All veterinary clinicians – from primary care to specialty practice – treat pain to some extent. However, if a veterinarian wishes to specialize and become board-certified in anesthesia and analgesia – and thereby a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (DACVAA), a three-year residency is required. In addition to the requirements set forth by the ACVAA for the residency, a one-year rotating internship or a year in general practice – either small or large animal – is required to sit for the ACVAA Certifying Examination. Although analgesia is not the only component of a residency in this specialty, it is an important one.

The Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) offers two residency positions per year in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; detailed information is available through the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP). The Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Service in the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) has a well-established and internationally recognized locoregional anesthesia program, and the CUHA has a large, diverse, and unique pain medicine caseload comprised of small animals (dogs and cats), horses, farm animals, exotic pets, and captive and free-ranging wild animals.

With regard to the locoregional anesthesia program, the Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Service prides itself on collegial, collaborative interactions with other CUHA services and on safety. Residents focus on learning neuraxial anesthesia in their first year, and they participate in Locoregional Boot Camp at the ends of their first and second years, when they learn advanced peripheral nerve blocks on cadavers. After mastering an advanced peripheral nerve block in Boot Camp, they begin performing the block in hospitalized patients under faculty supervision. Didactic activities such as Journal Club, Pain Medicine Rounds, and lectures on pain pathophysiology and analgesic drug pharmacology round out their clinical experiences.