Postgraduate Year 1 - Medicine Internship

This is spent with our Internal Medicine residency program. Duties are the same as categorical medicine residents for 11 months and one month of elective may be spent with the Psychiatry consult/liason service (as required for Neurology ACGME requirements).  Internal medicine training at UT Southwestern/Parkland hospital is nationally recognized for excellence.

Postgraduate Year 2 - Introduction to Neurology

The first month is an introduction to Neurology without major clinical responsibilities.  Residents attend small group review sessions of neuroembryology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, and neuroradiology.  They also get detailed training in performing the general and subspecialty neurological history and examination, training in common neurology procedures, and the basics of clinical neurophysiology.  The rest of the first month is a series of clinical experiences interacting with many of the faculty in subspecialty and general outpatient neurology clinics and ER.

The remainder of the the first year of neurology is direct care of hospitalized patients with neurologic disease.  Residents spend six months as a junior resident on the general neurology and stroke ward services at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Zale Lipshy University Hospital.  During these rotations, residents develop diagnostic skills and become familiar with management of acute neurologic problems under the supervision of senior residents, fellows, and attending faculty.  Outpatient training also begins this year with a weekly resident continuity neurology clinic at Parkland hospital.  All residents spend one afternoon a week in the clinic and are assigned patients they will follow throughout the three years of training.

A typical rotation schedule is listed here.  With the night float system, PGY2 residents on the hospital service will have overnight call twice per month.  Most months, a rotating intern and medical students work in a close relationship with the neurology resident.  Night call for the VA medical center is from home. There are no other call responsibilities in the first year.

Service and educational goals for the clinical rotations

Postgraduate Year 3 - Mastering your Skills

Residents continue to refine their inpatient management skills on the neurology primary and consult services at the affiliated hospitals. Most of the year is devoted to rotations in child neurology, neurophysiology and electives.  Residents are introduced to skills in nerve conduction studies, electromyography and electroencephalography during this year. Residents with academic interests may devote elective time to a clinical or basic science research project under the supervision of a faculty member.

The only in-house call is while assigned to Parkland hospital.  Night call for the VA and child neurology rotations is from home.  There are no on-call responsibilities during neuromuscular or elective months.

Service and educational goals for the clinical rotations
 

Postgraduate Year 4 - Becoming a Neurologist

The senior resident fills a major teaching and supervisory role and is essential to the education of medical students, interns, rotating residents from other programs, and junior neurology residents.  The senior residents also perform consultations in the hospital emergency room and learn to make appropriate triage and treatment decisions on acute patients.

The residents and faculty elect a senior year resident to be Chief Resident.  The Chief Resident assists with rotation and conference scheduling as well as other administrative duties.

Service and educational goals for the clinical rotations

Teaching Conferences

Daily neurology attending rounds are conducted on the Parkland inpatient and consult services and at Zale Lipshy University Hospital.  Grand Rounds are held each Wednesday noon.  In addition to the Neurology residency didactic curriculum, teaching conferences include weekly neurophysiology lectures, neuropathology lectures and case conferences, a child neurology didactic and case-vignette conference series, and a clinical neuroscience and board review conference on Friday noon.  Lunch is provided at many of the noon teaching conferences. One of the high points of the week is the live-patient professor rounds conducted by Dr. Roger Rosenberg.  An inpatient is selected by the chief resident.  Dr. Rosenberg elicits historical information and examination findings of interest, then discusses the topic. 

There is a monthly journal club.  Subspecialty conferences include a weekly neuro-oncology tumor conference and brain cutting, and a series of weekly neuromuscular seminars including journal club, muscle and nerve biopsy conference, and EMG review. 

Research Opportunities

UT Southwestern is center of research excellence.  Many of the Neurology faculty are not only outstanding teachers and clinicians, but also direct successful clinical or basic science research programs.  Residents are required to participate in research at some level.  Most perform short-term projects which do not require time away from the residency curriculum.  Longer-term projects lasting several months can be accomodated (with the approval of the program director) during the residency by using elective time or arranging time outside of the residency schedule.  Post-residency research positions are available at Southwestern in one of the clinical or basic neuroscience research laboratories.

UT Southwestern also has an NIH-funded Clinical Science Training & Career Development Program.  This program offers training to individuals who wish to pursue careers as clinician-investigators and prepares the fellow to conduct high quality clinical research.

Electives

Available electives include movement disorders, neuro-oncology, neuro-immunology (MS), neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-intensive care, behavioral neurology, spinal cord injury, neuro-rehabilitation, psychiatry, radiology,  neurosurgery, or additional experience in neuromuscular or epilepsy.  Elective time can also be devoted to a research project under the supervision of research faculty.

Resident Evaluations

All residents receive formal constructive evaluations with escalating standards each year of their training.  Live patient practical examinations are administered once or twice each year with a volunteer patient during which two attendings observe a resident take a history, perform a neurologic examination, and discuss a differential diagnosis and work-up.  These examinations help residents hone their clinical skills as well as fulfill the requirements for Neurology board certification.  In addition, all residents participate in the annual Residency In-Service Examination administered by the American Academy of Neurology.  Awards for outstanding performance are presented annually at the Residency Graduation Banquet.