Introduction
The Neurosurgery Training Program covers a period of four clinical years and two research years of enfolded fellowship following the PGY-I year. We admit alternating TWO and THREE applicants per year, and we reserve PGY-I positions in the Surgery / Clinical Neurosciences Internship Program at Stanford for the successful applicants. The PGY-1 year comprises rotations teaching basic clinical skills in adult and pediatric surgery, adult and pediatric neurology, neuroradiology, neuropathology, stereotactic radiosurgery, and endovascular neurosurgery. Four of the six years after the PGY-I year are spent in clinical neurosurgery and two years are devoted to basic or clinical research within an enfolded fellowship.
Three hospitals support the Neurosurgery Training Program: Stanford University Medical Center (SUMC), Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) and the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Hospital (PAVAH). These three hospitals form our fully integrated neurosurgery service. Full-time faculty members direct the training programs at each hospital. Over 3500 neurosurgical operations covering the full spectrum of neurosurgical problems are performed at SUMC, LPCH, and PAVAH.
2009-2010 Stanford Neurosurgery Residents
The training goals of the Neurosurgery Residency Program at Stanford include the acquisition of clinical skills in neurosurgery and a deep commitment to academic and research pursuits. Development of clinical skills includes accurate and concise diagnosis, proficient surgical techniques, excellent patient management, personal maturity, a humanistic approach to patients, and possession of adequate funds of medical and neurosurgical knowledge. Academic skills to be developed include the ability to perform and evaluate clinical and basic research, facility in writing and public speaking, and creativity and innovation.
The Neurosurgery Training Program is constructed with the intent of providing each resident with progressive surgical and patient management responsibility commensurate with his/her level of experience and core competencies. By the end of the training program, the resident should be well versed in the theoretical aspects of neurosurgery, be fully trained in the bedside care of neurosurgical patients, be a proficient technical neurosurgeon, and be able to critically evaluate neurosurgical clinical and basic research.
Expectations
Residents progressively assume surgical and patient management responsibility commensurate with
their level of experience with the expectation that by the end of the training program the resident
will be well versed in the theoretical aspects of neurosurgery, be fully trained in the bedside care of
neurosurgical patients, be a proficient technical neurosurgeon, and be able to evaluate critically
clinical and basic neurosurgical research.
