confusion about neuro...

[gbigdawg]

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Hi everyone,

So I had decided that I was going to pursue a career in neurology...mainly based on the fact that I am fascinated by the range of disease that neurologists deal with...also...i enjoyed being in the outpt clinics (MS, PD, epilepsy)...i had a very relaxed neurology rotation at my school in terms of inpatient exposure (there was virtually none)...and so i feel that I didn't get a great idea of what being a neurology resident is like...obviously choosing a residency is a huge decision and i want to try to be as sure as possible that i'm making the right choice...

i plan to apply to a residency mainly in the ny area....where should i do an away rotation not so much for purposes of an "audition" but rather to gain more insight if this field is a good fit for me?

 

[neurologist]

Hi everyone,

So I had decided that I was going to pursue a career in neurology...mainly based on the fact that I am fascinated by the range of disease that neurologists deal with...also...i enjoyed being in the outpt clinics (MS, PD, epilepsy)...i had a very relaxed neurology rotation at my school in terms of inpatient exposure (there was virtually none)...and so i feel that I didn't get a great idea of what being a neurology resident is like...obviously choosing a residency is a huge decision and i want to try to be as sure as possible that i'm making the right choice...

i plan to apply to a residency mainly in the ny area....where should i do an away rotation not so much for purposes of an "audition" but rather to gain more insight if this field is a good fit for me?

What's your actual question? Is it that you want to see more inpatient acute neuro cases? If so, go to any big urban academic center. Since you're in the NY area I'd suggest Columbia/Cornell or NYU.

 

[gbigdawg]

thanks for the reply!

so my question assumes that the following premise is correct: Neuro residents spend a good deal of time (majority) on the inpt service and a lesser amount of time doing electives (epilepsy, MS, etc)....i've gotten a reasonable amount of exposure to some of the electives...but i don't feel i have a gauge of what it is like to be on the inpt. service....since this is where the majority of my time will be spent as a resident....i would like more exposure to these cases (acute and chronic).....so basically it boils down to where should i go for a good inpatient experience in the nyc area where i will really see what it's like to be a resident...

i don't think the above explanation of my question will change the initial answer i've received...but i just wanted to clarify what i was asking! thanks again!

 

[neurologist]

thanks for the reply!

so my question assumes that the following premise is correct: Neuro residents spend a good deal of time (majority) on the inpt service and a lesser amount of time doing electives (epilepsy, MS, etc)....i've gotten a reasonable amount of exposure to some of the electives...but i don't feel i have a gauge of what it is like to be on the inpt. service....since this is where the majority of my time will be spent as a resident....i would like more exposure to these cases (acute and chronic).....so basically it boils down to where should i go for a good inpatient experience in the nyc area where i will really see what it's like to be a resident...

i don't think the above explanation of my question will change the initial answer i've received...but i just wanted to clarify what i was asking! thanks again!

Actually, the amount of time spent on inpatient vs outpatient varies considerably from program to program. Personally, I think neuro programs should emphasize the outpatient side and think it's great that you've had lots of that experience, but that's my personal bias. In many programs (again, usually the large urban academic centers) most of your time in residency will be spent on inpatient with maybe half a day a week of clinic and some occasional month-long elective blocs. Why? Because hospitals need lots of cheap resident labor to run the inpatient service 24/7. 😉 However, some programs are a bit more enlightened and allow more outpatient experience.

You're right in that the original advice still stands. If you want to see some interesting (and a lot of unteresting) inpatient stuff, any of the places I mentioned before should work for you.