Definition | Mission Statement | Resident Goals | Program Goals

Definition

ABNS DEFINITION OF NEUROSURGERY

NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY Constitutes a medical discipline and surgical specialty that provides care for adult and pediatric patients in the treatment of pain or pathological processes that may modify the function or activity of the central nervous system (e.g. brain, hypophysis, and spinal cord), the peripheral nervous system (e.g. cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerves), the autonomic nervous system, the supporting structures of these systems (e.g. meninges skull & skull base, and vertebral column), and their vascular supply (e.g. intracranial, extracranial, and spinal vasculature).

Treatment encompasses both non-operative management (e.g. prevention, diagnosis - including image interpretation - and treatments such as, but not limited to neurocritical intensive care and rehabilitation) and operative management with its associated image use and interpretation (e.g. endovascular surgery, functional and restorative surgery, stereotactic Radiosurgery, and spinal fusion - including its instrumentation.

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Mission Statement

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

SCOPE
These policies and procedures apply to all resident physicians participating in the Neurosurgery Residency Program under the authority of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. These same policies and procedures apply to all full-time and clinical faculty participating in the education and training of the resident physicians.

MISSION STATEMENT
To provide exemplary patient care while creating permanent solutions to neurological illness through pioneering scientific research and to foster an outstanding and diverse training environment for neurological surgeons of the future.

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Resident Goals

UCLA NEUROSURGERY PROGRAMMATIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

1. Maintain a scholarly environment which is committed to the education and training of neurosurgery resident physicians.
2. Maintain the accredited status of the program throughout the education period of the trainees.
3. Provide a safe and clean working environment for trainees.

GOALS FOR THE UCLA DIVISION OF NEUROSURGERY RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAM

1. To graduate men and women who possess the attributes of fine physicians, both in personal character and in clinical competence.
2. To provide educational exposure to a program of classroom, laboratory, bedside, clinic and operating room instruction in sufficient quantity and in appropriate balance, to provide competence of a high standard of independent practice in the care of patients.
3. To stimulate the ability to remain abreast of current medical knowledge.
4. To stimulate the residents to be not only specialists in their own field, but generalists in their acceptance of new ideas from other branches of medical as well as other sciences.
5. To stimulate those who have the aptitude and opportunity to pursue investigative medicine in the laboratory so as to contribute to medical progress.
6. To encourage all residents to continue to be teachers of their art and science.
7. To assist and guide them, such that they will be held in high esteem and to exert a beneficial influence upon their patients, their colleagues and society.

The training program is a well balanced and diversified seven year ACGME accredited program including internship and a research experience.

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Program Goals

OBJECTIVES (Brief) Revised June 20, 2014

NS1
INTERN YEAR - NEUROSURGERY, SURGERY, NEUROCRITICAL CARE
1. General Patient History Taking
2. General Patient Exam
3. Basic neurology - with specific focus on neurocritical care, stroke, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, seizure disorders, and rehabilitation.
4. Introduction to the Outpatient Setting and evaluation of non-emergency patients both before and after surgical procedures

NS2
JUNIOR RESIDENT (UCLA)
1. Obtain a pertinent neurological patient history
2. Perform a complete neurological patient exam
3. Know detailed management of neurosurgical patients especially on the wards and through the Emergency Room.
4. Competency in performing ICU invasive procedures
5. Competency in dressing application and care
6. Begin learning basic surgical techniques
7. Understand physiological monitoring techniques and instrumentation
8. Evaluation of acutely-ill neurological patients
9. Introduction to indications and interpretations of various diagnostic tests
10. Introduction to the decision process leading to surgery
11. Be able to give patient presentation at formal teaching rounds
12. Able to supervise/teach interns and medical students

NS3
SENIOR CLINICAL and ELECTIVE ROTATIONS
Neuropathology, Radiology, Interventional Radiology, Functional Neurosurgery/Radiosurgery, and Research
1. Basic neurology - with specific focus on neurocritical care, stroke, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, seizure disorders, and rehabilitation. Become familiar with the technical aspects of performing EEGs and EMGS.
2. Neuropathology - understand basic pathology principles. Learn pertinent immunohistochemistry staining results, complete sets of learning slides
3. Neuroradiology - ability to give diagnostic interpretation of plain x-rays, MRI, CT, Myelogram.
4. Interventional Radiology - begin understanding of indications for and techniques of targeted interventional radiology treatments
5. Functional - gain experience in the surgical management of stereotaxis and functional surgery for movement disorders and pain.

NS4
RESEARCH
1. Learn basic scientific approach and techniques
2. Write a research proposal in NIH format. Learn grant writing skills
3. Complete a defined research project
4. Present the research findings at a UCLA Neurosurgical conference, and at a regional or national meeting.
5. Submit research findings for manuscript publication(s)

NS5
SENIOR CLINICAL and ELECTIVE ROTATIONS
Harbor Senior, UCLA Senior, Santa Monica Spine Senior, UCLA Super Senior
1. Establish competency in performing basic craniotomy approaches, including removal of noncomplex brain tumors, spinal surgery, and pediatric neurosurgical procedures.
2. Supervise/teach NS1 residents, interns, and medical students on patient rounds.
3. Teach NS1 residents basic surgical techniques
4. Establish decision-making process leading to operative and non-operative management of patients
5. Obtain competency in interpretation of diagnostic tests
6. Learn leadership techniques from Chief Resident.

NS6
CHIEF RESIDENT ROTATIONS
VA Chief, Harbor-UCLA Chief, UCLA Chief
1. Primary responsibility for patient management with faculty supervision
2. Hone leadership skills in preparation for academic practice
3. Administrative responsibility for operative and quality assurance data collection
4. Obtain competency in all neurosurgical procedures (not requiring special fellowship training), including complex skullbase tumor, neurovascular procedures, and spine instrumentation.
5. Prepare for independent clinical practice

NS7
CLINICAL ELECTIVE ROTATIONS

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