PGY-2 focuses on direct care of inpatients with neurologic disease, with outpatient neurology experiences interspersed throughout the year. Rotations are scheduled in an X+Y format; X weeks of inpatient service followed by Y weeks of outpatient clinics.

A typical PGY-2 schedule includes inpatient blocks on the following services:

• Parkland Stroke, General Neurology, EMU, Neurocritical Care, ED, and Night Float
• CUH General Neurology, EMU, and ED
• VA Medical Center Neurology Consults

During these rotations, junior residents develop diagnostic skills and become familiar with management of acute neurologic issues under the supervision of senior residents and attending faculty.

Timeline over the year:

• 5 weeks of night float
• 6-10 weeks of elective time
• Every 5th week continuity clinics
• 4 weeks of vacation

Supervised Autonomy and Communication:
During Night Float rotations at Parkland, the on-call junior resident is the first to evaluate neurology patients in the emergency room and makes decisions about patient disposition, including admission to neurology services.

The in-house senior resident manages cross-cover issues for admitted patients and supports the junior resident. This is a valuable mentoring opportunity for both juniors and seniors, and it exemplifies one of our main program objectives: "supervised autonomy."

PGY3 focuses on subspecialty and outpatient neurology experiences.
Residents rotate in a wide variety of subspecialty clinical and research electives based on career goals and interests.

A typical PGY-3 schedule also includes inpatient blocks on the following services:

• VA Medical Center Neurology Consults
• CUH General Neurology, ED, and Night Float

Timeline over the year:

• 6 weeks of night float
• 1 month of Psychiatry
• 3 months of Child Neurology
• Regularly scheduled continuity clinics
• 4 weeks of vacation

Independent Decision Making and Communication:

During PGY3 Night Float rotations at CUH, our residents are provided the opportunity to master their skills as independent decision-makers. A moonlighter overlaps with the first few hours of Night Float, which provides support during the busy time of shift change. The Night Float resident is on call for the ED, Code Strokes, urgent consults, and provides cross-cover for the primary neurology services on the floor. This immersive experience marks the evolution of triage skills and showcases autonomy as a senior resident.

The senior resident fills a major teaching and supervisory role and is essential to the education of medical students, rotating interns, and junior neurology residents. Trainees triage and initiate treatment decisions for acutely ill patients. By the end of the year, the resident has become a fully competent neurologist who is well-versed in a variety of disciplines.

A typical PGY-4 schedule includes inpatient blocks on the following services:

• Parkland Stroke, General Neurology, ED, and Night Float
• CUH General Neurology and ED
• VA Medical Center Neurology Consults

Timeline over the year:

• 5 weeks of night float
• 12-14 weeks of elective time to continue rotations in subspecialty clinics.
• Every 5th week continuity clinics
• 4 weeks of vacation

Leadership and Communication

Our residents grow as leaders throughout training. PGY4s lead our primary ward services by taking on a “junior attending” role. The Parkland Night Float experience is an opportunity for seasoned PGY4s to provide support to junior residents as they begin their training, and to provide space and guidance as juniors gain knowledge and confidence. This again exemplifies our program objective of “supervised autonomy” and is the final step of “see one, do one, teach one.”

Our Chief Residents work with the Program Director to create the didactic schedule, influence daily teaching sessions, organize clinic schedules, manage inpatient logistics across all hospital sites, and more. As leaders of their cohort, they are an integral part of the Clinical Education Integration (CEI) team. This opportunity to continually balance education and patient care needs by directly engaging with department leadership, is unique to our program.

We aim to maximize elective time and flexibility throughout residency training, as we know that every individual has unique interests and career goals.

Core inpatient rotations, such as General Neurology, Stroke, Neurocritical Care, and EMU are built into every resident’s rotation schedule. Additional inpatient electives include the following:

• Interventional Neuroradiology
• Palliative Care
• Neurosurgery

Core outpatient subspecialty rotations, such as Neuromuscular Medicine, Movement Disorders, Headache Medicine, Neuroimmunology, and EEG are built into every resident's rotation schedule. Additional outpatient electives include the following:

• Epilepsy
• Vascular Neurology
• Neuro-Oncology
• Neuro-Ophthalmology
• Behavioral Neurology
• Sleep Medicine
• Autonomic Disorders
• Neuropalliative Care
• Sports Neurology
• Neurorehabilitation
• Procedure rotation
• Neuroradiology
• Neurosonology (carotid and transcranial Doppler)
• Neuromuscular ultrasound

Residents may also select additional experience in core inpatient and subspecialty outpatient rotations.

Research electives: These typically consecutive weeks are devoted to a clinical or basic research project under the supervision of a faculty mentor. If you wish to pursue a career as a clinician-scientist, take a look at our different funding mechanisms for protected research time.

Women In Neurology (WIN): These quarterly meetings, supported by the department, are a unique way for women faculty, fellows, and residents to gather outside of work to engage casually and develop mentorship opportunities. Each meeting involves a theme and guest speaker, followed by a group discussion. These are heavily attended and eagerly anticipated.

Art of Neurology: This monthly resident didactic series, led by Alex Frolov, M.D., explores the interpersonal dynamics among the physician, patient, family, and the community. This series provides an intellectual framework for discussing complex issues and addressing "intuitive" or "intangible" aspects of the clinical encounter.

Global Health & Disparities: We integrate monthly lectures that illuminate the intersections of epidemiology and social determinants of health within each topic block. These lectures feature both internal and external guest speakers renowned for their expertise in these fields. Furthermore, we offer a remarkable opportunity for interested residents: month-long clinical neurology rotations in Zambia and Ethiopia. Led by Mehari Gebreyohanns, M.D., these rotations provide invaluable exposure to diverse healthcare systems and the unique disorders prevalent in these regions, enriching our residents' understanding of global health dynamics.