The goal of our four-week sub-internship is to provide an overview of neurological surgery for medical students planning to apply for neurosurgery residency in the next year. The sub-internship takes place on the campus of Washington University School of Medicine, and at nationally ranked Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
Fourth-year medical students from within Washington University and other institutions are encouraged to apply.
Learn more about program director Sean D. McEvoy, MD »
About the program
Services
Those selected will spend one week on each of our four neurosurgical services:
- Pediatric neurosurgery
- Spinal neurosurgery
- Functional/vascular neurosurgery
- Neurosurgical oncology/skull-base surgery
Teams
The team on each service consists of multiple faculty who are pioneers in their field, one chief resident, one senior-level resident, and one junior-level resident. Third-year medical students may also rotate into service.
Education and experience
During the sub-internship, the fourth-year medical student will:
- Participate in patient work-ups, pre-, intra- and postoperative care, and diagnostic procedures
- Scrub in cases with senior level and chief residents and assist with neurosurgical procedures and observe the more critical portions of these procedures
- Learn how to perform basic neurosurgical procedures such as lumbar punctures, ICP monitor placement, and ventricular drain placement
- Spend at least one day in an outpatient neurosurgery office setting
- Take overnight call
- Spend a week on the pediatric service at St. Louis Children’s Hospital
They are also encouraged to
- Participate in Grand Rounds, Neurosurgery Resident Curriculum conference, and Journal Club with the neurosurgery residents
Student time distribution
- 80% Inpatient
- 20% Outpatient
- 10% Conferences/Lectures
- 100% Subspecialty Care
Patients seen weekly
125
On call/weekend responsibility
Rotating on-call/weekend responsibilities
Apply and contact
The Department of Neurosurgery pre-screens all applicants for its sub-internship. Before applying to VSLO, students must submit the following documents to the Senior Residency/Fellowship Program Coordinator, Michele Bridges, at bmichele@wustl.edu.
Applicants must submit all materials at least 6 weeks before their desired start date and before they apply through VSLO.
- USMLE transcript or Step 1 Score Report (Step 1 score is mandatory)
- Current CV
- Cover letter
Complete applications will be reviewed upon receipt and applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the Neurosurgery Sub-Internship. Accepted applicants should note that they will still need to apply to the medical school online through VSLO. Questions regarding the rotation may be directed to Michele Bridges.
VSLO applications submitted for the Neurosurgery Sub-Internship without prior approval from the Department of Neurosurgery will be denied.
Click here for more information on how to apply»
If you have additional questions, please contact the Senior Residency/Fellowship Program Coordinator, Michele Bridges, at bmichele@wustl.edu.