BC Children’s Hospital
The Department of Anesthesia at British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital (BCCH) is one of 11 similar University affiliated pediatric anesthesia specialist groups in Canada. The 25 anesthesiologists at BCCH all have special training and experience in the perioperative management of infants, children and youth. These Pediatric Anesthesiologists are specialist physicians who, in addition to completion of their MD degree and at least 5 years of anesthesia training, have completed at least one year of further subspecialty training in pediatric anesthesia.
Our Pediatric Anesthesiologists are part of a perioperative care team. This team includes pediatric surgeons from all surgical specialties, intensive care physicians, pediatric dentists, pediatricians, nurses and anesthesia assistants. Working in cooperation with this team, each child from the smallest, sickest neonate to the largest, fittest adolescent is individually evaluated. An anesthetic and pain management plan is discussed and planned with the family. Care plans are family focused. For example, in most cases, a parent with a child more than 12 months old may be with their child during the induction of anesthesia.
The Anesthesia department provides services in the following areas:
- All common surgical specialties, including General, Plastics, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Urology, Dental, GI Endoscopy, Pediatric Gynecology, Dermatology
- Tertiary/quaternary surgical specialties: Cardiac, Neurosurgery, Scoliosis Correction, Limb Lengthening, Hip Reconstruction, Burns, Oncology
- Diagnostic Imaging, Interventional Radiology and Cardiac Catheterisation, Pediatric Radiotherapy
- Integrated Pain Management including the Acute Pain Service and the Complex Pain Consultation Service
- Pre-Admission Clinic
- Post Anesthetic Care Unit
In addition, the department is active in quality improvement, education, research and Faculty development. Our research and QI activities are coordinated by the Pediatric Anesthesia Research Department. Members are involved locally, provincially, nationally and internationally with education and research to improve and to advance pediatric anesthesia and pain management techniques. Our competitive Pediatric Fellowship training program provides specialty pediatric anesthesia clinical training and academic opportunities. We provide pediatric anesthesia education to all UBC’s anesthesia residents and GP-Anesthesia trainees, as well as to residents and Fellows from intensive care, emergency medicine, and pediatrics; and to UBC’s medical students.