Clinical Electives - Yale Neurology Residency

Yale University
School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
P.O. Box 208018
New Haven, CT
06520-8018

Clinical Electives

Many residents spend their elective time enhancing their knowledge and skills in aspects of clinical neurology in which they are particularly interested. The possibilities for this are unlimited, since there is a large number of clinical specialities represented at Yale, and when not available locally residents can spend elective time at other institutions with strengths in specific subspecialites. Many of our residents use their elective time in this way to broaden their experience, or to enhance their competitiveness for clinical practice. Examples of clinical electives available to our residents locally include:

Neuroradiology

Neuropathology

Neuro-oncology

Stroke

Epilepsy

Neuroimmunology / Multiple Sclerosis

Neuromuscular Disease

Clinical Neurophysiology/EMG/EEG

Headache / Chronic Pain

Neuro-rehabilitation

Sleep

Movement Disorders

Neuro-AIDS / HIV

Neuro-otology

Functional MRI / Behavioral Neurology

Neuro-informatics

Mini-Fellowships

Elective time during the second or third year of neurology training can be organized into mini-fellowships. This allows residents to address topics in greater detail than usually afforded in a clinical elective. Previous residents have arranged mini-fellowships in clinical neurophysiology, epilepsy, stroke, and basic neuroscience research. These fellowships can also be undertaken in conjunction with a clinical research project. In some cases, these mini-fellowships can decrease the time required for later formal postgraduate fellowships, or offer more flexibility in post-graduate training.

Off-site electives

In most cases, PGY-4 may take any or all electives off-campus. In some cases, PGY-3 electives may be taken off-campus, contingent upon meeting the core requirements of the Residency Program, including coverage of call, continuity clinics, and other duties.

There are many possibilities available for away electives. One example that has been attractive to our residents is to learn Clinical Neurology at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. This successful and popular elective is run by Martin J Stransky, one of our faculty, who is based in Prague for much of the year. Dr. Stransky directs a large clinic and has a number of leadership positions in Prague (http://www.narodni.cz). The Prague elective is open to all residents and is tailored in length and content to the residents' particular interests. Along with a rich historical tradition in neurology (e.g. Purkinje), Prague has several prominent teaching hospitals with a full range of neurological services, including gamma knife surgery and PET scanning. Limited funds are available to defray some of the expenses incurred by travel to Prague.