Residency

The hospital is located at East 68th street and York Avenue in New York City. Founded in 1771, New York Hospital was the first voluntary general hospital in New York City and the second in the American colonies. It became affiliated with Cornell University Medical College in 1898. Following construction of a new 766-bed, 850,000-square-foot, 11-story facility over the FDR Drive and overlooking the East River, the new facility opened its doors in July 1997. 

In January 1998, New York Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital merged to form a single institution, named the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH). Residency programs at each hospital have remained separate entities, although residents rotate at both institutions and have the opportunity to do electives at either site. 

Located across York Avenue from NYPH and Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) provides a unique experience in neuro-oncology. The neuro-oncology service at MSKCC is world-renowned in both clinical care and research in the field. Residents meet daily with Dr. Lisa DeAngelis for Morning Report, during which all consult and floor patients are discussed, providing an enriching educational experience. The Division of Pain and Palliative Care has set the international standard for symptom management in cancer patients. Both institutions have functional MRI (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) programs, offering residents experience with the most advanced equipment available for functional brain imaging.

Resident training centers on three inpatient units and a Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit. MSKCC has a neuro-oncology floor service focused on primary neurological malignancies and neurological complications of cancer, such as metastases, seizures, and paraneoplastic disorders.  NYPH has one resident service, which combines a 21-bed step-down unit that focuses on vascular neurology, and a general neurology floor, which houses patients with epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, dementia, and a host of other neurological conditions.  NYPH also has a state-of-the-art 14 bed Neurological Intensive Care Unit that takes care of patients with life-threatening neurological and neurosurgical conditions. In addition, NYPH has a Neurointerventional Radiology Suite, where endovascular procedures are performed for various disease processes, including acute stroke care.

Neurology residents provide direct care to neurology inpatients and perform consultations on the medical, surgical, burn, neurosurgical, obstetric, and pediatric services. Experience in the management of patients requiring an intensive care setting is gained not only on the special care units, but also as consultants to the medical, surgical, cardiac, cardiothoracic, pediatric, and burn ICUs. 

Clinical rotations are performed in each of these facilities during the four-year program. Residents are supervised by attending neurologists, many of whom are internationally renowned specialists. Throughout their training, residents can elect to participate in clinical or laboratory research at any of these institutions or at The Rockefeller University, located across the street.

The internship at the Department of Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) is integrated with the neurology program (meaning that we are a four-year categorical program), and thus does not require a separate application. The PGY-1 Medical Internship Year is automatic upon matching with us. Those applicants wishing to do an internship elsewhere may be permitted to join our program as a PGY-2 under special circumstances and must inform us of this at the time of application.

Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY-1)
The preliminary year offers top-notch training in internal medicine with our highly prestigious and competitive Internal Medicine Residency Program. The following is an approximate breakdown of the rotations during this year:

• 20 weeks on various medicine inpatient services at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (general medicine, renal, geriatrics, etc.)
• 8 weeks in the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) ICU (medical ICU, cardiac ICU)
• 4-6 weeks of medicine outpatient time at Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates (WCIMA)
• 2 weeks of emergency psychiatry at NYPH
• 12 weeks on the NYPH neurology clinics, inpatient, and consult services, serving as an introduction to clinical neurology in preparation for the second year
• 2 weeks of neurology-specific elective
• 4 weeks of vacation

Post-Graduate Year 2 (PGY-2)
The PGY-2 year provides the resident with training focused on the care of inpatients, while developing skills necessary for outpatient neurology practice. The following is an approximate breakdown of the rotations during this year:

• 6-8 weeks on the NYPH Vascular Service
• 8-10 weeks on the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) Neurology Consult Service
• 10 weeks in the NYPH Neurological ICU
• 6-8 weeks as junior resident on the NYPH neurology consult service
• 3 weeks of selective in EEG training (learning how to read long term and routine EEGs, admitting patients to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit)
• 3 weeks of ambulatory neurology (dementia, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, neuro-ophthalmology, and sleep)
• 2 weeks of neuroradiology
• 8 weeks of Elective time
• 4 weeks of vacation

On the neurology wards at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, PGY-2 trainees act as residents and supervise the interns from neurology and psychiatry, and are responsible for the overall functioning of the inpatient services, including presentation of all new admissions to the attending staff. PGY-2 residents are supervised by the senior resident (PGY-4), stroke fellow, and ward attending on service. PGY-2 trainees also assume formal teaching duties for third and fourth year medical students.

