Where Are They Now?
The Department of Anesthesiology has always had such wonderful people who have contributed to make it what it is today. We would like to know what some of our colleagues and friends who have moved on are doing now and how UMMC played a role in their careers and lives. If would like to be featured in future articles of the newsletter, please e-mail Sara Robertson at smbrobertson@umc.edu. We would love to hear from you!
Dair Chevalier, M.D. (2010 UMMC Anesthesiology Residency Graduate)
Tell us about what you have been doing since you graduated from the residency program. What does your anesthesia practice look like? How did UMMC prepare you for your current career?
Once I graduated from UMMC, I went to Children's Medical Center-Dallas to complete a Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship. I also had my first child, Bexar, while in fellowship. Turns out, I was pregnant during my UMMC residency graduation, but didn't know it until a few weeks later!
After fellowship, I was recruited from Dallas to begin a new stand-alone Children's Hospital in Temple, TX, part of the Baylor Scott and White Healthcare System. I began there as a pediatric anesthesiologist in January of 2012, and have been here at McLane Children's Medical Center since then. I am one of seven attending anesthesiologists in our group. We have 7 pediatric anesthetic sites a day. We also have a group of 9 pediatric CRNA's that we work with, and 2 resident's per month that we teach. So, it is an academic practice, that is 100% pediatric. We solo approximately 10-20% of our cases, the rest is supervision of both residents and CRNA's. I became the site chief here in July of 2016.
UMMC was an excellent preparation for my current career because of the variety of cases I was allowed to do at Batson, and the teaching I received there. Not only was I taught to do many kinds of NICU cases, as well as varied types of pediatric cases, I was also exposed to pediatric cardiac cases as well. This was an excellent preparation for fellowship. In addition, not only was I taught by my attendings, but the older residents took time to teach me, as well as the CRNA's, and the collegial atmosphere at Batson is one I have tried to emulate and replicate here in Texas. I remember good times in the OR's, and good conversations in the lunch room as well. It was one for all, all for one, very much a team atmosphere. I enjoyed residency at UMMC very much, and the complexity of all cases I was exposed too prepared me for my job as an Anesthesia Consultant.
What did you enjoy most about being a resident in this program?
Truthfully, one of the things I most enjoyed about residency was sitting around with my classmates gossiping about the attendings 🙂.
If you could give any advice to our current trainees, what would it be?
Jump in with both feet. You get out what you put in, so put in a lot. The days in residency are long, but the years are short! You have each worked hard to be here, but you will have to continue to work
hard to stay....but you will help so many patients along the way! And above all, be grateful and thankful to all of those who have helped you get here!