Boston Institute of Neurosurgery (Tufts University) - Residency Program

The goal of the program is to provide outstanding clinical training and surgical experience to the resident. The attending staff stress both bedside and operating room teaching while encouraging progressive independence in clinical decisions and the performance of surgery. The abundance and variety of surgical procedures ensure that the finishing resident will be familiar with and competent in "state-of-the-art" neurosurgery. There is increasing emphasis on the interaction between clinical and the basic sciences. Participation in research and the acquisition of research skills is required. Although the neurosurgical service is very busy, the attending and house staff encourage a close and collegial relationship. To facilitate the handling of the clinical load, extensive use is made of physician's assistants and nurse practictioners.

Residency Curriculum and Rotations

The program has one resident per year. The length of training is six years following the PGY-1 year. The PGY-1 year is arranged in General Surgery at Tufts New England Medical Center (NEMC).

The first year (PGY-2) is spent as junior resident at NEMC. One year of laboratory research comes between the junior and senior portions of the program. The third year (PGY-4) the resident will act as senior residents at NEMC. The fourth year (PGY-5) will be spent in Neuroradiology, Neuropathology, Neuroophthalmology and Pediatrics at Children's Hospital. In the fifth year (PGY-6) the resident will be the chief resident at the Lahey Clinic, and the last year (PGY-7) is spent as chief resident at New England Medical Center.

Resident are given progressive clinical responsibility both in and out of the operating room. Mentors are assigned in the research areas to facilitate resident goals. The resident may develop his own project or participate in ongoing projects. The medical school core neuroscience group and the basic scientists in the neurosurgery department serve as teachers and consultants for this research.

Conference Schedule
Research

Residents are actively involved in teaching Tufts medical students and rotating students from medical schools in the US and abroad.

Application Procedure (as of July 2005)

The Tufts Residency Program participates in the San Francisco Neurosurgery Match process. One resident will be accepted in each year in January match, to begin the neurosurgery program after internship, in July of the following year. Applications should be complete, except for the Dean's letter, by October 1 of the academic year of the match, .

All applicants must apply to the program through the San Francisco Neurosurgery Residency Matching Program. No additional application is required.

Selected applicants will be invited for interviews. These will be conducted on Thursdays during November, December, and at the beginning of January. Candidates will spend the entire day visiting our department, and will have ample time to observe conferences, tour the hospitals, and meet with residents in addition to interviews with faculty members. On the Wednesday evening preceding every interview date the residents will take the applicants out to a highly recommended dinner.

Candidates selected for interviews will be notified by e-mail or telephone. Please include on your application your e-mail address and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day, or where a message can be left for you. Should you wish to inquire as to the status of your application, you may email Emily Howe, Residency Coordinator, at neurosurgery@tufts-nemc.org or by calling (617) 636-4500 during regular business hours.

Community Environment

Boston is an outstanding cultural and urban center with the highest concentration of major universities of any city in the country. It has outstanding museums, symphony, opera, and ballet. Live theater is well represented in Boston and Cambridge. All major professional and collegiate sports are represented. Boston is located on the seacoast of New England with easy access to Cape Cod and to the mountains of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. There are three neurosurgical training programs in Boston affording numerous opportunities for social and intellectual interaction. Boston is home of well known professional sport teams and our department participates in recreational activities.

The New England Medical Center (Tufts Medical School's major teaching hospital) has recently completed a renovation and expansion program. Most patient care areas are new, and there is a new ambulatory care building including emergency services and ambulatory surgical areas. The hospital is located in the center of a rapidly changing area of Boston. The center abuts the theater district and Chinatown near the financial district. On the medical center campus a new regional nutrition center has been built. It houses scientists from various disciplines studying the impact of nutrition on aging, cerebrovascular disease, central nervous system function, etc.

The Lahey Clinic is a large multidisciplinary group practice located just outside of Boston. The neurosurgical practice is large and varied. It is located about thirty minutes from the other hospitals.

This page was last updated: Tuesday, June, 26 2007