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Child Neurology Residency

Education / Graduate Medical Education / Prospective Residents / Child Neurology Residency Program / Curriculum

 

Curriculum

The following is the basic layout of the 3 years of Child Neurology training. The UR Child Neurology residency program supports the idea of flexibility in residency, and thus will work with residents to adjust this schedule to meet the needs of an individual resident based on their interests.

Residents may choose to focus on the following areas during residency and the program works with each individual resident to help choose experiences that fit their needs: Research, Practice, Education, or Global Health.

Second Year Pediatrics (PGY-2)

We now offer an optional non-American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) track for the PGY-2 year. We recognize that while some residents may want to be eligible to sit for their Pediatrics boards, 95% of child neurology resident graduates do not take the pediatrics boards and only practice child neurology. As such, we aim to allow as much exposure as possible to the complex field of child neurology during the 5-years of residency training. Our goal is to produce master child neurologists! Our residents can opt-in to our non-ABP PGY-2 track, but do not need to decide until February of their intern year, so they have some time to make their choice.

If they choose the non-ABP track, we can add the following flexibility into their 2nd year of pediatrics:

  • A fully incorporated child neurology continuity clinic that will replace their general pediatrics clinic
  • Approximately 3 blocks of inpatient or outpatient child neurology rotations to replace general pediatrics rotations (please note, those on ABP track are not allowed to do any child neurology electives as part of their pediatric years)
  • Increased elective flexibility (for example neuroradiology, neurophysiology, ophthalmology, child and adolescent psychiatry).

First Year Child Neurology (PGY-3)

Our program works hard to understand what is ideal for resident education, wellness, and professional development. We have formally studied resident opinion across the country (View Published Article), and found that residents with 12 months of adult training during the PGY-3 year scored worse on burn out, mood changes, work-life balance, and social wellbeing measures. We also found that a higher percentage of residents with training spread out liked their training format. Therefore, we have worked to include approximately 5 months of child neurology in the PGY-3 year. However, we leveraged the flexibility within the adult rotation requirements to focus most of the inpatient time in the PGY-3 with minimal inpatient/consult adult rotations in the PGY-4/5 years! The first year includes (1 block = 2 weeks; 26 total):

  • Adult neurology inpatient and consultation rotations (6 blocks)
  • Adult general neurology and sub-specialty outpatient rotations (3 blocks)
  • Adult Neuro-ICU (1 block)
  • Night float covering adult and pediatric neurology consults (2 blocks)
  • Urgent Adult Outpatient/Evening Float Service (1 block)
  • EEG reading (1 block)
  • Child neurology outpatient rotation (5 blocks)
  • Child neurology inpatient service (1 block)
  • Child neurology electives (4 blocks) and
  • Vacation (2 blocks)
  • Child neurology continuity clinic

Sample PGY-3 Schedule

Second Year Child Neurology (PGY-4)

The second year emphasizes clinical training in child neurology. The year includes:

  • Child neurology inpatient service - inpatient admitting service + consult service (including consultations for pediatric floor inpatients, ED, neonatal and pediatric intensive care units) (9 blocks)
  • Child neurology outpatient rotation -include experience in general Child Neurology as well as subspecialty clinics for children with epilepsy, movement disorders and Tourette syndrome, neurodevelopmental disabilities, neurogenetic disorders, brain tumors, demyelinating and inherited white matter disorders, headache (5 blocks)
  • Child neurology elective (4 blocks)
  • Adult neurology outpatient and sub-specialty clinics (3 blocks)
  • Inpatient epilepsy monitoring unit (adults and children) (2 blocks)
  • Adult neurology elective (including EEG, neuroradiology, neuropathology) (1 block)
  • Vacation (2 blocks)
  • Child neurology continuity clinic
  • There will be approximately 4.5 months of at-home call during this year, split into 2-week blocks

Sample PGY-4 Schedule

Third Year Child Neurology (PGY-5)

  • Elective and/or research time – options to get more experience with developmental disabilities, movement disorders, headache, palliative care, neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-otology, neuro-genetics and metabolic disease, demyelinating disease, neuromuscular disease, neuro-oncology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and private practice, EEG, neuroradiology, EMG, neuropathology, and more. (13 blocks)
  • Mind, Brain, Behavior course instructor – 2nd year medical student neuroscience course. This is an excellent opportunity for the resident to re-learn basic neuroscience and neuroanatomy, and to gain experience as a medical educator. (4 blocks)
  • Child neurology inpatient service (3 blocks)
  • Child neurology outpatient rotation (2 blocks)
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2 blocks)
  • Vacation (2 blocks)

Sample PGY-5 Schedule

Resident Call Schedule