epilepsy fellowship

[moya moya]

I'm currently a PGY-3 interested in an Epilepsy Fellowship. From my understanding, although there are programs out there with Epilepsy Fellowships, it is not a board certified sub-speciality. Therefore, where would I get a listing of such programs? The ACGME website lists only board certified fellowships. Additionally, would it be more advisable to apply to Clinical Neurophysiology programs that emphasize EEG/Epilepsy training, and how would this differ from a strictly Epilepsy program?

If anyone out there has any information on this topic, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

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[Phantom Spike]

I'm currently a PGY-3 interested in an Epilepsy Fellowship. From my understanding, although there are programs out there with Epilepsy Fellowships, it is not a board certified sub-speciality. Therefore, where would I get a listing of such programs? The ACGME website lists only board certified fellowships. Additionally, would it be more advisable to apply to Clinical Neurophysiology programs that emphasize EEG/Epilepsy training, and how would this differ from a strictly Epilepsy program?

If anyone out there has any information on this topic, I would appreciate it. Thanks!

If you do an ACGME approved clinical neurophysiology fellowship, you should get exposure to EEG, sleep, EMG and evoked potentials (depending, of course, on the quality of the program) and be eligible to take the ABPN-administered Clinical Neurophysiology subspecialty certification exam. Most fellowships give you the option of choosing an EEG/epilepsy track or an EMG/neuromuscular track, and some give you equal exposure to both. To be eligible to take the certification examination for Sleep medicine, you need to do a sleep fellowship (a clinical neurophysiology fellowship doesn't cut it). If you visit the ABPN site, it doesn't appear that a purely Epilepsy fellowship or subspecialty is even recognized, so my assumption is that such fellowships are non-ACGME. There is a newly-recognized Neuromuscular diseases certification, though. I would think that if you did a Clinical Neurophysiology fellowship at a program strong in EEG and epilepsy, it would be as good as an "epilepsy" fellowship.

 

[Fencer]

Epilepsy will have ABPN board certification sometime between 2013 - 2015. Most of us (epileptologists) are boarded in Clinical Neurophysiology (ABPN/ABCN). There are quite a few programs that are 1-year because that is what ACGME requires you for Clinical Neurophyisiology (ABPN). There are 3 major areas of strength and you need to pick at least 2 of them (EEG, Sleep, EMG). Some programs allow you to do EMU rotations, and then do EMU/ECOGs during your 2nd year (non-ACGME accredited).

Current (but 2001) program requirements: http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/downloads/RRC_progReq/187pr101_u105.pdf