Obstetrics Anesthesiology Fellowship Program

Ochsner offers a one year fellowship in obstetric anesthesia that has been ACGME accredited since 2013. The fellowship is centered at the Baptist Hospital location of Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. Baptist is a tertiary care facility that has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. There are over 3500 deliveries/year at Ochsner with approximately 40% having high risk maternal and/or fetal conditions.

The fellowship offers advanced clinical training with several fellowship-trained mentors fostering a comprehensive education designed to prepare the fellow for any career path including academic, private practice or administrative.

There are many reasons to pursue an obstetric anesthesia fellowship. This is a dynamic and fulfilling specialty. Maternal mortality in our country is unfortunately not declining, but instead has approximately doubled over the last 30yrs. There is a significant increase in cardiovascular disease and critical illness among our parturients. Subspecialty training in obstetric anesthesia prepares one to care for these challenging patients and improve patient safety. Our Obstetric colleagues have recognized the importance of our specialty and this is highlighted in the Maternal Levels of Care which was created by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). This document outlines the different levels of obstetric level care provided by hospitals. Two of the highest levels require a board certified anesthesiologist with specialty training or experience in obstetric anesthesia to be in charge of OB anesthesia services. This validates our specialty and demonstrates the increased need for fellowship trained OB anesthesiologists.