Nonoperating room anesthesia education: preparing our residents for the future

Nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) is the fastest growing segment of anesthetic practice. This review provides an overview of knowledge and trends that will need to be introduced to residents as part of their education.

Topics for the future include, but are not limited to, new medications, artificial intelligence and big data, monitoring depth of hypnosis, translational innovation and collaboration, demographic changes, financial driving forces, destination hubs, medical tourism, and new approaches to education training and self-management.

Implementing new medical technologies for anesthesia outside the operating room will help to successfully master this ever evolving subspecialty. Anesthesiologists require specific preparation for the diverse settings that they will encounter during their training. In this rapidly changing field, cognitive fitness must be factored into teaching and evaluation of residents. We describe the most important topics to consider when educating anesthesiology residents, and highlight research that addresses upcoming challenges.