Residency Program & Education

PGY-1/Intern

The intern year is under the direction of the Neurological Surgery Department. The PGY-1 year provides a variety of rotations, including neurosurgery critical care, neurology, neuropathology, neuroradiology, neuroanesthesia, otolaryngology, and trauma surgery. Our interns are encouraged to complete the USMLE Step 3 examination during this year and are integrated into the Neurosurgery Service for a portion of the year. This time provides the fundamental experience to gain confidence with neurocritical care, bedside procedures, and assisting in the operating room.

PGY-2/Junior Resident

The entire PGY-2 year is spent on the Neurosurgery Service at the Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC). The resident gains ability and confidence under the direction of chief residents and attending neurosurgeons to successfully evaluate neurosurgery patients, manage a busy neurosurgical service, interpret imaging, communicate with other services, provide care for neurosurgical emergencies, and learn basic operative techniques.

PGY-3/Junior Resident

The PGY-3 year provides more exposure to the operating room and endovascular suite. Residents in this year are expected to have improved clinical judgment and operative skills. Residents in this year are encouraged to attend the annual Research Update in Neuroscience for Neurosurgeons (RUNN) course in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

During this year, our residents take the ABNS written examination for practice.

PGY-4/Senior Resident

The PGY-4 resident assumes chief-level responsibility during an approximate six to nine month rotation at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, located on the same campus as LUMC.  As the VA Center of Excellence for Skull Base Tumors, the Hines VA rotation provides exposure to endoscopic skull base surgeries in addition to basic craniotomies and spine surgeries. Furthermore, this rotation provides exposure to patients in clinic and provides a forum to evaluate patients in the preoperative and postoperative settings.

The PGY-4 resident will complete a three month pediatric rotation at the Anne & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

During this year, residents take the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) written examination for credit and are encouraged to take the Chicago Board Review Course. Residents are encouraged to identify a primary mentor and have a plan for the upcoming research PGY-5 year.

PGY-5/Research Resident

During this year, our residents are encouraged to pursue clinical, translational, or basic science research at Loyola and to submit for national grants through the AANS, CNS, other foundations, and/or industry. This is protected research time.

Furthermore, they are expected to submit two to three peer-reviewed manuscripts and present their work at national, regional, or subsection meetings.

PGY-6 & 7

Spine Chief Resident

The PGY-6 year is a focused clinical experience in spine neurosurgery at LUMC. Our residents are provided increased responsibility for their operative role and participate in deformity correction, spinal oncology, and complex instrumentation cases. Residents in this year are expected to direct treatment plans for the LUMC Spine Service.

Cranial Chief Resident

The PGY-7 year is a focused clinical experience in cranial neurosurgery at LUMC. Our residents are provided increased responsibility for their operative role and participate in aneurysm clipping, open skull base tumor resection, endoscopic skull base, epilepsy surgery, and intrinsic tumor cases. Residents in this year are expected to direct treatment plans for the LUMC cranial Service. The PGY-7 chief resident is the administrative leader of the neurosurgical residency team and directs the activities of each resident in order to achieve the common objectives of excellent patient care and individual resident development.