SNS Intern Boot Camp

During the first month of intern year, you are provided a trip to aid in the transition from medical school to residency. The two-day mini course is offered by The Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS) and supervised by moderators and faculty from the neurosurgery field. You will benefit by learning the basics of neurosurgical care from senior faculty.

SNS Junior Resident Course

Prior to the completion of the intern year, you will attend this virtual course that consists of two two-hour time blocks. You will receive hands-on, basic neurological training, including drilling, microsurgical techniques, shunts, use of the Gamma Knife, repairing sagittal sinus injuries, and performing laser ablations. The course is designed as an introduction to the operating room and leadership training.

ABNS Primary Exam

Starting in PGY-1, you may take the ABNS Primary Exam for self-assessment or for credit toward certification. The exam is held every year in March. The ABNS and RRC require residents to pass the examination for credit toward certification before completing training.

Medical license

After completing PGY-1 level training, you will qualify for an Arizona Medical License.

ABNS Neuroanatomy Exam

As a supplement to the ABNS Primary Exam, the Neuroanatomy Exam will be given in July of the PGY-2 year. The test can be taken multiple times until it is mastered. The curriculum for the PGY-2 Neuroanatomy Exam is located on the ABNS website.

ABNS Primary Exam

Starting in PGY-1, you may take the ABNS Primary Exam for self-assessment or for credit toward certification. The exam is held every year in March. The ABNS And RRC require residents to pass the examination for credit toward certification before completing training.

You will spend three to six months at Phoenix Children’s Hospital with site director P. David Adelson, M.D.. During the rotations, you will learn to evaluate and treat patients with pediatric neurosurgical diseases of the head, spine, peripheral nerves, and other pediatric neurosurgical emergencies that present to the emergency room including pediatric head injury and hydrocephalus.

You will have the opportunity to spend three to six months in neurosurgery trauma at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Abhishiek Sharma. During the rotation, you will learn to evaluate and treat patients with traumatic injuries of the head, spine, peripheral nerves, and other neurosurgical emergencies that present to the emergency room.

You will spend three to six months at Phoenix Children’s Hospital with site director P. David Adelson, M.D.. During the rotations, you will learn to evaluate and treat patients with pediatric neurosurgical diseases of the head, spine, peripheral nerves, and other pediatric neurosurgical emergencies that present to the emergency room including pediatric head injury and hydrocephalus.

You will have the opportunity to spend three to six months in neurosurgery trauma at HonorHealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center under the supervision of Dr. Abhishiek Sharma. During the rotation, you will learn to evaluate and treat patients with traumatic injuries of the head, spine, peripheral nerves, and other neurosurgical emergencies that present to the emergency room.

The 12-month research rotations will provide academic training in the quantitative and methodological principles of clinic research. The rotation will offer formal training in large data set research, design, data collection/management/analysis, research management, medical genomics, statistical analysis, grant application, and the peer-reviewed publication process. You will learn to develop, execute, and report neurological research as it applies to clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, big data socioeconomics, health policy, and quality improvement.

Mayo Clinic offers outstanding opportunities to conduct basic scientific, or clinical research. You will have access to all of the research resources at Mayo Clinic, and mentoring is available for all levels of expertise. Scholarly activity is recognized as an integral part of the Neurologic Surgery Residency for the faculty and residents.

You are expected to participate in at least one research project annually with a faculty mentor, leading to a peer-reviewed publication. Oral presentations at local, national, or international meetings are encouraged, with time away from the practice provided in accordance with Mayo Clinic policy.

The 12-month elective rotations allow you to rotate in any of the listed subspecialty fields. The elective rotation is an opportunity to further gain experience in a certain field, for both educational purposes and career path planning. This an opportunity to customize your training.

• Interventional Surgery
• Pediatric neurosurgery
• Cerebrovascular and skull base surgery
• Spine surgery
• Functional neurosurgery
• Neuro-oncological surgery
• Peripheral nerve surgery
• Research

During PGY-7, you are assigned as the chief resident at the primary clinical site. You will have 12 months of primary responsibility for patient management with faculty member supervision, as well as administrative responsibility as designated by the program director. You will also have semi-autonomous responsibility for groups of patents as part of a team led by an attending physician.