Vikram Bansal, MD, and Jeffrey Clemmons, MD, both won the American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) Pain Medicine's Excellence in Education Award. Both doctors say it is humbling to have received such a prestigious award. This is a national award that recognizes physician members at the instructor or assistant professor level who have demonstrated innovation and success in education and have been attending physicians for a minimum of five years. Recipients of this award have demonstrated innovation and dedication to the delivery of knowledge in the field of regional anesthesia and/or pain medicine.
“My primary reason for working in academic medicine has always been my desire to work with residents, fellows, and medical students,” Clemmons said. “Medical education has always been something that I am passionate about and, as a result, put a lot of effort into making sure our trainees have a good experience in regional anesthesia.”
Bansal said he wants residents, fellows, and medical students to feel invested in their patients and to take ownership of their care. “It is my job to foster technical, analytical, and leadership skills by serving as their guide.”
When asked what they had done to win this award. Bansal and Clemmons gave credit to their trainees, saying this award would not have been possible without their dedication and enthusiasm.
“My philosophy when it comes to teaching is to have tangible enthusiasm. One of the best compliments I get when working with trainees is when they tell me how much fun they had working together,” Clemmons explained. “Over the past year, I became the regional anesthesia rotation director for our residents, and I have primarily worked at a fast-paced outpatient orthopedic surgery center where trainees improve upon their regional anesthesia skills. When our trainees are there, we emphasize efficient, effective patient care in an enjoyable environment. We work hard and move fast, but we also joke, laugh, and have a good time.”
Bansal said he is motivated by the patients and the ability to help them with their pain. “In this age of opioid abuse, anything we can do to reduce opioid consumption is a major win. I am also motivated by my colleagues, residents and fellows who have a passion for regional anesthesia and want to learn more to advance the field,” Bansal expressed.
Clemmons said regional anesthesia is fun. “It is easy to work hard at something you enjoy. In addition to that, at Vanderbilt Surgery Center Franklin, we are able to use various regional anesthesia techniques to improve patient satisfaction and increase patient throughput at the center,” Clemmons explained. “From an educational standpoint, to see our residents' confidence grow from the beginning of the regional rotation to the end is incredibly rewarding. I am fortunate in my practice that I get to combine two of my passions, regional anesthesia, and resident education, into one venue.”
It is Clemmons's fifth year as an attending anesthesiologist. Bansal has been practicing medicine as an attending for over six years now, all at Vanderbilt.