Curriculum, Rotations, Electives

Our program was awarded five-year accreditation by the ACGME, attesting to the high quality educational content of our clinical and didactic curriculum.

House officers on the stroke service cover the stroke unit and other patients with cerebrovascular disorders in various settings throughout the hospital. Rotations in neuro-critical care provide an environment in which residents gain in an intense learning environment, caring for complex, critically-ill patients. These experiences are why our graduates feel competent and confident when they embark on their careers.

On the general neurology service, residents evaluate patients for non-vascular consultations as well as manage patients admitted to the neurology unit, including a four-bed epilepsy monitoring unit. Residents get significant exposure to outpatient neurology through designated monthly rotations in general neurology and subspecialty electives. This is supplemented by a continuity clinic in which residents acquire and follow their own recurrent patients throughout the three years of their training.

Much of the PGY-2 year is spent taking care of patients on the neurology service and performing consultations in the inpatient setting. The remaining time as PGY-2 consists of rotations in general outpatient neurology and psychiatry.

Senior neurology residents have great flexibility rotating through a wide variety of subspecialty experiences including neuromuscular disease, movement disorders, epilepsy, and others. Senior residents also assume more responsibility directing and teaching junior residents and medical students.

Cooper’s position as the only tertiary referral center in South Jersey provides residents exposure to patients with diverse and unusual problems that offer exceptional educational experiences in the various subspecialties. Our epilepsy, neuromuscular, and movement disorder programs enable residents to participate in the care of patients with complex disorders, as well as large volumes of more ‘typical’ neurological conditions. Cooper’s deep brain stimulator and botulinum toxin programs, stroke program, and epilepsy monitoring unit attract referrals from many local providers and hospitals.

Of course, the highlight of the program is the residents’ unique interaction with our teaching faculty. Our program’s size and structure permit much more personalized supervision and feedback beyond those of many other programs. Faculty covering teaching services are provided dedicated time to provide residents continuous guidance and instruction, demonstrating our commitment to the educational missions of our program.

Neurology Didactics

There are a variety of daily conferences providing essential basic science and clinical instruction. The didactic curriculum is very flexible and topics are adjusted frequently in response to the needs and interest of the residents. As a group, our residents consistently perform above average on service exams and feel confident and well-prepared to take their board exam. Bioethics, finances of medicine, and other contemporary subjects are integrated into the curriculum to provide residents additional interesting, relevant, and useful information which also includes:

  • Basic science discussion
  • Clinical topic lectures
  • Journal club
  • Case presentation
  • Neurology grand rounds
  • Clinical pearls
  • Epilepsy surgery conference
  • Stroke performance improvement
  • Stroke boards
  • Neurovascular case conference
  • EMG conference
  • Contemporary issues in neurology (bioethics, medico-legal matters, etc.)

Required Rotations

  • Inpatient neurology service
  • Consult service
  • General outpatient neurology
  • Child neurology
  • Psychiatry

Electives

  • Neuromuscular/electromyography
  • Neurocognitive disorders
  • Neuro-rehabilitation
  • Neurosurgery
  • Epilepsy/EEG
  • Neuro-critical care
  • Pain management/headache
  • Movement disorders
  • Neuro-radiology
  • Tele-Neurology
  • Research