Residency Program and Application Process



Program Goals and Philosophy

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 fund of medical and neurosurgical knowledge. Development of academic skills includes ability to perform and evaluate clinical and basic research, facility in writing and public speaking, and an emphasis on creativity and innovation.

Download a complete description of our Resident Brochure in PDF format. The scope of training for each year is discussed in this document. In order to download PDF, Adobe Reader must be installed on your computer.


Prerequisites

The Neurosurgery Training Program covers a period of six years following the Post Graduate Year One (PGY-I) year. We are an integrated program and reserve a position in our Combined Neuro/General Surgery internship (PGY-I). This year includes 6 months of General Surgery, as well as 6 months of Neuro-related electives- including Neurosurgery, Neurology, Neuroradiology and Neuropathology.

We admit TWO applicants per year, and we reserve a PGY-I position in the Combined Neuro/General Surgery Program at Stanford University Medical Center (SUMC). The one-year of general surgery training, however, can be gained elsewhere with the trainee applying to the Stanford Neurosurgery Training Program for the following year.

Although on-campus housing is limited, housing is available in the nearby vicinity. All first-year residents are offered a second year of training, providing performance has been satisfactory.


Application Process

Neurosurgery Training Program Educational and License Requirements: State law requires certain educational requirements for licensure in California . In most circumstances, graduates of American and Canadian medical schools will have little, if any, difficulty in meeting these requirements.

  • Has the applicant graduated and been awarded the M.D. degree from an LCME/CCME accredited medical school?
  • Has the applicant successfully completed at least 32 months of medical training?
  • Has the applicant completed at least 72 weeks of clinical training?
  • Has the applicant completed at least one period of clinical training in each of the five core areas of surgery, pediatrics, medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry?

If the answers to the above four questions are "yes", the medical education requirements are considered to have been met and no further inquiry with respect to basic medical education is pursued. All residents are required to write clinical research or basic science manuscripts and they will present their work at local, regional, and national meetings.

At the present time, all available positions in our program are filled. If you are interested in applying for a Stanford University Neurosurgery position, applications can be made for PGY-2 positions beginning in July through the San Francisco Match Program's Central Application Service(CAS).

Please send any additional application materials to: Department of Neurosurgery, Room R281 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305-5327. We award TWO residency positions per year. Visiting neurosurgical clerkships are available at the Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto Veteran's Administration Hospital . All students must apply and be registered with Stanford University School of Medicine's Office of Student Affairs.

After applications have been reviewed, qualified candidates will be offered an interview. Resident interviews are held once in November and once in December. Exact dates TBA. We typically interview between 20-30 resident applicants. All interviewees are invited to dinner with our residents the evening prior to their interview. Applicants must interview with our program to be considered. For questions about the Stanford Neurosurgery Training Program, please contact us at (650) 725-5562.