Experience managing critically ill patients with neurologic disease is provided in the state-of-the-art Neurological ICU at Weill Cornell (including a portable CT scanner), where neurology residents rotate together with neurosurgery and anesthesiology residents to provide comprehensive care. Residents care for patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, status epilepticus, CNS tumors, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and a host of other neurological emergencies. During this rotation, neurology residents are taught several diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, intracranial pressure monitoring, central venous catheterization, and arterial line placement.

PGY-2 residents serve as junior residents on the NYPH Neurology consult service, working closely with attendings and supervised by PGY-3 residents at all times. In addition, PGY-2 residents also rotate on the Neurology Consult Service at MSKCC, supervised by a neuro-oncology fellow, and attending. 

PGY-2 trainees receive an introduction to clinical neurophysiology during the EEG selective. Residents follow a curriculum to learn the basic science behind EEG and its applications and limitations. Residents learn to interpret standard and continuous EEGs with the clinical neurophysiology fellows and faculty and observe intraoperative monitoring.

Beginning in the PGY-2 year and continuing throughout their training, every resident follows a group of outpatients in a weekly attending-supervised neurology clinic. The primary Neurologist is the resident, whereas the attending serves as a supervisor only. In addition to continuity clinic, PGY-2 through PGY-4 residents participate in an ambulatory neurology rotation. The ambulatory neurology rotation is designed to provide the resident with exposure to both general neurology as well as subspecialty neurology in outpatients. The resident on the ambulatory rotation provides care to patients in the various specialty clinics, including: epilepsy, neuromuscular disease, memory disorders, movement disorders, neuro-ophthalmology, multiple sclerosis, sleep, and a lumbar puncture clinic.

Each PGY-2 resident has approximately 8 weeks of elective time during their second year, which they can spend doing clinical rotations or research.

Post-Graduate Year 3 (PGY-3)
The PGY-3 year provides the resident with training focused on consultative neurology and outpatient neurology. The following is an approximate breakdown of the rotations during this year:
•    18-20 weeks on the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Neurology consult service (combination of days and nights). PGY-3 residents are responsible for running all stroke code activations.
•    10-12 weeks as senior resident on the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center neurology consult service.
•    1 week on the NYPH Neurological ICU
•    3 weeks of ambulatory neurology, including formal training in Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS)
•    2 weeks of dedicated Research time
•    6-8 weeks of elective time
•    2-5 weeks of inpatient pediatric neurology
•    4 weeks of vacation

The consult services at both hospitals (NYP/Weill Cornell and MSKCC) provide the residents with exposure to a broad range of neurologic diagnoses, including neurologic emergencies. The acute stroke protocol is in place at NYP/Weill Cornell; the PGY-3 consult resident performs all initial evaluations and directs care under the supervision of the stroke fellow and attending. A brain resuscitation protocol is also in place in which the PGY-3 consult resident assesses all post-cardiac arrest patients for the utility of therapeutic hypothermia, in conjunction with the medical and neurocritical care fellows. Teaching rounds occur daily with the general neurology service attending and the stroke service attending.

At NYPH, the consult service consists of a day team of two PGY-3 neurology residents and up to three PGY-2 residents (neurology and medicine residents), one neurology intern, as well as medical students, and is supervised by general and vascular consult attendings. There is a night float system in place, with the night team consisting of a PGY-3 neurology resident and a physician assistant.

The PGY-3 neurology resident’s role overnight is to do consultations and admissions only; all patients on the floor service are covered by the physician assistant. There is no 24-hour call for consult residents at NYP/Weill Cornell; the maximum shift duration is 12 hours.

