The PGY1 year is aimed at building a foundation in medicine to apply throughout one’s neurology career regardless of subspecialty. It is also a time to become colleagues and build rapport with the other services.
Block schedule
- Neurology Wards: 12 weeks
- Emergency Department: 8 weeks
- Medicine Ward: 8 weeks
- Medical ICU: 4 weeks
- Cardiac ICU: 4 weeks
- Neurosurgery: 4 weeks
- Elective: 4 weeks
- Medicine Clinics: 4 weeks
- Vacation 4 weeks (taken on ER block)
In the PGY2 year neurology residents spend their time at all three hospitals. As of July 2024, we have implemented night float. In house overnight residents have an intern to help. The junior resident will always receive back-up support from the chief resident in making clinical decisions. Residents are expected to master the fundamentals of neurology by the end of their first year. Weekend call shifts are 12 hours. There is only in house call at Harbor UCLA.
The PGY2 residents’ 4-week outpatient VA month includes exposure to the following clinics: movement, neuromuscular, multiple sclerosis, and stroke clinics.
Block schedule
- Neurology Wards: 10 weeks
- Neurology Consults: 15-16 weeks
- Elective: 4 weeks
- Rancho inpatient/outpatient: 4 weeks
- Rancho Epilepsy Monitoring Unit: 2 weeks
- Night Float: 7-8 weeks
- VA Clinics: 4 weeks
- Vacation: 4 weeks
The PGY3 year is designed as a year of guided, personal study in diagnostic techniques and basic science disciplines. There is significantly less in house call compared to the PGY2 year. By the end of the second year, residents are expected to be competent in neuro-diagnostic procedures (including EEG, evoked potentials, EMG and nerve conduction studies, CT, and MRI) and will be responsible for interpreting these investigations on their patients during the third year. The remainder of the second year is set aside for electives during which time the residents may engage in a clinical or laboratory research project under the supervision of a member of the faculty or take additional training in sub-specialized areas of neurology. PGY3s and PGY4s share home call to help the in house junior resident make clinical decisions.
Block schedule
- Elective: 10-14 weeks
- Neurology Consults: 4 weeks
- Neurology Wards: 4 weeks
- Pediatric Neurology: 8 weeks
- Rancho Inpatient/Outpatient: 4 weeks
- Rancho EMU: 4 weeks
- VA Consults: 4 weeks
- VA Clinics: 2-4 weeks
- Psychiatry: 4 weeks
- Night Float: 2 weeks
- Vacation: 4 weeks
- Neurorehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital
- Epilepsy at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital
- Neuroradiology at the VA
- Neurophysiology (EEG/EMG)
- Research
- Away elective (established electives at UCLA or Cedars Sinai including interventional radiology, neuromuscular medicine, movement disorders, neurocritical care, etc.)
In the PGY4 year the third-year neurology resident will serve as chief resident on the neurology ward service or the consultation service and will be responsible for patient management as well as instruction of junior residents, interns, and medical students. PGY3s and PGY4s share home call to help the junior resident make clinical decisions.
Block schedule
- Elective: 10 weeks
- Neurology Consults: 6-7 weeks
- Neurology Wards: 6-7 weeks
- Rancho EMU: 4 weeks
- Rancho Inpatient/Outpatient: 4 weeks
- Pediatrics: 4 weeks
- VA Consults: 8 weeks
- VA Clinics: 4 weeks
- Night Float: 1 week
- Vacation: 4 weeks
- Neurorehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital
- Epilepsy at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital
- Neuroradiology at the VA
- Neurophysiology (EEG/EMG)
- Research
Clinical Curriculum
Veterans Administration Long Beach

On the VA clinic month rotation, the resident rotates between the following: Epilepsy, TBI, Sleep, Movement, ALS, General Neurology and Botox. Residents have also spent half days in specialty labs and observing procedures : gait lab, speech, and physical therapy.
The VA has a well established teleneurology program as well.
On the VA consult month rotation, the resident works 1:1 with their faculty and two half days a week meets with Dr. Fischer, the stroke specialist to review stroke patients and pertinent stroke literature