Curriculum
Our 12-month fellowship begins July 1. During this time, the fellow will:
- Devote all clinical time to the pediatric neurosurgery service (PNS) at Cincinnati Children's.
- Lead the team of nurse practitioners/physician assistants and neurosurgery residents.
- Lead daily rounds made by the inpatient team.
- Be expected to teach, both formally in conferences, as well as informally on rounds, the neurosurgery residents, the APN/PAs and any rotating students.
- Help lead the weekly division operative case planning conference.
- Have the opportunity to attend multi-disciplinary educational conferences which include surgical epilepsy, neuro-oncology, neuroradiology and case review.
Evaluation
The fellow will be evaluated every six months. The evaluation will consist of a written summary by each attending neurosurgeon, as well as a formal interview with the division chief. Conversely, the fellow will evaluate the neurosurgical attendings as well as his/her overall experience. This evaluation will be discussed during the formal interview.
Course Completion
At the completion of the fellowship year, the expectation will be that the fellow will be able to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the core principles underlying the neurosurgical management of congenital and developmental disorders of the brain and spine. This includes fetal counseling and management, neoplasms of the central nervous system in infants and children, traumatic injuries of the newborn and pediatric brain, skull, spine and spinal cord, neurovascular disorders of children, and functional disorders of childhood as well as those congenital and acquired disorders that lead to childhood epilepsy.
The surgical training is comprehensive and will allow the fellow to demonstrate competency in the surgical management of these conditions encountered commonly in pediatric neurosurgery, as well as offering the opportunity for more specialized training in pediatric endovascular techniques, pediatric epilepsy surgery, fetal repair of myelomeningocele, deep brain stimulation for movement disorders, and complex pediatric spine.
