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Department of Neurosciences Department of Neurosciences
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Program Structure

The First Year of Residency (PGY-1)

During the first year of neurology residency, trainees are immersed in the fundamentals of internal medicine. Interns will spend 4 months on the general medicine wards at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest and the VA San Diego Healthcare system. Residents will rotate for 2 months in a combination of the ICU and CCU. One month will be spent on night float rotations. Neurology interns also participate in 1 month of emergency medicine and 1 month of primary care. These rotations train interns in the most common clinical conditions encountered in each of these spaces. During these clinical experiences, neurology residents will also learn to be more effective consultants and to co-manage patient with other specialties.

Residents will also spend one month on an outpatient neurology rotation where they learn the neurological exam and introductory management to frequently encountered neurological conditions. They will spend one month on the inpatient neurology team learning the fundamentals of acute neurological diagnosis and management. The remaining time is spent in electives.

Neurology interns attend the same weekly didactics and orientation events as the Internal medicine PGY1 trainees. Please see their website for further details.

Internal Medicine Residency (ucsd.edu)

The Second Year of Residency (PGY 2)

The second year of dedicated neurology training emphasizes the inpatient care of neurological disorders. Residents have rotations as part of the inpatient service at UC San Diego Hillcrest, or combined UC San Diego Jacobs Medical Center and VA Medical Center La Jolla service. Residents spend 6 months on inpatient general neurology, stroke and neurocritical care rotations. 4 weeks are spent on night float rotations.

One month of the second year is spent on the EMG/neuromuscular service, where the resident perform EMGs and NCVs and attend neuromuscular clinics. One month is also spent on the EEG/Epilepsy Service. This rotation is based primarily at the Thornton Pavilion Epilepsy Monitory Unit. About half the time is devoted to reading electroencephalograms, evoked potentials, and video-EEG telemetry studies.

Residents also do one month of ambulatory clinics to gain exposure to a wide breadth of outpatient neurology subspecialty clinics including movement disorders and neuroimmunology.  Residents have between two to three months of electives during this year.

Crash Course

The incoming PGY 2 residents spend their first 5 days in a "crash course." This includes orientation to the information systems at each facility, but also provides a concise review of neuroanatomy, work on clinical problem solving, and a review of neurological emergencies. The UCSD stroke service also specifically addresses stroke code management during this time. Residents participate in simulations for to learn LPs and management of neurocritical care emergencies.

 

The Third Year of Residency (PGY 3)

The third year of training includes 3 months on the pediatric neurology service based at Rady Children's Hospital. Pediatric inpatients and outpatients are seen under the supervision of the pediatric neurology attending physicians.

Another 2 months is spent on the EEG/Epilepsy and EMG/neuromuscular service.

Residents also see patients in the VA and UCSD Medical Center epilepsy outpatient clinics. Four months are typically spent on the inpatient services. On those rotations the resident enhances clinical management skills and begins to develop supervisory skills. Two to three months are spent doing electives.

 

The Fourth Year of Residency (PGY 4)

During the fourth year of training each resident generally has 6 months as senior resident on the inpatient services and night float. These rotations allow the resident to perfect clinical management, supervisory and teaching skills.

Each resident spends another month on the outpatient clinic rotation, with 4-5 months of elective time available to pursue research or subspecialty interests.

A month of psychiatry is generally completed during this year of residency as well.