Regional Anaesthesia
Regional Anaesthesia training for Stages 1-3
Regional Anaesthesia is now a mandatory aspect of the RCoA 2021 curriculum across all Stages. All residents are required to reach proficiency across various areas of regional anaesthesia, demonstrating levels of evidence in the LLP. There has been a vast increase in training delivered to support the increase in requirements across Health Boards and also via other educational resources. Residents in Wales are now able to access the training required to develop these skills. The Welsh School of Anaesthesia also has an excellent array of Stage 1 and Stage 2-3 courses to build on these skills. These are delivered across Health Board sites in both North and South Wales and we are soon going to be running courses at the National Imaging Academy Wales.
Welsh School of Anaesthesia Regional Anaesthesia Courses
Stage 1 Regional Anaesthesia Training Day
The UGRA (Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia) course is a one-day course aiming to help residents achieve the Regional Anaesthesia curriculum requirements for Stage 1.
What to expect:
- Pre-course learning resources and quiz
- Focus on establishing skills for UGRA- getting the right picture, seeing your needle
- Lots of hands-on practice with scanning and needling
- Experience using augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistance (NeedleTrainer, and ScanNav Anatomy Peripheral Nerve Block; Intelligent Ultrasound)
- Personalised feedback from facilitators throughout
- DOPS for Fascia Iliaca block
The course is free for CT1-3 (Anaesthetics) who have completed their IAC and who have done 6 months of anaesthetics. The course will be held in various locations across Wales. Please contact training leads for details of upcoming courses.
The Grange University Hospital (lead Dr James Lloyd - James.Lloyd3@wales.nhs.uk
Next course January 15th 2026.
University Hospital of Wales (lead Dr Paul Carter - Paul.Carter3@wales.nhs.uk)
Next course January 21-22nd 2026.
Swansea Bay/Hywel Dda (lead Dr Gareth James - Gareth.I.James@wales.nhs.uk)
Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor (lead Dr Stephan Clements - Stephan.Clements@wales.nhs.uk)
The number of attendees for each day is limited in order to maximise hands-on practice. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis (but there will be a reserve list). If you have registered and then can no longer attend, please email the course organiser as soon as possible so that your place can be offered to someone on the reserve list.
Stage 2 Regional Anaesthesia Study Day
This is a simulation and workshop-based course which aims to help residents achieve many of the Regional Anaesthesia (RA) curriculum requirements for Stage 2. There will be a mixture of modalities including UGRA (Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia) elements, workshops and simulation-based education.
What to expect:
Pre-course reading materials and questionnaire.
Workshops surrounding communication, anticoagulation and consent in regional anaesthesia.
Simulation scenarios with candidates demonstrating sonoanatomy and conduct of UGRA as well as management of emergencies in RA.
Debrief and feedback sessions.
This is a free course for ST4 and ST5 anaesthetic residents undergoing Stage 2 training.
Regional Anaesthesia External Resources
Regional anaesthesia has seen a massive increase in popularity, with techniques and teaching having changed significantly in the last 10-15 years. Thankfully there is a large online presence for Regional Anaesthesia, with a few links recommended below :
External Links to organisations that are useful
1. RA-UK
This is the UK Regional anaesthesia society. They organise an excellent 2 day annual scientific meeting in the springtime which provides a very convenient platform for poster presentations, and covers a lot of clinical information. Guidelines on topics such as consent for RA, management of complications of RA and anticoagulation. They have a new app, containing many pearls of RA wisdom.
Membership as a resident costs £55, but gets you membership to ESRA as well, with subsequent USABCD and RAPM access.
2. ESRA
The European Society of Regional Anaesthesia organise an annual congress, which is more focussed on research and basic science than RA-UK. ESRA publish the PROSPECT guidelines which provide evidence base for RA in specific procedures.
Membership is 40 Euros and provides access to USABCD which is an excellent online platform for learning RA techniques and procedures. They also organise the European Diploma in Regional Anaesthesia (EDRA).
3. NYSORA
The New York School of Regional Anaesthesia is the home of US based RA author Admir Hadzic. This is the biggest free RA resource on the web, with lots of accessible web pages on topics from RA pharmacology and adjuncts, to how to guides for all the common blocks.
Apps
1. RAUK
This is brand new, and is essentially a digitalised version of the RA-UK Pocket Guide to Ultrasound Guided Regional Anaesthesia. This covers the anatomy, indications, and performance of common blocks, with lots of clinical information.
2. AnSo, Anaesthesia Sonoanatomy.
This free app offers excellent information and pictures about the sonoanatomy of regional anaesthesia, a comprehensive list of all of the blocks you are likely to need with surface anatomy, probe positioning, and ultrasound images. There is a pro version on the way. The one downfall is it contains very little in the way of clinical information; when to use a block, what it blocks, how much local anaesthetic to use etc
3. NYSORA
This has more clinical information than AnSo about drugs, doses, and indications for a block. Walks you through learning each block from the basic anatomy through to the sonoanatomy, how to get the right images and where to put your local. This is a fairly expensive subscription at £13 per month.
4. YouTube Channels
Reputable clinicians who are eminent figures in the world of RA have channels that can be accessed.
Jeff Gadsden, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine
Ki-Jinn Chin, Professor of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto
Amit Pawa, Past president of RA-UK and excellent speaker
NYSORA
RA-UK
