EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Department faculty are involved in teaching clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery to M.B.,B.S., M.D (General Medicine) and B.O.T. and B.P.T. students. Students of B.Sc. (Nursing) and M.Sc. (Nursing) are also taught by the faculty.
The educational programs offered by the Department are:
D.M. NEUROLOGY(4 SEATS) and D.M. PAEDIATRIC NEUROLOGY(2 SEATS)
3 year course, for candidates who have passed M.D. in General Medicine or Paediatrics. The entrance examination for this course is held in June every year.
The program is an in-house residency program with direct responsibility for patient care. The resident rotates between the wards and intensive care unit and has outpatient responsibilities also. They start initially as a first on call for duties and once they gain experience by about six months they are made second on call. They are supervised by Consultants who are available round the clock.
At any given time, there would be 3 to 4 residents from Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The responsibility of the senior resident includes teaching the junior residents and overseeing their work. The senior resident gets training in performing muscle-nerve biopsies, lumbar puncture, tracheostomies and inserting central lines. The senior resident rotates through Electrophysiology laboratory and Neuropathology for one month each during the second year. During the electrophysiology posting, they get experience in EEG, evoked potentials, nerve conductions and EMGs’. During the final year the resident has the opportunity to visit other Centers, which would help in broadening their horizon.
The academic programs in the Unit are seminar on Tuesday mornings and Grand rounds on Wednesday mornings. There is a journal reading session for the unit on every Wednesday. There is a Neuroradiology session on Friday mornings where the scans of the week are discussed and management plans chalked out.
The residents meet the faculty every Friday afternoon to assess progress of the thesis topics, which is followed by a DM clinic.
The senior residents are encouraged to do research apart from their thesis topic and to attend National conferences and workshops.
The Neurology group keeps abreast with the latest developments and treatment modalities in neurology and try to incorporate them into our patient care protocols. We run training programmes for DM (Neurology) and Bsc and Post Graduate Diploma courses in Clinical Neuroelectrophysiology . The Faculty and the Neurology trainees regularly attend national and international conferences and present papers and posters. We have a very well equipped department library with most international and national journals in the broad specialty and subspecialties. There are research grants in colllaboration with other disciplines of Neurological Sciences, other Departments and other external Institutions like National Center for Biological Studies, TIFR, Bangalore.
M.Ch. NEUROSURGERY(6 SEATS)
6 year Course, after MBBS (3 seats), or 3 year Course after M.S. General Surgery (3 seats). The entrance examination for this course is held in June every year.
This is a residential program.
6 Year course
Year 1: General surgery, Orthopaedics and Anaesthesia.
Years 2-6: Neurosurgery with rotations in Neurology, Neuropathology, Neurocritical care and Neuroradiology.
3 Year course
Years 4-6 Neurosurgery with rotations in Neurology, Neuropathology, Neurocritical care and Neuroradiology.
The M.Ch. Neurosurgery program is a very demanding but equally fulfilling program. Residents are progressively required to assume increasing clinical & surgical responsibilities. The emphasis is on imparting education about the overall management of neurosurgical patients including pre-operative clinical evaluation, operative techniques and post-operative care of the patients. Years 2 and 3 are spent acquiring clinical skills and performing minor procedures and surgeries. Years 4 and 5 are devoted to extensive exposure to all major neurosurgical procedures with supervised and independently performed surgeries.
Ph.D in NEUROCHEMISTRY
The laboratory is recognized by The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University and several other Universities in India for a PhD programme. PhD scholars need to be holders of the National CSIR Fellowship or work as research fellows on projects that are on-going in the laboratory. Graduate studies take 4 - 5 years with the first year of registration involving course work and examinations. Final year post-graduate science students from other colleges and Universities can join the laboratory as visitor-observers for 2 - 3 months and work on research projects. Medical students are also often part of the laboratory working on research projects.
Ph.D in NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University recognizes the laboratory for PhD program. After first year of registration the candidate has to do course work and methodology examinations. Facilities are available for students, faculty and technicians from other institutes to do short-term training in basic Neurophysiology and Electrophysiological Intraoperative monitoring of neurosurgical cases. The Neurophysiology Unit also offers Dr. Marcus Devanandan Endowment Fellowship to CMC undergraduate medical students to do research and sponsor them to a national conference.
B.Sc IN ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY(5 SEATS)
Covers EEG, EMG and Evoked Potentials. Total training period is 3 years.
For further details regarding application forms please contact:
The Principal, Christian Medical College, Bagayam, Vellore 632 002, Tamilnadu, India.
Web site: http://home.cmcvellore.ac.in or http://www.cmch-vellore.edu/
DEPARTMENT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
M.Ch. and D.M. candidates are required by the Dr. MGR Tamil Nadu Medical University to submit a dissertation. Residents are actively encouraged to pursue clinical and basic research in collaboration with Neurophysiology, Neurochemistry or Neuropathology sections both as part of their dissertation or independent research activities. Residents are assisted and encouraged to publish articles in national and international journals.
The Department and the Units hold several educational activities such as Seminars, Radiology sessions, Pathology sessions including brain cutting sessions and Journal readings. Combined Neurology and Neurosurgery academic activities are scheduled every Saturday. On every first Saturday departmental publications are reviewed. On every second Saturday there is a mortality meeting and there is a Radiology meeting on the other Saturdays.
The Department boasts of an excellent Departmental Library with a large number of books and journals both current and old issues. The residents have access to the Internet free of cost during working hours. The residents also have access to computers of the Departmental LAN, which they can use to prepare articles, talks and create databases. The Departmental computer programmer is on hand to assist residents in acquiring computer skills.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The residency programs are open to candidates with the necessary qualifications. The entrance examinations consist of a MCQ type written paper and a clinical and oral examination. Prior training/exposure in Neurosurgery or Neurology (Non-PG registrar training) is not a prerequisite to apply for the courses. The selections are based entirely on merit but as per institutional rules 50% of seats are reserved for candidates sponsored by the supporting missions in the event such candidates apply and qualify in the entrance examination.