Training Program Description

During the first year of residency, the focus is on clinical adult neurology training. The resident will rotate through various inpatient and outpatient rotations at Yale New Haven Hospital and Veteran Affairs West Haven Hospital. The primary goal of this year is to become competent in all aspects of clinical adult neurology, including care of acute and chronic neurologic problems and to become competent at exam-based localization of neurological. Residents begin participating in various educational programs including weekly grand rounds, daily morning reports and noon core lecture series. In addition to patient care responsibilities on the ward and in outpatient adult neurology clinics, residents also have two to three elective blocks in clinical neuroscience focused in adult neurology such as EEG, neuropathology, and neuroradiology (among others). Residents also participate in the teaching of medical students during their required neurology clinical clerkship. The first year of training also includes two blocks of pediatric neurology, one on the wards and one in outpatient clinics. This clinical experience will allow the trainee to learn some of the essential skills of obtaining a neurologic history, performing a neurologic examination, and developing a differential diagnosis in pediatric setting. While being immersed in adult neurology, during this year the resident also begins seeing pediatric neurology outpatients in his or her own weekly continuity clinic.

During the second year, the pediatric neurology residents complete four blocks of ward and three blocks of outpatient pediatric neurology rotations. During the outpatient pediatric neurology blocks, the residents rotate through various pediatric neurology clinics. The remaining five blocks are used in flexible elective time. During the elective months, residents can choose from a wide range of opportunities including neuropathology, EEG/epilepsy, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and EMG. During one of these flexible months, the resident will rotate on the child psychiatry service. Each resident's program is individually tailored to meet core educational needs and the interests and career goals of the resident. The ward blocks provide outstanding clinical. This provides opportunities to see the complete range of neurological illness encountered from pre-term infants to late adolescents. In addition to a busy ward and consult service, residents also benefit from experience on the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Residents also work in a variety of general and subspecialty pediatric neurology clinics (including epilepsy, neuromuscular, neuro-oncology, genetics, and movement disorders clinics), where cases are staffed by members of the full-time faculty. The residents are also responsible for organizing and presenting at weekly case conferences. In addition, the resident supervises and assists in the teaching of junior residents and medical students. Throughout the year, the resident continues to see patients in a weekly continuity clinic.

In the final year of the program, the resident again has four blocks of ward and three blocks of outpatient pediatric neurology rotations. The resident refines skills in clinical pediatric neurology and is expected to develop a more prominent role in teaching of residents and medical students. Two blocks will be spent in adult neurology and another three blocks are reserved for electives and research. The resident again sees patients of his or her own in a weekly continuity clinic.