Hi, everyone! Thank you for taking an interest in the Cooper Anesthesiology Residency Program!
Our names are Rachel Moltz and Drew Kaplan and we are Chief Residents, CA3s, and close friends. Rachel is from southern York, PA and attended Lebanon Valley College for undergraduate studies followed by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Drew is from Washington Township, NJ and attended Ramapo College of New Jersey followed by TouroCOM Middletown.
Throughout our medical school rotations we realized that anesthesiology was the best of both medicine and procedural worlds. We loved the hands-on aspects of being in the OR and providing direct patient care combined with critical thinking required to manage patients' physiology, pathology, and/or anatomy in the perioperative period. Ultimately, it showed that anesthesiologists played a key role in caring for patients in a variety of important, vulnerable and/or life-changing events such as undergoing major cardiovascular surgery, life-threatening (or less than) traumas, welcoming babies into the world, etc which we could not wait to be a part of.
We were both thrilled to have matched into Cooper University Hospital Anesthesiology Residency. Cooper is a Level 1 Trauma Center and the only tertiary care hospital of its size in the area and is ranked among the top hospitals both regionally and nationally in nine specialties. Thus, you will experience a wide diversity of cases and take care of a medically complex patient population.
PGY1 year is considered a transitional year due to the combination of both medical and procedural rotations, and it ends with 1 month of anesthesia which effortlessly transitions you into CA1 year. Overall, CA1 year is meant to allow you to build a strong foundation and set you up for success in CA2 year when you are exposed to subspecialties. Then, CA3 year offers you the flexibility to pursue more elective rotations meant to prime you for fellowship, an attending job, or simply to refine your skills in whatever interests you such as regional, outpatient services, TEE, difficult airway, etc. In addition to excellent training at Cooper, we also visit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for 2 months CA2 year, and 1 month in CA3 year where we are exposed to truly unique cases and become very comfortable managing children with life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
Learning opportunities are also abundant as there are monthly M&Ms, weekly didactic lectures, journal clubs, and simulation sessions. The attendings care about our education and encourage a positive learning environment. Further, all of the residents work to help each other grow professionally, and we all become close through the years.
We are beyond grateful and honored to be a part of this program. Our emails are moltz-rachel@cooperhealth.edu and kaplan-drew@cooperhealth.edu. We are more than happy to answer any questions!
Sincerely,
Rachel & Drew
