Education

Didactic Program

A comprehensive core curriculum has been implemented for the didactic education of fellows throughout the year. Teaching conferences are conducted weekly. The fellows office is equipped with individual computers with Internet access to support clinical and didactic education.

Pain Management Fellow Library

A comprehensive departmental library acquires current textbooks and subscribes to the major pain management journals and other pertinent literature. Each fellow receives an educational allowance at departmental expense. Computer work stations provide access to other major journals, on-line text books, and Web-based educational resources.
 
On-Call Schedule

A reasonable on-call schedule is maintained to balance educational and service needs with the personal and family needs of the fellow. Pain fellows take call from home and perform inpatient rounds with the pain attending on-call. Average on-call time is one out of every 4 to 5 weeks. The program is easily compliant with the ACGME limits on work-duty hours.

A Healthy Learning Environment

West Penn and Allegheny General hospitals foster an environment of interaction that is conducive for training young physicians. The size of the program allows for the faculty to get to know each fellow, allowing them to personalize the fellow’s individual learning, based on their individual strengths and weaknesses. As part of this effort, a personal interview is required of a pain management fellowship applicant. The visit gives the applicant an opportunity to meet our faculty and to interact with fellows currently in the program.

Living in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a very friendly, family-oriented city with an expanding nightlife and beautiful suburbs. No longer a center for heavy industry, the city has earned an international reputation for its successful shift into advanced technology and biomedical enterprises. The extensive physical redevelopment of the metropolitan area has been paralleled by a rise in quality of life indicators, as demonstrated by the selection of Pittsburgh as among the most livable cities in the United States.  Building on a base of stable neighborhoods, low housing costs, moderate climate, and low crime rates, Pittsburgh also boasts a diversified economy and strong cultural, educational, and medical communities.

Leisure Activities Abound

Regular performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and the Pittsburgh Opera will satisfy the most demanding performance-goers. Museum lovers will appreciate the Carnegie museums (Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum) and the Senator John Heinz History Center. Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the Pittsburgh Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers, as well as Division I college sports.

Local, regional and state parks, bicycling, hiking and walking trails and recreational facilities of all types offer a wide variety of outdoor leisure activities.