Education Curriculum | Neurology Academic Programs and Training

The Neuroscience and Neuroanatomy Courses are independent 6-week lecture series blocks that cover fundamental and key concepts relevant for neurologists. The courses are taught by core education faculty and neuroscience scholars. The goal of these lecture series is to establish solid foundational knowledge in neuroanatomy and clinical neuroscience relevant for careers in neuroscience and clinical practice.

In preparation for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Certification Exam, our residents take the annual AAN RITE exam to gauge personal knowledge and progress.  We have 2 months of dedicated RITE preparation didactics in the months leading up to the examination.

We have weekly morning report run by a faculty member and chief resident. The interactive sessions focus on neuroanatomic localization, relevant diagnostic test interpretation, and development of differential diagnoses based on cases presented by residents.

Interdisciplinary neuroradiology rounds for neurology and radiology residents occurs monthly and run jointly by neurology and neuroradiology faculty. The conference reviews interesting cases focusing on key neuroimaging findings.

Grand Rounds are held weekly every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and provided by faculty and visiting scholars. Once monthly, a dedicated Clinicopathological Conference is presented by a resident supported by a faculty mentor, and neurology residents give a grand rounds lecture during their senior year based on their research or scholarly interest.

Several journal clubs are held monthly for various disciplines and include neurovascular, epilepsy and deep brain stimulation. A critical review and evidence-based discussion is provided by the resident and supporting faculty. 

We have several multidisciplinary subspecialty conferences which are embedded into clinic and elective rotations for residents to attend while on a specific rotation or when otherwise available. These include Epilepsy Case Conference, Deep Brain Stimulation Case Conference, Alzheimer’s Clinicopathological Conference, Tumor Board, and Neurovascular Case Conference.

Our quarterly Morbidity and Mortality Conference focuses on initiates to improve quality patient care and related health education processes. The meeting is attended by Neurology and Neurocritical Care faculty to aid in case discussion and best practices. An additional unique, quarterly Quality and Safety Conference for faculty and residents focuses on health care initiatives, quality improvement and patient safety—a dedicated venue that allows residents to showcase their Quality Improvement Projects.

Our residency program provides a broad exposure to patient care across the spectrum of neurological disorders while serving a demographically diverse patient population in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. Our graduates are well prepared to enter careers in both academic and community medicine and are competitive candidates for subspecialty clinical or neuroscience fellowships.

We offer 10 categorical resident positions yearly. Trainees enter at the PGY-1 level and complete a first-year internship with the Department of Internal Medicine. In PGY-2, they transition to the Neurology Department to complete the next three years of training. Our program includes eighteen months of clinical adult neurology, six months of outpatient patient neurology, three months of child neurology, and one month of psychiatry as required by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Residents will attend their own weekly half-day continuity clinic that is staffed by core clinical teaching faculty and visiting faculty.  

The program is structured to provide each resident with flexibility during their third and final training year. Residents can individualize their experience based on academic and career interests.

The academic year contains 12 rotation blocks per year with full or ½ block rotations (24 – 30 days per block). Each resident has 20 vacation days annually which can be taken in 1- or 2-week blocks and 4 educational days per year.

We have over 50 highly skilled clinical teaching faculty who cover the spectrum of neurological subspecialties in adult and pediatric neurology. Our faculty is dedicated to providing high-quality patient care and educating the next generation of neurologists. We have created six complimentary specialty clinics modules for residents to rotate through to optimize their outpatient experience.  

Vascular Neurology Team

The vascular team is a consult and primary service for all vascular neurology patients. The team is comprised of either one senior resident (PGY4) and two junior residents (PGY2s) or one vascular fellow and two junior residents (PGY3 and PGY2) and a supervising vascular attending physician. We also have psychiatry, internal medicine, and students rotate on our service. The team cares for vascular patients in the intensive care with the support of our Neurocritical Care Team and in telemetry units. They see all acute stroke codes activations and vascular patients in consultation or on our primary service throughout the hospital.

General Neurology Team

The general neurology team is a consult and primary service for all non-vascular general neurology patients. The team is comprised of one senior resident (PGY3 or 4), one junior residents (PGY1 or 2), and a supervising attending physician. We also have psychiatry, internal medicine and students rotate on our service. The team cares for all non-vascular general neurology patients throughout the hospital and accepts ICU patients being downgraded from the NeuroICU who have been care for by our Neurocritical Care Team.

Pediatric Consult Team

The pediatric consult team is a consult service for all patients less than 18 years old with a neurologic concern. The team is comprised of 1 – 2 residents (PGY2-4) and a supervising pediatric neurologist. The teams evaluate patients throughout the ED and hospital.

Night float

Our night float system consists of one PGY2 or 3 resident and is on call overnight in-house. The resident sees all new consults and covers the in-patient ward service. The ward senior and supervising attending provide support and backup from home overnight.

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

We have an eleven-bed epilepsy monitoring unit with weekly admissions for characterization of seizures and for surgical planning. One resident (PGY2-4) and epilepsy fellow cover the EMU service under the supervision of the attending epileptologist. The team provides primary management responsibilities for EMU patients and interpret both routine and continuous EEG recordings throughout the day.

Neurocritical Care

We have a 10-bed Neuroscience ICU shared between Neurosurgery and Neurology. Patients are co-managed with a multidisciplinary approach under the care of primary services (Neurosurgery and Neurology) and the NCC service. Our residents spend two independent months on a dedicated Neurocritical Care rotation under the supervision of a neurocritical care supervising attending physician.