Overall Goals and Objectives

The goals of the intern year are threefold:

To develop a foundation of internal medicine experience as a prerequisite for studying and practicing neurology
To begin to develop neurological skills
To gain experience in some of the fields related to neurology, e.g. psychiatry and neurosurgery

Objectives: During the intern year, residents will

Evaluate and manage common medical conditions found in patients with neurologic disease. Examples include urinary tract infection, aspiration pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, etc.
Recognize when a patient has a neurologic disorder, attempt to localize the lesion, and develop a preliminary diagnostic and management plan.
Recognize when a patient has a psychiatric or neurosurgical emergency and obtain timely consultation.
Communicate with the various members of the health care team in a respectful and effective manner.

The goals for PGY-2 are

To become proficient in neurological case formulation
To learn to rapidly identify and manage neurological emergencies in adults and children
To learn to evaluate and manage a wide range of neurological conditions in the outpatient setting
To become proficient in lumbar puncture
To gain exposure to EEG and EMG
To appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of neurological care and learn to work as part of a team

Objectives: During the PGY-2 year, residents will

Formulate cases presented to the attending staff or at educational conferences.
Evaluate stroke code patients, accurately differentiating acute strokes from mimics and determining tPA eligibility.
Evaluate and properly manage other acute adult neurological problems such as seizures, headache, multiple sclerosis relapse, Guillain-Barre syndrome, etc.
Evaluate and manage febrile and other seizures in children.
Identify normal background rhythms on EEG.
Explain the role of EMG in localizing neurological disease.
Evaluate and manage common outpatient problems such as migraine, radiculopathy, polyneuropathy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
Lead morning interdisciplinary rounds, interacting with members of the team in a respectful and effective way.
Teach neurology to, and act as a role model for, medical students on the neurology clerkship.
Appraise the literature and tailor treatment recommendations based on clinical evidence.

The goals for PGY-3 are

Objectives: During PGY-3, residents will

Consistently and concisely formulate cases presented to the attending staff or at educational conferences.
Evaluate and manage complex stroke patients requiring endovascular intervention.
Evaluate and manage inpatient consult service patients with indirect or oversight supervision, including the leading of family meetings.
Evaluate and manage outpatients with advanced or complex disease, such as severe dementia, late-stage Parkinson’s, and ALS and other uncommon neuromuscular disorders.
Identify epileptiform discharges and seizures on EEG.
Perform nerve conduction studies and EMG under direct supervision.
Model for junior residents the role of consulting neurologist, and specifically the professionalism and communication skills required of such.
Analyze cases from a systems perspective and present them at systems of care conference.
Provide care that takes into account cost and other resource limitations.

The goals for PGY-4 are

To achieve sufficient skill in neurological formulation, diagnostic evaluation, and management sufficient to enter independent practice
To be a mentor and role model for more junior residents

Objectives: The PGY-4 resident will

Evaluate and manage patients with complex neurological diseases in a variety of subspecialty clinics.
Manage the entire spectrum of acute stroke, status epilepticus, and other neurological emergencies
Identify normal and abnormal background rhythms, epileptiform discharges, and seizures on EEG and compose precise EEG reports.
Perform nerve conduction studies and low-complexity EMGs.
Lead morning report and systems of care conferences.
Lead bedside teaching exercises for neurology clerkship students.

Latest revision: 07/01/18

Justin A. Sattin, MD