Neurosurgery

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Resident Training Program
 
Rotations assigned during the residency program ensure focused, well-balanced neurosurgical learning opportunities. This educational atmosphere promotes the development of residents capable of providing high quality, state-of-the-art neurosurgical care. Residents who complete the program have the research and teaching credentials to enter private or academic practices.
 
PGY1 Neurosurgical Intern
The intern year provides a strong foundation for the following years in the neurosurgical residency program. Rotations occur at all three hospitals where neurosurgical training takes place. Interns are expected to take in-house call performing inpatient consultation and emergency evaluation. Interns spend at least four months gaining general surgical experience (e.g., vascular surgery, pediatric general surgery, trauma). Three months are spent on the adult neurosurgical inpatient service caring for patients and learning basic operative techniques. An additional three months of the year are with the Neurology Department developing skills in the comprehensive care of neurological disorders. The remaining months are electives geared toward acquiring additional fundamental skills.
PGY2 Junior Resident
During their NS-1 year, residents work with various neurosurgical faculty and take in-house call performing inpatient consultation and emergency evaluation. Each resident spends four months on a junior clinical adult neurosurgery rotation at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital. The resident performs inpatient care activities including participation in the operating room. Each resident also spends four months as the clinical pediatric neurosurgery resident at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The resident performs inpatient and outpatient care activities including participation in pediatric neurosurgical procedures. The resident’s final four months are devoted to neuroscience electives. Three months are spent in neuropathology and one month in neuroradiology.
PGY3 Junior Resident
The NS-2 year follows the same format as the NS-1 year and is comprised of three 4-month long rotations. Residents continue to work with various neurosurgical faculty during this year and take in-house call. Each resident spends four months at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and four months at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The 4-month elective rotation provides the opportunity for the resident to gain additional clinical and surgical exposure and includes experiences in neurocritical care, the gamma knife unit, and out-patient clinic.  
PGY4 Junior Resident
The third year of the residency program is devoted to basic and clinical research. This year offers the opportunity for the resident to develop experience in fundamental research methods and practices and acquire practical hands-on experience in the laboratory. Residents can choose to work with a faculty member in the Department of Neurosurgery or from another department. This year is often spent conducting laboratory research with department faculty based at the Neuroscience Research Laboratories. It is anticipated that the resident's clinical and basic science research experience will extend outside of this focused year over the entire duration of the residency program. Residents also typically complete the written board requirement during this year.
PGY5 Senior Resident
The NS-4 year takes place at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital. This rotation advances the senior resident’s perioperative and intraoperative technical skills. Resident duties include rotating in-house and home call during this year.
PGY6 Senior Resident
The fifth year of the program is based at the Zablocki Veterans Administration Medical Center on the Clinical Neurosurgery Service. The resident performs inpatient and outpatient consultations and patient care as well as surgical procedures with increasing levels of responsibility.
PGY7 Chief Resident
The final year of the training program is based at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital as the Chief Resident. The Chief Resident further develops advanced patient management skills, including advanced surgical technical skills. This year permits an increased level of independence under the supervision of the neurosurgery faculty. The Chief Resident assumes additional responsibilities as the administrative officer for the resident staff and coordination of day-to-day schedules, call schedules, and conference proceedings.
 
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Page Updated 08/24/2009