Anaesthesia
The post would suit an experienced anaesthetic registrar or post FRCA holder, who wants experience and training in the management of obese/super-obese patients for bariatric surgery and critical care.
The successful applicant will develop experience in all areas of bariatric anaesthesia, and become highly proficient in managing all patients with morbid obesity. This is an expanding field of anaesthesia, and there will be demand in future for anaesthetists with these specialist skills. The AAGBI already recommend each hospital has a lead anaesthetist in managing the obese patient.
The post will provide training to Level 3 as recommended by SOBA (Society for Obesity and Bariatric Anaesthesia), and the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
Experience in preoperative assessment (POAC), the multidisciplinary approach to obesity/metabolic syndrome, service design and commissioning is also available. In addition, total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is widely used, and a lot of exposure to this type of anaesthesia is available.
The bariatric anaesthetic service has four Consultant Anaesthetists and one Associate Specialist who cover all the theatre work, multidisciplinary meetings both local and regional, and POAC. It is envisaged that the successful applicant would be able, after appropriate training to be able to undertake solo work in bariatrics. Annually we perform more than 250 operations.
For those interested in research there is a programme of research already occurring within the bariatric/metabolic unit, in conjunction with Imperial College in London, and participation in this would be encouraged.
Details
There will be opportunities for developing expertise in fast track surgery, TIVA and enhanced recovery programmes, all of which we practice in bariatrics.
The post-holder will gain wide experience in preoperative assessment and there are a multitude of possibilities for individual expertise to be developed, as well as research (CPEX, cardiac CT, sleep studies, diabetes management, assessment of cardiac function in the morbidly obese, drug handling, airway assessment etc could all be explored). We would encourage the post holder to select some of these areas and develop them.
There are several research projects ongoing which the post holder would be expected to participate in.
There is also scope to undertake new research and audit projects.
The post will require the holder to participate in the general registrar anaesthetic on call, on a 1 in 8 basis (with internal cross cover).
The post will concentrate on bariatric services but on occasions there will be an element of general anaesthetic service provision work.