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TYPICAL BLOCK ROTATIONS – Child Neurology Program Year 1

EMU: Epilepsy Monitoring Unit
NNICU: Neurology Intensive Care Unit
NF: Night Float

 TYPICAL TOTALS BY WEEKS – Child Neurology Program Year 1

Longitudinal Experiences: The first year child neurology resident will attend one 1/2 day per week clinics during service months. The clinics rotate and include: neuromuscular, stroke, epilepsy, headache, child neurology and general neurology. During elective weeks, the child neurology year 1 resident will attend full day clinics. Furthermore, he/she will see his/her own patients in a running child neurology continuity clinic; this clinic is staffed by Dr. Rust. Our residents have the opportunity to start their pediatric neurology continuity clinic in their PGY2 pediatrics year during elective months.

Child Neurology Program Years 2 and 3 (PGY 4 and 5) Schedule

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires three years of training in neurology – one full year of adult neurology and two years of child neurology.  For the two years of child neurology, the ACGME requires one year of clinical child neurology and one year of “flexible” training. 

I) PGY4 – Clinical Child Neurology
1) Ward and Consult Child Neurology Resident
     There is great emphasis on inpatient child neurology during the PGY4 year.  There is ample opportunity to care for children admitted to the child neurology service.  Inpatient responsibilities include consults from various pediatric services including the emergency department, wards (general and specialty services), pediatric intensive care, and neonatal intensive care. 

      The child neurology resident will be designated as the ‘primary’ ward and consult child neurology resident for approximately 2 months during the PGY4 year – this includes home call during weekdays and approximately 2 weekends per month.  There is no in-house call during PGY4 or PGY5 years.  The remaining months are covered by a resident from adult neurology.  You will find that the adult neurology residents are quite adept in the care of children with neurological disorders because of the time they are required to spend on the child neurology service.  When another resident is designated as the ‘primary’ ward and consult resident, you (as the PGY4 child neurology resident) will continue to be part of the team when not otherwise engaged in continuity clinics.

2) Continuity Clinics
      a) Child Neurology Continuity

-You will begin your child neurology continuity clinic with Dr. Rust during your PGY2 and PGY3 years.  This will continue as a ½ day per week clinic during your PGY 4 and PGY5 years.

      b) Developmental Pediatrics Continuity

-For a minimum of 6 months, you will attend a continuity clinic in developmental pediatrics.  This clinic is precepted by one of the developmental pediatricians at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center.  The child neurology resident will learn approaches to developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and other forms of developmental disability.  Residents interested in developmental disability can extend their continuity training in this clinic.

3) Epilepsy/Electroencephalography Education
-The PGY4 year includes 2 months of intensive electroencephalography training.  Our child neurology residents are dictating reports by the end of the two month period.  Further experience in EEG can be obtained during the PGY5 year. 

4) Additional Educational Experiences*
-Central VA Training Center General Child Neurology Field Clinic: 1 full day every other month (rotating with PGY5 child neurology resident).
-Rural Southwest Virginia Field Clinics: 2 full day clinics approximately every 6 months (during PGY4 and PGY5 years.)
-Resident Lecture: daily at noon.
-Child Neurology Journal Club: monthly.
-Pediatric Neuroradiology Conference: twice monthly

II) PGY5 – “Flexible” Year in Child Neurology
1) Core Experiences
-The PGY5 child neurology resident will rotate in neuropathology, neuromuscular, electromyography, electroencephalography, neuroimmunology, neuroradiology, neuro-ophthalmology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology and neurorehabilitation. 
-Rotations in neurorehabilitation and neuropsychology are available through UVA’s Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center.
-Several experiences, such as neuromuscular and neuroimmunology, are conducive to continuity clinics that can be performed over a 3 to 6 month period.  Prior residents have found such continuity experiences incredibly rewarding.  Other experiences can be obtained en block such as with 2 – 4 week rotations.

2) Continuity Clinics
-Child Psychiatry Continuity - For a minimum of 6 months, you will attend a continuity clinic in child psychiatry.  This clinic is precepted by a child psychiatrist.  The child neurology resident will learn approaches to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, depression, and anxiety (among others).
-Continued child neurology continuity clinic with Dr. Rust (1/2 day per week)
-In addition, the PGY5 child neurology resident will attend a 1/2 day clinic every month with Dr. B.J. Purow in the brain tumor clinic.

3) Senior Project
-The senior project should be the culmination of work dedicated to a topic of interest.  We encourage our residents and mentors to pursue publication of this work in a peer reviewed journal.  Examples include a combined neuropathology and neuroradiology project that results in a case report or case series.  For those residents pursuing academic careers in clinical or basic science research, the senior project could include a publication from data obtained during the PGY5 year or a grant submission that includes preliminary data.  For residents pursing academic careers, dedicated research time is available during the PGY5 year. 

4) Additional Educational Experiences
-Central VA Training Center General Child Neurology Field Clinic: 1 full day every other month (rotating with PGY5 child neurology resident).
-Rural Southwest Virginia Field Clinics: 2 full day clinics approximately every 6 months (during PGY4 and PGY5 years.).
-Resident Lecture: daily at noon.
-Child Neurology Journal Club: monthly.
-Pediatric Neuroradiology Conference: twice monthly