Overview:
Residency Length and Rotations:
The Vanderbilt resident training program in neurological surgery accepts two new residents each year. Clinical training for the residency occurs at the two Vanderbilt University-affiliated hospitals:
- Vanderbilt University Hospital (including Vanderbilt Children's Hospital), a tertiary referral center;
- Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center, which is adjacent to the Vanderbilt University Hospital.
The usual residency is 6 years after the PGY-I year. As interns neurosurgery residents rotate for 3 months on the Vanderbilt neurology service, 1 month on the neurointensive care service and 1 month on neurosurgery; the rest of the year is spent on general surgery. Each PGY2 resident spends 6 months each on the Adult Intracranial and Adult Spine Service. The next year is spent with 6 months on the Pediatric Neurosurgery Service at the pediatric hospital and 6 months at the Veterans Administration hospital. The 2 middle years of the residency are individually tailored to meet the needs of each resident. This time may be spent doing basic or clinical research. Further clinical training rotations in an area of interest to the resident may also be arranged during this period. Upon returning to the clinical service at PGY-6, residents rotate on the Vanderbilt Adult services as senior residents. The final year is spent entirely at the Vanderbilt University Hospital, with 6 months as chief resident of the Intracranial Service and 6 months as chief resident of the Spine Service.
Board Examination Requirements:
A passing score on the Primary Written Examination given by the American Board of Neurological Surgery is required before beginning the chief resident year.
Research:
Both clinical and basic research are integral activities of the Department, and there are many resources both on and off campus from which the residents can draw to design their research experience. Research space of the Department includes fully equipped laboratories with laminar flow and cold rooms, world class laser application laboratories, and anatomy microdissection laboratories. Basic ongoing research projects in Neurosurgery involve proteomics, experimental protocols on glial cell cultures, free-electron laser applications to Neurosurgery, gene sequencing involving neuropeptide and growth factor pharmacology, and toxicity of amniotic fluid in the products of myelomeningoceles. Current clinical research projects are focused on projects such as intraoperative brain mapping, advanced developments in interactive image-guided stereotactic surgery, changes in excitability of deep brain nuclei to implanted stimulators, innovative surgical approaches to epilepsy, and several pediatric projects involving birth defects and hydrocephalus such as the application of intrauterine intervention to spina bifida. Each resident is expected to participate in and complete at least one clinical research project during his or her residency.
Conference Schedule:
Special Features:
The surgical training experience is excellent. There is an unusually broad clinical experience provided by a university hospital with specialized faculty and complex cases, and a typical veterans administration hospital practice. With the addition of the active research opportunities listed above, the superb clinical and intellectual climate allows each individual resident to become skillful in patient care, to develop surgical prowess, and to achieve academic excellence. One of the many strengths of this program is that it is designed with sufficient flexibility to accentuate the particular talents and interests of the individual residents, in order to help them reach their fullest potential as practicing neurosurgeons.
Further information:
Carol J. Jackson
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department of Neurological Surgery
T-4224 Medical Center North
Nashville, TN 37232-2380
Phone: (615) 343-2452