PGY-3 trainees continue their introduction to clinical neurophysiology during the EMG/NCS selective. Residents follow a curriculum to learn the basic science behind EMG and NCS and its applications and limitations. Residents learn to interpret EMG/NCS with the neuromuscular fellows and faculty either at the Weill Cornell Peripheral Neuropathy Center or New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Residents may learn to perform EMG in addition to NCS and skin biopsies.

Post-Graduate Year 4 (PGY-4)
The PGY-4 year provides the resident with training focused on preparation to become an attending neurologist by functioning as ward chief. They no longer work nights or 24 hour shifts, and do not rotate on the consult service at NYPH or MSKCC. In addition, the PGY-4 year provides in-depth training in pediatric neurology. The following is an approximate breakdown of the rotation during this year:

• 6-8 weeks as neurology ward chief on New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Vascular Service
• 6-8 weeks as neurology ward chief at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• 6-8 weeks as neurology ward chief on New York-Presbyterian Hospital, General Neurology Service
• 6-8 weeks as a senior resident on the pediatric neurology service at NYPH
• 4 weeks of ambulatory neurology
• 2 weeks of psychiatry on the NYPH Consult-Liaison Service
• 14 weeks elective time, including opportunities for global health electives
• 4 weeks of vacation

Senior residents assume broad responsibility for patient care on each hospital's clinical service, including the supervision and teaching of junior residents, interns, and students. Their role on the New York-Presbyterian Hospital Vascular Service is to provide supervision to the PGY-2 resident and interns, as well as to formulate daily plans on the patients. The PGY-4 residents work in conjunction with the General Neurology attending and physician assistant to provide care to patients on the General Neurology Service at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

During the General Neurology Service rotation, they are also responsible for leading Morning Report. Likewise, they supervise the consult team consisting of PGY3 and PGY2 residents at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

During the pediatric neurology rotation, senior residents assume equal responsibility as the pediatric neurology fellow. Working closely with the attending pediatric neurologist, residents manage patients in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and on the pediatric inpatient unit, which includes continuous EEG monitoring beds. In addition, residents see patients in two weekly pediatric neurology clinics each week.

The fourth year neurology residents have dedicated elective time during their final year, with options to pursue Global Health experiences.

Pediatric Neurology Residency

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell offers a Pediatric Neurology Residency. Residents follow the first-year adult neurology program, but in subsequent years receive instruction specific to their area of specialization. This includes attendance at a weekly pediatric neuroradiology conference, Grand Rounds, the pediatric epilepsy clinic, the muscular dystrophy clinic, and the general pediatric neurology clinic. 

Residents make daily ward rounds when on service and may see patients with the division chief or other members of the Weill Cornell faculty practice. Six months of the two-year training are elective, and may be spent developing skills in special areas of clinical or basic neuroscience with the approval of the Director. 

This program requires two years of pediatric training prior to acceptance. 

Potential candidates should contact Gail Forde, Pediatric Neurology Residency Program Coordinator, at (212) 746-3321 or gforde@med.cornell.edu.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and its affiliates, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, are part of the largest, non-governmental, medical-bioscience complex in the world. Ramps lead to an esplanade along the East River, where residents can walk, jog, or bicycle. Tennis courts, ice skating, softball, and a variety of outdoor recreational activities are available in Central Park. Residents are ideally situated to take advantage of New York's cultural treasures and sporting events. Outstanding restaurants representing cuisines from all corners of the world are located right in the neighborhood. 

Housing

Neurology residents are offered an excellent quality of life living in one of the world's greatest cities. Residents are offered housing in modern, high-rise apartment buildings in close proximity to the hospital. Apartments are available for single residents and for those who are married, with or without children. There are excellent daycare facilities for young children on the premises.

Stipends

Stipends for trainees are consistent with those of other New York City institutions and increase annually for each additional year of training. In addition, the Department of Neurology has a Resident Educational Fund to assist trainees in attending national medical scientific meetings or other events to advance their education.

Benefits

Trainees are entitled to medical (including vision), dental, life, and malpractice insurance coverage, as well as paid vacation time of four weeks per year. Meals are provided when on call. White coats are provided by the program.

The Department also sponsors numerous social events for residents, including a holiday party, resident retreat, social excursions out of the city, graduation celebration, dinners, and monthly happy hours.