Child Neurology Residency Curriculum

PGY3 Child Neurology Residency

The PGY-3 year emphasizes adult neurology and is organized as follows:

1) Six months of inpatient rotations (i.e., >50% of time spent managing patients admitted to an inpatient service)

  • Inpatient General Neurology Service, MUSC Medical Center (1 to 1-1/2 months)

  • Inpatient Stroke Service, MUSC Medical Center (1 to 1-1/2 months)

  • Adult Consultation Service, MUSC Medical Center (1 month)

  • Neurocritical Care Service, MUSC Medical Center (1 month)

  • Neurology Night Float (1-1/2 months)

2) Three months of outpatient clinical adult neurology (>50% of time spent in an outpatient setting)

  • Adult Neuromuscular Service, MUSC Medical Center (1 month)

  • Other outpatient clinical adult neurology experience (2 months)

3) Three months of elective experiences in clinical adult neurology or subspecialty areas of neurology (e.g., neuroradiology, neurophysiology). The resident can elect to use a portion of this elective time for research.

Please see the Adult Neurology residency page for more information regarding the rotations outlined above.

PGY4 Child Neurology Residency

The PGY-4 year emphasizes clinical training in child neurology. The resident spends four months on the Inpatient Pediatric Neurology service, performing consultations and caring for patients in the emergency room and throughout Children’s Hospital, and another four months in the Pediatric Neurology outpatient clinics. 

The outpatient rotations include experience in general Pediatric Neurology clinics, as well as subspecialty clinics for children with epilepsy, headache, movement disorders, neuromuscular disease, brachial plexus injuries, brain tumors, spasticity, and autism.  Residents also gain experience with a number of outpatient procedures, including performing intrathecal baclofen trials, refilling and programming baclofen pumps, administering botulinum toxin, and programming vagal nerve stimulators. 

The remainder of the year is spent on the Pediatric Epilepsy service (1 month); Neurophysiology (2 months); and Neuroradiology (1 month).  On the Pediatric Epilepsy service, the resident participates in the care of pediatric patients who are admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Service for long-term video EEG monitoring and attends outpatient Pediatric Epilepsy clinics.  The Neurophysiology rotation can be devoted to EEG, nerve conduction studies/EMG, or some combination of the two.  If the Neurophysiology and Neuroradiology rotations have been completed during the PGY-3 year, then any remaining time can be used for clinical electives (adult or child neurology), Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, or Developmental Pediatrics.

PGY5 Child Neurology Residency

During the PGY5 year, the resident spends two months on the Inpatient Pediatric Neurology service and two months in the Pediatric Neurology outpatient clinics.  The resident is also required to complete month-long rotations in Neuropathology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Developmental Pediatrics (if not already completed). The remaining five months are elective time. Potential electives include:

  •  Child Abuse Pediatrics

  •  Behavioral & Memory Disorders Clinic

  •  Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

  •  Developmental Pediatrics

  •  EEG/Epilepsy (Adult and/or Pediatric)

  •  EMG/Neuromuscular

  •  Genetics

  •  Headache/Neuro-ophthalmology/Neuroimmunology

  •  Movement Disorders (Adult/Pediatric)

  •  Neurocritical Care

  •  Neuro-oncology (Adult/Pediatric)

  •  Neuropathology

  •  Neuroradiology

  •  Pediatric Sleep Disorders

  •  Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound

Other electives are possible, subject to the Program Director’s approval.  The resident may also decide to dedicate a portion of this time to research or other career development activities.

Continuity Clinic

The pediatric neurology resident continuity clinic is held one half-day per week and is continuous throughout the three years of training.  Three residents are assigned to each clinic (one from each training year).  All of the patients are children, and residents have continuity with both new and follow-up patients.  Residents typically see 4-6 patients per clinic session and handle all outpatient calls on their own patients during office hours with the assistance of the nursing staff.  The clinic is staffed by the pediatric neurology attendings on a rotating basis.

Sample Schedules By Year of Training

Block Rotations - Program Year 1

July - MUH Neuro Ward
Aug - N-MUSC
Sep - Adult Neuro Outpatient Elective
Oct - EMG 1 | Night Float
Nov - Stroke
Dec - EEG
Jan - Adult Neuro Outpatient Elective
Feb - MUH Neuro Wards | Night Float
Mar - NRads
Apr - Neuro ICU
May - Adult Neuro Elective | Night Float
Jun - Neuro Consults

Block Rotations - Program Year 2

July - Peds Inpatient
Aug - Peds Outpatient
Sep - Elective
Oct - Elective
Nov - Peds Inpatient
Dec - Peds Epilepsy
Jan - Peds Outpatient
Feb - Peds Inpatient
Mar - Peds Outpatient
Apr - Elective
May - Peds Inpatient
Jun - Peds Outpatient

Block Rotations - Program Year 3

July - Elective
Aug - Elective
Sep - Peds Inpatient
Oct - Peds Outpatient
Nov - Child Psych
Dec - Peds Inpatient
Jan - Elective
Feb - NPath
Mar - Elective
Apr - Peds Outpatient
May - Developmental Peds
Jun - Elective