Training - Year One
Residents in the Cedars-Sinai Neurological Surgery Residency Program are expected to reach goals and objectives in six areas. Those areas and the expectations to be achieved in each area for the PGY1 are:
Patient Care
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective.
- Perform a concise and focused history and physical examination. The H&P should be focused and should represent the team plan of care, including the appropriateness of weight loss surgery for the patient.
- Execute patient care plans, under the direction of the Senior and Chief Resident, Fellow, and Attending surgeon.
Medical Knowledge
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Demonstrate basic knowledge of established clinical sciences, with application of this knowledge to care of patients with neurological disorders. Specifically, the Junior resident must be aware of:
- various neurosurgical techniques
- complications attributable specific to each neurosurgical technique
- Critically evaluate and demonstrate knowledge of scientific information various neurosurgical procedures. Specifically, the junior resident will be responsible to give a critical assessment of assigned journal articles during the monthly Journal Club conference.
Practice-based Learning and Improvement
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate care of the patients on the service, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning. The Junior Resident must be aware the expected complications as related specifically raised intracranial pressure, spinal disease, hydrocephalus and neurovascular disease.
- Identify strengths, deficiencies, and limits in one’s knowledge and expertise.
- Set learning and improvement goals.
- Systematically analyze practice and implement changes with the goal of practice improvement. One means is by helping the Chief Resident maintain a daily tally of morbidities and mortalities on the service.
- Incorporate evaluation feedback into daily practice.
- Locate, appraise, and assimilate evidence from scientific studies related to the respective patients’ health problems. This is formally done during Journal Club conferences.
- Use information technology to optimize learning.
- Practice evidence-based approach to patient care.
- Participate in monthly M+M conferences where patient outcome is critically evaluated.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information, including collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.
- Ability to cross a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds in one’s interpersonal and communication skills.
- Effectively communicate with physicians and other health professionals.
- Maintain comprehensive, timely, and legible medical records. This includes dictating discharge notes immediately, and no later than within 24 hours.
- Help the Chief Resident maintain daily database of patient care team census, including morbidities and mortalities.
Professionalism
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Ensure that patient care responsibilities supersede personal interests
- Respect HIPAA regulations of patient privacy, autonomy.
- Be sensitive and responsive to diversities in patient population.
- Maintain a high standard of ethical behavior.
- Commit to the continuity of patient care. This includes ensuring thorough and safe transference of care during off hours.
Systems-based Practice
The resident will develop the ability to:
- Demonstrate an awareness of a larger context and system of health care, including effectively using resources to provide optimal health care.
- Practice high quality cost-aware patient care
