WELCOME

We are very excited that you have decided to learn more about our program!  Like all programs, we have had to adapt to the challenges brought by COVID-19, and will once again be holding all of our interviews virtually.  This section of our website is designed to provide applicants with more information about our program.  We hope that the additional information you find here will give you a sense of what it is like to be a UMKC Neurology resident, and will allow you to get to know our residents, faculty, and our two main clinical sites: Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and University Health Truman Medical Center.

This section of our website is designed to provide interviewees with more information about our program.  We hope that the additional information you find here will give you a sense of what it is like to be a UMKC Neurology resident, and will allow you to get to know our residents, faculty, and our two main clinical sites: Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City and University Health Truman Medical Center.   On the interview day, we will go into more depth about all aspects of our program, and you will have many opportunities to ask us questions.  We look forward to meeting you!

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION INTRODUCTIONS

Program Director: Sean Gratton, M.D. (Introduction)

Department Chair:  Dr. Charles Donohoe, M.D. (Introduction)

Program Coordinators: Terry Borghardt and Veronica Byers-Harms (Introduction)

INFORMATIONAL VIDEOS

• Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City
• University Health Truman Medical Center
• Kansas City
• Go to visitkc.com for more information.

RESIDENT TESTIMONIALS

• Alumna Nikita Maniar
• PGY4 Sha’Ray Shaw
• PGY4 Rob Ungerer
• PGY3 Jessica Darusz

Application Information

The residency program selects the best qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, cultural background, religion, sexual orientation, color, national origin, handicap, or age.  Upon careful review of all applications, we offer interviews to selected applicants.

In accordance with UMKC School of Medicine Policy, we will not interview, rank, or accept H1B applicants in the UMKC Neurology Residency Program.

Candidate requirements include:

• A completed application form through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)
• Medial Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) from the candidate’s medical school
• Recommendation letters from three faculty members
• Medical school transcripts
• Personal Statement
• ECFMG certification, if applicable
• For Osteopathic applicants, we accept results of COMLEX and/or USMLE exams

Supplemental ERAS Application

For the 2023 ERAS^® cycle, our program will be collecting and reviewing data from applicants’ supplemental ERAS applications. Completion of the standard MyERAS application is a requirement; completion of the supplemental ERAS application is optional.

In its second year of use, the supplemental ERAS application is designed to help applicants share more information about themselves and assist our program in finding applicants that fit our program’s setting and mission. There is no cost to applicants and participation is optional.

The supplemental ERAS application provides:

• geographic preferences (by division and by urban or rural setting);
• information about an applicant’s most meaningful experiences and other impactful life events, if applicable; and
• program signals.

The supplemental ERAS application will be delivered on a survey platform that is separate from the MyERAS application and must be completed between August 1 and September 16, 2022.

Learn more about the AAMC supplemental ERAS application.

Underrepresented Minority Recruitment

We strongly encourage qualified applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine.

Salary and Benefits

Please click here for salary and benefit information.

Contact

For more information please contact program coordinator Terry Borghardt at Terry.Borghardt@uhkc.org or (816) 404-5275.

The UMKC Neurology Residency Program emphasizes direct patient care with appropriate faculty supervision as its foundation.

PGY-1

The PGY-1 year of the UMKC Neurology Residency Program will be an in-depth Internal Medicine experience provided in conjunction with the UMKC Internal Medicine Residency Program. The clinical sites of the UMKC Internal Medicine Program are Saint Luke’s Hospital and University Health Truman Medical Center, which will allow the intern to become familiar with each site prior to starting the intensive neurology years PGY-2-4. Each intern will spend one month on the stroke service at Saint Luke’s and 1-2 months on the consult service at TMC. This will allow for an initial exposure to clinical neurology during the PGY-1 year. The PGY-1 year will be capped off by a Neurology Immersion Block, which will involve intensive introduction to the basics of clinical neurology.

PGY-2

The PGY-2 year lays the foundation for the resident’s neurological education by exposing the resident to a wide variety of clinical neurology. The resident will play an integral role on stroke and other inpatient neurology services, including the intensive care unit. Each resident will have month long rotations on neuroradiology and neurophysiology. These rotations will serve as the basis for further learning in these foundational areas. Residents will have one month of elective time during the PGY-2 year.

