Goals of the Residency Program

 

Botox 2The goal of the UF Neurology Residency Program is to prepare residents for a career in academic neurology, with well-rounded training in clinical care, professionalism, research, and education. We are confident that every resident accepted into our program will become a first-rate neurologist. Most importantly, although our residents work hard, they also have fun!

Clinical skills: The art of clinical neurology remains best learned through reflective patient care, under the close guidance of experienced faculty. Our diverse faculty include many talented general and subspecialty neurologists to guide the development of the resident into a thoughtful clinician. Residents receive broad exposure to the full spectrum of clinical neurology, from the rapid-fire assessment of an acute stroke to the complex longitudinal relationship of patients with progressive neurodegenerative diseases. The clinical education at UF includes a strong foundation of core rotations (including dedicated stroke and neurocritical care services), exposure to key selectives such as epilepsy/EEG, neuromuscular disease with focus on EMG/NCS, movement disorders, behavioral neurology, and neuropathology, and a broad choice of electives.

procedureResidents enhance their clinical training with a daily didactic lecture series that covers a high yield, sequential, and comprehensive curriculum. Incoming junior residents receive individualized training during a week-long orientation series to feel comfortable in their new roles as neurologists. In July and August, a residency-wide “boot camp” of emergency neurology and basic outpatient management reinforces knowledge for junior and senior residents alike. The remainder of the year is focused on general and subspecialty neurology, organized topically for sequential learning. Education is supplemented by small-group workshops in the ethics of clinical neurology, resident wellness and burnout mitigation, quality improvement, and practice habits.

Research: A strong foundation in research and the scientific method is a cornerstone of academic neurology. Our faculty are very enthusiastic about including residents in scholarly activity. Residents are required to participate in at least one significant longitudinal research project over the course of the residency, presented to the department prior to graduation. A departmental “Research Blitz” is held every fall, where all faculty members present a brief overview of their ongoing projects with which they would welcome resident involvement. Residents are paired with research mentors early, to maximize scholarly productivity. All residents are expected to present during the annual Department of Neurology Research Day, and the department strongly supports resident research presentations at national, regional and local conferences.  Residents may spend up to several months of elective time on research projects.

A dedicated clinician-research track is available for those who plan a career significantly focused on basic or clinical research.

Education: Training the next generation of physicians is one of the most enjoyable tasks of an academic clinician. There are ample formal and informal opportunities for residents to engage in medical student education. All residents participate in the UF Health Residents as Teachers program. Senior residents teach foundations of neuroanatomy and clinical localization to preclinical medical students in the 6-week Neuroscience course. Medical students rotate on all inpatient services and in clinics, allowing the residents to practice their teaching skills.

A dedicated clinician-educator track is available for those planning a career in medical education.

All residents are paired with a mentor in their area of interest during the PGY1 year.

 

The UF Neurology Residency program aims, as identified during our ACGME self-study, are as follows:

  1. We aim to provide excellent clinical neurology training, with a 5-year first-attempt board pass rate of greater than 95%.
  2. We aim to train neurologists intending to pursue an academic career, with greater than 95% of our graduates enrolling in subspecialty fellowship training and greater than 60% employed in academic practice within 5 years after graduation.
  3. We aim for a subset of graduates to pursue a dedicated academic research career, with 1-2 residents applying for our institutional R25 grant annually and 15% of all graduates applying for a K grant within 5 years.
  4. We aim to attract high-quality applicants and exhibit diversity of trainees. We will continue to track the number of applicants from Top-50 medical school as well as the diversity of matched applicants annually.
  5. We aim to be flexible and responsive to the needs of residents, as monitored by resident feedback, including ACGME and internal survey metrics.

For more information contact

Jennifer Shipley
Residency Program Coordinator
Department of Neurology
Box 100236, UFHSC
Gainesville, Florida 32610-0236
Email: Jennifer Shipley
Phone: 352-273-5550

 

Christina Wilson , M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Neurology Residency Program
Department of Neurology
Box 100236, UFHSC
Gainesville, Florida 32610-0236
Email: christina.wilson@neurology.ufl.edu
Phone: 352-273-5550