Competency Based Objectives of the CUMC Neurology Residency Program

The objectives of the Columbia Neurology Residency Program reflect the intended outcome of the educational experience, as summarized in the following items.

1. During the three years of Adult Neurology Residency Training, residents will be exposed to all of the major areas of neurology including neuro-ophthalmology, neuromuscular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, epilepsy, movement disorders, neurocritical care, clinical neurophysiology, behavioral neurology, neuroimmunology, infectious disease, neuro-otology, neuroimaging, neuro-oncology, pain management, neurogenetics, child neurology, neurology of aging, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and rehabilitation medicine [MK].
2. Residents will acquire knowledge of the basic sciences upon which clinical neurology is founded, including neuroanatomy, neuropathology, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, neural development, neurochemistry, neuropharmacology, molecular biology, genetics, immunology, epidemiology, and biostatistics [MK].
3. Residents will demonstrate competence in obtaining and documenting the neurological history, performing the neurological examination, and in making a comprehensive formulation and differential diagnosis, and developing a plan for diagnosis and management [MK, CS].
4. Upon successful completion of the three-year program, residents will possess the necessary clinical knowledge and skills for independent clinical practice, reflecting the medical literature and standards of practice. Residents will be able to recognize, diagnose and manage the common and important neurological disorders, as well as interpret the results of commonly performed diagnostic testing in this specialty [MK, CS, PBL].
5. Residents will demonstrate and exemplify effective communication with patients and families, developing a therapeutic alliance, displaying empathy, professionalism, and sensitivity to cultural and socioeconomic diversity [ICS, P].
6. Residents will develop and demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and effectively in multidisciplinary health care teams by interacting with other disciplines. This will be achieved by effective communication with  provision of accurate and complete health care documentation, appropriate teaching and leadership skills, and by interfacing with the internal [hospital-based] and external [community] systems and agencies of health care provision [SBP, P, ICS], including referring physicians.
7. In caring for patients and interacting with members of the health care team, residents will demonstrate the many attributes of professionalism, including concern and respect for others, honesty and integrity, confidentiality, sensitivity to ethical issues, and awareness of safety [P, ICS].
8. Over the course of their training, residents will demonstrate practice of improving patient care by: using the medical literature, reflecting on clinical outcomes, acquiring the skills for critically assessing the literature, and participating in a scholarly project through either research or quality of care / improvement projects [PBL].