Program Overview
Adult Neurology Program
The UW Neurology Residency Program is integrated between four affiliated hospitals. The different characters of the hospitals make for a richly varied and extremely complete training experience. The Program is designed to:
- Train physicians to become proficient, compassionate clinical neurologists by providing three years of progressive experience and responsibility in the diagnosis and management of adult and pediatric patients with neurologic conditions.
- Provide exposure to a number of ancillary disciplines including electroencephalography, electromyography, neuroradiology, neuropathology, neuro-ophthalmology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and rehabilitation medicine.
- Provide a broad educational experience in the basic neurosciences to form the foundation for understanding and applying the principles of clinical neurology.
Medicine Intern Year
One of the great benefits of our residency program is the opportunity to complete our intern year at one of the nation’s most prestigious Internal Medicine residency programs. We are a categorical program: all applicants who match are guaranteed an internship position at the University of Washington. The neurology interns are fully integrated in the Medicine program. Our training primarily occurs on the inpatient services, including general medicine, cardiology, and hematology/oncology as well as 2 blocks in the ICU. In addition to the medicine training, you will receive 4 blocks of training that are dedicated to neurology and psychiatry. For the neurology service, one block will occur at UWMC (University of Washington Medical Center) at the beginning of the year and the second at HMC (Harborview Medical Center) in the latter part of the year. The last block of intern year is dedicated to neurology didactics, covering neuroradiology and basic core topics in neurology to help us with our transition to N1 year. These lectures are given by neurology faculty and the chief residents.
At the end of our intern year, we have received a well-rounded and solid foundation in internal medicine and can confidently manage medical issues in acutely and critically ill neurologic patients. We also create long-lasting relationships and friendships with our Medicine co-residents.
PGY-1 Intern Year Sample Schedule
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
| Orientation (2 weeks) | VA Medicine | UWMC MICU | UWMC Neurology |
| Block 5 | Block 6 | Block 7 | Block 8 |
| UWMC Cardiology | UWMC Psychiatry | HMC Medicine Consults | UWMC Hematology-Oncology |
| Block 9 | Block 10 | Block 11 | Block 12 |
| VA Day Medicine | VA Nephrology | HMC Medicine | HMC Neurology |
| Block 13 | Block 14 | ||
| HMC Emergency | Neurology Month of Learning |
Neurology
PGY-2 (N1) Year Sample Schedule
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
| VA Inpatient | HMC Inpatient | Elective | VA Inpatient |
| Block 5 | Block 6 | Block 7 | Block 8 |
| UWMC Inpatient | VA Clinics | UW Inpatient | HMC Inpatient |
| Block 9 | Block 10 | Block 11 | Block 12 |
| UWMC Clinics | SCH Inpatient | HMC Inpatient | Elective |
| Block 13 | |||
| VA Clinics |
PGY-3 (N2) Year Sample Schedule
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
| Elective | UWMC EMG | VA Inpatient | Elective |
| Block 5 | Block 6 | Block 7 | Block 8 |
| SCH Inpatient | UWMC Inpatient | VA Clinics | HMC Inpatient |
| Block 9 | Block 10 | Block 11 | Block 12 |
| VA Inpatient | UWMC Inpatient | HMC EEG | HMC EEG |
| Block 13 | |||
| HMC Inpatient |
PGY-4 (N3) Year Sample Schedule
| Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Block 4 |
| SCH Clinic | UW Inpatient | HMC Consults | Elective |
| Block 5 | Block 6 | Block 7 | Block 8 |
| HMC Inpatient | Elective | UWMC Inpatient | Education |
| Block 9 | Block 10 | Block 11 | Block 12 |
| Neuropathology | Elective | Research | Elective |
| Block 13 | |||
| Elective |
Continuity Clinic
During the 3 years of neurology training, you will be assigned to a continuity clinic where you will have a panel of patients that you follow throughout. The clinic is one half day a week at one of our 3 sites, University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center or the Veteran’s Administration Hospital.
UW
- staffing: Fridays are with an attending pool
- patient mix: A mixture of patients generally leaning toward neuromuscular, sometimes rare conditions, movement disorder, peripheral neuropathy, including some stroke, and patients with paraneoplastic issues. Wide mix of socioeconomic classes, ages, and gender.
- attendings: General Neurology, Movement, Headache, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromuscular in general.
VA
- staffing: Always with an attending pool.
- patient mix: Headache and movement can predominate but also fair mix of stroke, seizures, neuropathies and more rare cases at times. Procedure opportunities include Botox injections and SPG blocks. Majority men, some women, mostly an older population. Complex medical history usually with vascular disease.
- attendings: General Neuro, Movement, Stroke and Neuromuscular in general.
HMC
- staffing: Generally, one attending with which you usually staff, though there is a pool on Mondays.
- patient mix: TBI, Stroke, Neuropathy, and Seizures are common. Complex TBI co-management with rehab medicine, seizures, vascular, infectious disease. Greatest mix of culturally and socioeconomically diverse patients.
- attendings: A mixture of Stroke, Neuro-ID, General Neuro, and Neurohospitalist.