Medical Schools for Neurology
Neurology involves diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the brain and nervous system. Neurologists treat stroke patients, as well as patients with traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, multiple sclerosis, headaches, and hundreds of other neurological issues, some of which are acute, others of which may be ongoing, or chronic. There is an increasing need for neurologists as an aging population will have more incidence of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. To become a neurologist, you’ll first attend medical school and graduate with a DO or MD medical degree. You’ll then complete a year as an intern in internal medicine and three years of residency in neurology. In 2019, there were 1,054 PG-1 and PG-3 neurology and child neurology residency positions offered by 246 programs. 1,066 US seniors applied to these positions and only 562 matched, making neurology one of the most competitive residencies. Here are notable medical schools for neurology based on 2019 residency matches.
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Almost 40% of Albert Einstein medical students came in as non-science majors. The Bronx, New York-based school welcomed a class of 183 in 2019 from 8088 applicants. All students are required to do a one-month Core Subinternship in family medicine, medicine, or pediatrics as well as a one-month Selective Subinternship in family medicine, medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, or surgery. Functioning as an integral member of the patient-care team, the subintern assumes many of the responsibilities of a first-year resident under supervision of the resident and attending physician staff. A one-month clerkship in Neurology rounds out the four months of required senior year courses. Elective neurology courses include Pediatric Neurology and Outpatient Neurology. In 2019, five Albert Einstein students matched into neurology residencies.
[ Learn more about Albert Einstein College of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about Albert Einstein College of Medicine ]
Five Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University matched into neurology programs in 2019. P&S students are offered a neurology clerkship, which is a six-week introduction to clinical neurology. The clerkship emphasizes the basic clinical methods of bedside neurology: Based on the history and examination, students develop skills at neuroanatomical localization and clinical reasoning. Students learn to interpret clinical findings, develop a differential diagnosis, and formulate a plan of evaluation. Students participate directly in the care of patients in the neurology services and ambulatory clinics at Columbia University Medical Center. An MCAT score around 520 will make you a competitive applicant. The school admitted 140 students to its MD class of 2023.
[ Learn more about Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons ]
[ Learn more about Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons ]
The Augusta, Georgia medical school is Georgia’s only public medical school. In 2018, its class of 230 M1s entered with a median GPA of 3.8 and a median MCAT score of 511. Within the four-week neurology clerkship, students master some basic skills in evaluating and managing patients with neurological problems. They develop a more in-depth knowledge of neurological disorders and sharpen their clinical skills. In 2019, ten seniors matched into neurology residency positions.
In 2019, seven Feinberg School of Medicine seniors found their match with neurology residency programs. The Chicago-based medical school admits a class of around 160, with a median GPA of 3.91 and a median MCAT score of 520. Northwestern offers a Third Year Neurology clerkship that prepares students to identify diseases and situations in which neurological evaluation is appropriate so that the student understands as a practitioner when neurological consultation is appropriate and when emergent neurological intervention is needed. Each student gets two-week inpatient and outpatient rotations.
[ Learn more about Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine ]
In 2019, 7 NYU seniors matched into various neurology residency spots. During their four-week core neurology clerkship at NYU, medical students are given two didactic neurosurgery lectures pertaining to neurosurgical emergencies and restorative/functional neurosurgery. When inpatients on the neurology service go to the operating room for a neurosurgical procedure, medical students following these patients are encouraged to observe during surgery. NYU’s class of 118 students has some of the strongest median GPAs and MCAT scores around. Because all MD students receive full-tuition scholarships, admission is extremely competitive.
[ Learn more about NYU School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about NYU School of Medicine ]
The UCLA Department of Neurology third-year required neurology clerkship is part of an eight-week combined experience with the psychiatry clerkship, designed to enrich students’ knowledge of the fundamentals of the neurologic examination and localization, illustrate approaches to presentation of common neurologic disorders and neurologic emergencies, and foster interests in further training in clinical neurology. Students develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to assess, diagnose, and refer patients presenting in the primary care setting with neurologic complaints. With an entering class of roughly 175 students, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA received more than 14,500 applications in 2018, making it one of the most sought after medical schools in the country, so you’ll likely need a top MCAT score to be competitive. In 2019, 3 DGSOM students matched into various neurology residencies.
[ Learn more about UCLA School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about UCLA School of Medicine ]
UCSF draws students mostly from California and its 2019 admitted class boasts 34% of the student body from communities underrepresented in medicine. The average GPA for admitted students in 2019 was 3.8 and the average MCAT score percentile ranking was 94. During the four-week core clerkship in neurology, students are assigned neurology patients for study under the supervision of attendings and residents. They attend work rounds, attending rounds, clinic, grand rounds, conferences and lecture-seminars, emphasizing diagnosis and management of core clinical problems in neurology. In 2019, seven UCSF students matched into neurology residency positions.
[ Learn more about UCSF School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about UCSF School of Medicine ]
In 2019, 3 University of Miami seniors matched into neurology residencies. The entering class of 154 aspiring physicians has a median GPA of 3.72 and a median MCAT score in the 87th percentile. The Neurology Clerkship at UMMSM is a 4-week inpatient/consult experience for students in the third or fourth year of medical school. Under staff supervision, students are responsible for the evaluation and examination of patients as well as the diagnostic synthesis. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Medical Students who have completed the Neurology Clerkship are eligible for electives in Neurology. Clinical Electives lasting 2-4 weeks can be coordinated in: Stroke, Inpatient/Consult Neurology, Neuro ICU, Outpatient Clinics, Brain Injury Neurorehabilitation and Pediatric Neurology.
[ Learn more about the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine ]
[ Learn more about the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine ]
To get into the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, you’ll need a high GPA and a 95th percentile or higher MCAT score—the incoming class in 2019 had a median undergraduate GPA of 3.89 and a median MCAT score of 521. In 2019, 7 Perelman seniors matched into neurology residency programs. Clinical experiences begin in the second year when every student rotates through the neurology service for three weeks. Students elect to do their clerkships at either the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, or the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Each student is assigned to an inpatient service and an outpatient clinic designed to mesh with that student’s ultimate career specialty goals. The neurology clerkship is one of the most highly rated in the School of Medicine and each year, about a dozen students exploring the possibility of neurology as a career choice return for an advanced level clerkship.
[ Learn more about Perelman ]
[ Learn more about Perelman ]
Five Yale seniors matched into neurology residencies in 2019. It is one of the toughest medical schools to be admitted to. The Sub-Internship in Clinical Neurology is an advanced four-week elective that offers Yale Students the opportunity to work at a higher level of independence and responsibility equivalent to that of an intern on the neurology ward service at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Students directly examine, diagnose, and manage patients. Students will attend daily teaching rounds, a series of special didactic conferences and seminars on the most important topics in neurology. The goal of this elective is for the student to recognize and understand less common neurological problems, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, neuromuscular diseases, dementia, central nervous system infections, and tumors of the nervous system.
[ Learn more about Yale School of Medicine ]
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[ Learn more about Yale School of Medicine ]
[ NEXT: Predicting Top Medical Specialties for 2019 ]