Intraoperative Monitoring
Our two-year training in Intraoperative Monitoring (IOM) is one of very few programs nationally to train young physicians in this discipline. The program trains a physician to conduct surgical neurophysiologic monitoring and testing. Physicians leave sufficiently skilled and knowledgeable to head an IOM program at another university, or join a national IOM remote monitoring company. Principal preceptors are Marc R Nuwer MD PhD and Inna Keselman MD PhD
The first year is a PGY-5 position with training devoted to learning fundamentals of EEG, evoked potentials, and video-EEG monitoring. Training also provides didactics on EMG, related neurophysiology, safety, and electronics. The first-year fellow is introduced to IOM both as performed personally in the operating room and as conducted remotely. The first-year fellow rotates between West Los Angeles VA and the Westwood Reagan hospitals. Please read more about our Westwood EEG & Epilepsy Training Track here.
The second-year Intraoperative Monitoring (IOM) fellow is appointed as a Clinical Instructor. This second-year position is based solely at the Reagan hospital in Westwood. This year includes time in the operating rooms participating and understanding how procedures are performed and interpreted in neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiothoracic, vascular, head and neck, and other disciplines.
Fellows monitor over a thousand IOM cases during the two years, both at our Reagan university hospital in Westwood and telemonitoring remotely for cases at our Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Memorial Care system hospitals. Services provided in the OR include localizing eloquent language and motor cortex as well as IOM clinical and technical problem solving. The fellow also provides procedural monitoring in radiology for intracarotid amytal and balloon occlusion testing. Some fellows also participate in research projects
Fellows are in high demand for jobs at university IOM programs. They are trained sufficiently in EEG and Video EEG in the EMU and ICU to compete successfully for university job offers in a combination of these areas, or to work solely in IOM. Some fellows choose to work for national IOM firms conducting remote monitoring, which allows them to live anywhere in the US.