Residents from a variety of disciplines (e.g., anesthesia, dentistry, rheumatology, psychiatry, palliative care) do rotations at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit. During the rotations, which can last from one to several months, residents are exposed to the multidisciplinary team approach, see their own patients and participate in the educational and scientific activities of the Unit.

Objectives of the resident rotation in the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit are to:

• Learn knowledge of basic science as applicable to chronic pain, including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and physics
• • Pain transmission and modulation
  • Anatomy of the peripheral and central nervous system
  • Pharmacology of the main medications used in the treatment of chronic pain
• Learn clinical skills necessary for the assessment of the chronic pain patient
• • Pain assessment tools including factors biasing pain measurement
  • Clinical assessment including history, laboratory investigations and psychosocial/psychiatric evaluation
• Learn clinical skills for the diagnosis and treatment of the main pain syndromes
• Learn basic aspects and technical skills required for chronic pain management
• • Pharmacotherapy
  • Physical therapies
  • Interventional pain-relieving procedures
  • Psychological techniques
• Learn possible problems of chronic drug use
• Understand the psycho-social aspects of chronic pain
• • Understand the multifactorial etiology of chronic pain
  • Understand variability of the pain experience
  • Understand widespread impact of chronic pain on all aspects of life
  • Understand expectations of chronic pain patients of Pain Clinic
  • Understand special problems of caring for the chronic pain patient
  • Recognition of the limits of pain medicine
  • Recognition of the effect of emotional distress, cognitive dysfunction, and malingering on the presentation and success of pain therapy
  • Recognition of the importance of physicians’ reactions to chronic pain patients (i.e. countertransference) in the doctor-patient relationship