Each resident’s one half-day per week continuity clinic at University Health Truman Medical Center will begin in the PGY-2 year. This clinic will allow the resident to take ownership of a group of patients in order to develop the skills necessary to practice independently in a post-residency career.

PGY-3

The PGY-3 year will advance the concepts learned in the PGY-2 year with a gradual transition towards more responsibility and leadership. The resident will spend time in several important subspecialties including epilepsy and movement disorders. Three consecutive months in the PGY-3 year will be spent at Children’s Mercy Hospital learning the essentials of child neurology.  Residents will have one month of elective time during the PGY-3 year.

PGY-4

The PGY-4 year is the culmination of the program. Residents will assume a leadership role on each service through which they rotate. They will also play an important part in the education of students and junior residents. The intersection between mental health and neurological disease will be explored during each resident’s one month rotation in the University Health Truman Medical Center psychiatry department. Residents will have two and a half months of elective time during the PGY-4 year.

DIDACTICS

Educational development will be fostered through a detailed didactic program. One half-day each week will be dedicated solely to resident education. Through interactive experiences and lectures, each half-day will explore neurological topics from different perspectives: neuroanatomy and localization, clinical neurology, basic science, and board review. Regularly scheduled Journal Clubs and Grand Rounds will complement the educational program.

• Categorical 4-year program (internal medicine internship + three years of neurology residency)
• Three Adult Neurology residents matched per year (a total of 12 residents)
• Four clinical sites provide a broad exposure to neurology in different clinical environments
  • Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City
  • Truman Medical Center
  • Research Medical Center
  • Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City
• Each resident will receive funds for educational expenses
• Each resident will have four-and-a-half elective months to explore personalized interests
• Residents have access to UMKC resources including library services, statistical consultation, research assistance, among many others (https://www.med.umkc.edu/)
• The program can sponsor J1, but in accordance with UMKC School of Medicine Policy we do not have the ability to sponsor H1B visas
• Located in the heart of Kansas City near many restaurants, bars, parks, and other activities (visitKC.com)
• A collegial atmosphere fostered by regular social get-togethers

Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City

Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City is the site of the Saint Luke’s Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute (SLMBNI), which is the only dedicated neuroscience hospital in Kansas City. As the primary clinical site of the neurology residency program, Saint Luke’s will serve as the foundation for clinical resident education. Residents will rotate on the inpatient and outpatient neurological services. The inpatient neurological services include a comprehensive stroke center that will give residents the opportunity to participate in state-of-the-art stroke care, including neuro-interventional procedures such as clot retrieval. SLMBNI is also a comprehensive epilepsy center and has a busy neuro-intensive care unit. The outpatient neurological services at the SLMBNI include various subspecialty clinics including Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Neuro-ophthalmology, and Neuromuscular Medicine among others.

Residents will rotate through these various clinics throughout the program, gaining exposure to the wide range of neurological subspecialties.

Saint Luke’s Hospital is a tertiary referral center nationally recognized for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. SLMBNI occupies 88,000 square feet on six floors. There are 70 private rooms including an 18-bed neuro-intensive care unit. There are four neurosurgical suites and two neuro-interventional suites equipped with the latest technology.

University Health Truman Medical Center

The University Health Truman Medical Center (UHTMC) neurology service is an integral part of the clinical experience in the residency program. UHTMC is the only hospital located in downtown Kansas City where it is the primary teaching hospital for the UMKC School of Medicine.  There are 249 inpatient beds with over 15,000 inpatient admissions each year. Neurological services at TMC are provided in a clinical space solely dedicated to neurological patients, including areas for electroencephalography and electromyography/nerve conduction studies. Residents at TMC will rotate on the inpatient neurology consultation service, which sees almost 1,000 consults per year. They will participate in the supervision and education of medical students and other rotators while at TMC.

Residents will have their weekly outpatient continuity clinic at TMC. Each clinic will be staffed by a neurology faculty member, which will be consistent for the duration of the program. The resident’s clinic will serve a diverse population, and the resident will be responsible for all aspects of patient care with the supervision of the faculty member.

Research Medical Center

Research Medical Center (RMC) is a 490-bed hospital and an accredited stroke center with a busy neurology service. One of the key educational features of the RMC neurology service is the innovative multidisciplinary TIA clinic. In the TIA clinic, patients undergo all components of work-up for TIA in one day, including neurological examination and consultation by a neurologist, MRI/MRA, CTA, Echocardiogram, laboratory studies, blood pressure monitoring, EKG, and stroke education. The resident will play a role in the clinic workflow, interpretation of results, and counseling patients in the clinic.

Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City

Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City (CMH) is a 314-bed children’s hospital with a robust neurology service. Residents will fulfill their required three-month Child Neurology rotation on the inpatient and outpatient services at CMH. The CMH Neurology Service sees a wide-variety of neurological diseases in children. Residents will participate in clinical teaching rounds, didactics, and other activities while at CMH. CMH has a Child Neurology residency program, and as such residents will work closely with the CMH Child Neurology residents in clinical, educational, and research endeavors. CMH has extensive electrophysiology capabilities as well as several specialized clinics focusing on specific neurological disorders

Program Details

Mission and Vision

The University of Missouri—Kansas City Department of Neurology, in collaboration with its clinical partners at St. Luke’s Hospital, University Health Truman Medical Center, Research Medical Center, and Children’s Mercy Hospital, aims to create an Adult Neurology Residency Program, which builds the strengths necessary to graduate well-rounded neurologists. The program has been carefully designed to develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes leading to proficiency in all domains of clinical competency.

Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement

UMKC Neurology is committed to recruiting and training a diverse group of neurology residents.  We seek to provide high quality clinical care by creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the patients we serve.  We embrace diversity in all its forms, including race, ethnicity, disability, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.

Basic Program Overview

The UMKC Neurology Residency program is a categorical program consisting of a four-year educational experience. The PGY1 year will provide broad clinical experience in general internal medicine through the UMKC Internal Medicine Residency Program. Three years of intensive neurology-focused experience will follow in the PGY2-4 years at the affiliated hospitals: St. Luke’s Hospital, University Health Truman Medical Center, Research Medical Center, and Children’s Mercy Hospital. UMKC will serve as the sponsoring institution.

Neurology residents will obtain broad clinical experience in all areas of inpatient and outpatient neurology. Rotation experiences will include Stroke/Vascular Neurology, Neurocritical Care, Inpatient General Neurological Consultations, Child Neurology, Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery, Neurointerventional Radiology, Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy, Psychiatry, Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuro-Ophthalmology. There will be substantial elective time for additional clinical and academic development to include Neuromuscular Medicine, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, Headache, Neuro-oncology, Pain Management, Research, and other Independent Study opportunities.

Educational development will be fostered through a rigorous didactic program. One half-day each week will be dedicated solely to resident education. Through interactive lectures each half-day will explore neurological topics from different perspectives, including neuroanatomy and localization, clinical neurology, basic science, and board review. Regularly scheduled Journal Clubs and Grand Rounds will complement the educational program.

In addition to leading these didactic activities, attending physicians will be actively engaged with residents in clinical settings. Bedside teaching and teaching on rounds are highly valued and will serve to create then reinforce the foundation of each resident’s clinical competencies.

Welcome

Welcome to the UMKC Neurology Residency Program Website.  We are excited that you are taking the time to get to know our program.  We received initial accreditation from the ACGME in early 2017, we have a full complement of residents as of July 2020, and we graduated our first class in June 2021!

Neurology Graduation 2022

The UMKC Neurology Residency Program is a categorical program that was structured to achieve our goal of producing neurologists who display excellence in patient care, education, and research.  Our affiliated hospitals—Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, University Health, Research Medical Center, and Children’s Mercy Hospital—provide a balanced exposure to the breadth of neurological diseases.  Our didactic and research programs take advantage of the many resources available through UMKC and our affiliated institutions to ensure that graduates have the knowledge and skills necessary to practice neurology in any setting.

Our residents benefit greatly from being in Kansas City, a vibrant, moderately sized city with a thriving arts scene, great restaurants, plentiful outdoor spaces and activities.  Residents have ample opportunities to take advantage of all of the great things that the city has to offer.

Our program and institutions are well-equipped to manage the clinical and educational demands that come from the COVID19 pandemic.  We strive to maintain an atmosphere in which residents continue to learn and grow in a safe manner.

Thank you very much for your interest in our program.  I encourage you to explore our website to learn more about all that our program has to offer.  You can also learn more about us by following us on Instagram: @umkcneurology.

Sean Gratton, M.D.
Neurology Residency Program Director

Neurology Graduation 2021