Clinical Rotations

There are 5 main rotations that are part of the pediatric epilepsy program and each run on a 2-week block. Additionally, there is a 4-week rotation at the adult GW epilepsy program.

Block Rotation schedule:

Inpatient EMU/EEG service: 17 weeks

Morning spent reading continuous video EEG, afternoons spent reading routine inpatient EEG. Exposure to intraoperative monitoring (StereoEEG, Electrocorticography, grid monitoring) will be done as it occurs.

Ward EEG/Research: 10 weeks

Clinical management of inpatient epilepsy patients (both newly diagnosed and refractory); presurgical evaluation of potential epilepsy surgery patients and inpatient ketogenic management, subdural EEG recordings, functional mapping at bedside for motor or language. Afternoons are spent meeting with epileptologist mentor to start research, gather data and to write papers.

ICU EEG/Outpatient EEG: 8 weeks

Mornings are spent reading continuous video EEG of PICU EEGs including management of patients with status epilepticus and refractory epilepsy. Afternoons are spent reading outpatient EEGs and reviewing with an assigned outpatient faculty reader.

Elective: 4.5 weeks

Can include time spent with Neuroradiology, Neuropathology, Neuropsychology and Neurogenetics

Research: 4 weeks

Resources to facilitate the development of a research project include protected time to work on a study, access to the epilepsy database, availability of a research coordinator who can facilitate the production of documents necessary for IRB submission, mentorship of an attending with special expertise in the area which the project is focused. The fellow will prepare the abstract and if applicable the poster for presentation at a national meeting.

Adult Epilepsy Rotation: 4 weeks

The pediatric epilepsy fellow will be assigned a one-month rotation at George Washington University Hospital (GWU) in the adult epilepsy program. GWU is a tertiary care center with a broad spectrum of both common and rare disorders. The age spectrum at George Washington University is young adult through the elderly. The rotation will incorporate management of epilepsy in adults, including reading adult EEG, participation in inpatient care of epilepsy patients, and experience in outpatient epilepsy clinics.

The fellow will have 2 half-day clinics per week under the direct supervision of an epileptologist. The first clinic occurs on Monday mornings, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and the second is on Tuesday afternoons, 1-5 p.m., and includes a sufficient number of intractable epilepsy cases and epilepsy surgery evaluations. They will also participate in additional half day clinics 1-2 times per month in select specialty clinics e.g. Tuberous sclerosis clinic, Ketogenic diet clinic, Neurogenetics clinic, Vagal Nerve stimulator clinic.

The fellow has 4 weeks of vacation during the year of training that can be split into 1-2 week blocks.