Residency Curriculum
UVA Child Neurology Residency Training Program
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 core clinical child neurology and one year of ‘flexible’ training.
The PGY3 year of training consists of the required adult neurology portion of the program.
- 6 months of inpatient adult neurology
- Split between general adult neurology, stroke neurology, neurologic ICU
- 3 months of adult ambulatory
- Consists of rotation through various subspecialty adult clinics including Neuro-Oncology, Movement, Memory/Cognition, Huntington’s Disease Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, ALS Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Multiple Sclerosis clinic, Epilepsy Clinic. Wellness and Administration half-days are built into ambulatory schedules.
- 3 months of adult electives
- Half day continuity clinic in child neurology – year long experience
- A night float system is in place for overnight inpatient coverage
- 4 weeks of vacation
The PGY4 year of child neurology training is devoted to mastery of the fundamentals of acute child neurology problems.
- 36 weeks of inpatient, maximum of 12 weekends
- 3 elective months
- Half day continuity clinic in child neurology – year long experience
- Half day clinic in developmental pediatrics – year long experience
- Home call only when covering inpatient service, split with other covering residents
- 4 weeks of vacation
The PGY5 year of child neurology training is devoted to building on and diversifying basic child neurology knowledge.
- Maximum of 12 weeks inpatient, maximum of 8 weekends
- 4 ambulatory, required outpatient months
- Experiences include: General Child Neurology, Pediatric Epilepsy, Pediatric Neurosurgery Clinic, Pediatric Movement Disorders, Pediatric Botox Clinic, Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic, Acquired Brain Injury Clinic, Pediatric Neuro-Onc Clinic, Pediatric Neuroimmunology, Pediatric Ketogenic Diet Clinic, Autism and Epilepsy (CAPE) Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Neurofibromatosis Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Tuberous Sclerosis Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Pediatric Muscular Dystrophy Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Pediatric Concussion, Cerebral Palsy Clinic, Complex Infant Multi-
Disciplinary Clinic
- Experiences include: General Child Neurology, Pediatric Epilepsy, Pediatric Neurosurgery Clinic, Pediatric Movement Disorders, Pediatric Botox Clinic, Pediatric Neuromuscular Clinic, Acquired Brain Injury Clinic, Pediatric Neuro-Onc Clinic, Pediatric Neuroimmunology, Pediatric Ketogenic Diet Clinic, Autism and Epilepsy (CAPE) Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Neurofibromatosis Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Tuberous Sclerosis Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Pediatric Muscular Dystrophy Multi-Disciplinary Clinic, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Pediatric Concussion, Cerebral Palsy Clinic, Complex Infant Multi-
- Extensive elective time
- Half day continuity clinic in child neurology – year long experience
- Half day clinic in child psychiatry – year long experience
- Home call only when covering inpatient service, split with other covering residents
- 4 weeks of vacation
Frequently Asked Questions
- One main inpatient child neurology team
– Follows primary and consult patient - Typically one child neurology resident and one adult neurology resident
– Occasional general pediatrics residents or visiting residents - M3 and M4 medical students
- Experiences with primary admissions and consultation to ICUs, general wards, other specialty teams, and emergency department
- Scheduled admissions include headache management, Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), ketogenic diet initiation
Specialized Training Tracks
The UVA Department of Neurology offers 2 specialized training tracks: Neurology Clinician Educator in Residency Track (N-CERT) and Neurology Clinician Investigator in Residency Track (N-CIRT).
Application for track: rising PGY4 child neurology resident (submit late PGY3 year)
Objective:
The Neurology Clinical Educator in Residency Track (N-CERT) will provide a platform for the development and growth of future clinician educators, aimed to optimize immersion during residency and motivate future leaders in neurology education and academic medicine
Curriculum:
- Mandatory Academic Project: Develop academic project in one area of interest:
– Education
– Healthcare Leadership/Policy
– Quality Improvement geared toward leadership and education - Work with mentor
- Submit project as one or more of the following in PGY5 year: manuscript, poster presentation, abstract
- Submit project to a national meeting: poster, abstract, session
- Share project at Grand Rounds or Departmental Quality Conference in PGY5 year
- Participate in teaching of one medical student course during the program
- Work with education chiefs to develop and apply curricula in education
- Quarterly education-specific journal club
- Consider participation in education/leadership activities connected with national societies
- Specific Elective Opportunities related to education and QI available
Application for track: rising PGY4 child neurology resident (submit late PGY3 year)
Objective:
The Neurology Clinician Investigator in Residency Track (N-CIRT) will provide a platform for the development and growth of future clinician-investigators, aimed to optimize research immersion during residency and motivate future leaders in neurology research and academic medicine. One of the major goals of this track is to allow residents to prepare for eventual submission of a career development research grant (K award or equivalent)
Curriculum:
- Mandatory Research Project: Develop research project in one area of interest:
– Translational research
– Clinical research
– Other, as deemed appropriate by the steering committee - Work with mentor
- Submit project as one or more of the following in PGY5 year: abstract, trial protocol, grant application
- Submit project to a national meeting: prelim data, project outline, or more
- Opportunity to share project at Grand Rounds
- Work with education chiefs and/or Vice Chair of Research to develop and apply curricula, career development in research
- Work with education leaders to develop quarterly journal club with focus on research careers
- Participate in research career lecture series
- Consider participation in research programs for trainees connected with national societies
- Strongly encourage attendance once at American Neurological Association (ANA) meeting
- Specific Elective Opportunities related to research available
Rural Outreach Field Clinics
This is a unique opportunity to participate in a long-standing outreach clinic to underserved populations in Southwest Virginia. Attendings, fellows, and residents travel to the Southwest Virginia region once a month on a rotating schedule for 2 full day clinics. The child neurology resident typically participates in this clinic 1 – 2 times during PGY5 year.
Additional Highlighted Educational Experiences and Requirements
- Weekly Friday Didactic Block
- Child Neurology Journal Club Monthly
- Pediatric Neuroradiology Conference Bi-Monthly
- PGY5 Grand Rounds Presentation
- Participation in Scholarly Activity
- Participation in Quality Improvement
- Collaborative Interesting Case Conference
- Attendance at one regional or national conference during training
Our Philosophy
Our program meets the requirements needed for graduation in pediatrics and child neurology from an ACGME-accredited institution and meets the eligibility requirements to allow graduates to take the General Pediatrics Board and Neurology Board with Special Qualification in Child Neurology. In addition, we highly support individual clinical and/or research interests. We will make every effort to create a residency experience that allows for flexibility to explore the specific interests of our trainees.