Curriculum

The curriculum for the Child Neurology Program is based on the recommendations and requirements of the ABPN and the ACGME. The curriculum is reviewed and revised based on faculty and resident feedback on a yearly basis. Advancement through the program comes with graded responsibility. Years are broken up into 13 four week blocks.

Through Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) and the RWJBarnabas Health system we are able to offer the first 2 years of pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. At Children's Hospital of New Jersey, residents receive in-depth experience in all aspects of primary, subspecialty and critical care pediatrics, as well as exposure to managed care and clinical research. With both inpatient and outpatient rotations the resident receives a well-balanced educational experience, a solid foundation in general pediatrics and clinical experiences in pediatric subspecialties.

The majority of Adult Neurology rotations are done in the first year of Neurology training, (PGY-3), so that the resident may focus on learning neuroanatomy and localization while improving their neurologic examination skills. Two months of adult neurology are left for later years of training so that the resident can be well prepared for both the Neurology Boards and for future clinical practice. Adult Neurology rotations are completed at University Hospital and Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System.

Inpatient activities for Child Neurology are largely conducted at University Hospital. The Child Neurology Service functions mainly as a consult service. Consults are requested from the Pediatric ICU, Neonatal ICU, Pediatric ER, and the Pediatric Ward. In addition to consulting on the pediatric service, residents also follow patients admitted to the Pediatric Neurology Service and the Video EEG Monitoring Unit. Additional inpatient consultation services are provided at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

Child Neurology is largely an outpatient specialty, so great emphasis is placed on outpatient activities. Outpatient activities are centered at University Hospital. Residents attend a full day Pediatric Neurology Continuity Clinic on a weekly basis throughout the 3 years of Neurology training. Such continuity allows the resident to develop a working relationship with their patients and their patient’s families. Longitudinal follow up also affords the resident the opportunity to learn about disease progression and/or recovery.

In addition to the Pediatric Neurology Continuity Clinic residents also attend several subspecialty clinics. Residents attend the Pediatric Seizure Clinic, the ADHD Clinic, the MDA Clinic and the Pediatric Neurology Rare Disease Clinic on a regular basis. Residents have the opportunity to attend other subspecialty clinics such as the Metabolic Clinic, the Autism Center, the Children’s Evaluation Center, Neurofibromatosis Center, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Clinic, Huntington’s Clinic, the Multiple Sclerosis Center and the Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic, during their ambulatory care rotations, subspecialty rotations and electives.

In addition to the required months on the adult and child neurology services, each Child Neurology resident has 6 required subspecialty rotations to be dispersed among the 3 years of Neurology training. These rotations are considered essential to their training. Senior most residents start the year with a Mentoring Rotation in which they are paired up with the junior most resident on the Child Neurology Service. This month allows the senior resident to further improve their teaching and mentoring skills. Each major rotation has predefined goals and objectives. Elective rotations are available in all years of the program, although more time is devoted to them in the later years of training. Residents have approximately 4-5 blocks in which they may choose an elective. There are several recommended electives. Residents are also encouraged to design electives based on their particular interests.

The following is an approximate breakdown of yearly rotations:

PGY-1

PGY-2

PGY-3

PGY-4