University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria Program

Program Identity & Fit

UICOMP Anesthesiology is a new, community-based four-year categorical program built around a single teaching hospital, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, the largest hospital in the region and its main referral center for cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and high-risk obstetrics, giving residents exposure to tertiary-level complexity within a community-hospital structure. The curriculum is exam- and competency-driven, with structured ABA basic/advanced exam preparation, semiannual mock oral boards, OSCE practice, TEE certification eligibility by CA-3, and a care-team model in which residents work alongside CRNAs to develop into team leaders. Research is available and supported institutionally (Research Day, mentor-matching, Center 4 Health Research) but explicitly described as preferred, not required, indicating a clinically rather than research-driven identity. The program's structure - close faculty ratios early on, progressive autonomy, subspecialty electives in CA-3, and simulation training via the Jump Center - suggests it values steady clinical skill-building and board-exam readiness over academic pedigree, fitting a founding program still establishing its training culture.