Neurosurgery Residency Program

Comprehensive 7-year neurosurgery residency training program in Boston with progressive clinical responsibility, specialized rotations + leadership development

The Neurosurgery Residency Program at Tufts Medical Center offers a comprehensive and carefully sequenced seven-year clinical training curriculum. From the intern year through graduation, residents advance through progressively challenging rotations that develop their clinical expertise, surgical skills and leadership abilities. Early training emphasizes foundational neuroscience and perioperative care, while later years focus on complex operative cases, subspecialty rotations and service leadership.

Residents also benefit from diverse clinical environments, including in-house rotations and affiliated subspecialty experiences at leading Boston institutions. The curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for independent practice or fellowship training with confidence and competence.

Below is an overview of the clinical training structure by postgraduate year.

PGY-1

The intern year includes foundational off-service rotations that build core competencies in perioperative care and neurologic evaluation. Rotations include:

One month each on Anesthesia, Surgical ICU and Otolaryngology (ENT)
Three months on the Neurology service, including consults, floor service, EEG and EMG
Three months on the Neuro-ICU service
Three months on the Neurosurgery service, where interns participate in call and assist in operative procedures

PGY-2 and PGY-3

During the junior resident years, trainees take neurosurgical call and progressively build their technical and clinical skills. They assist in operative procedures, manage inpatient and consult services and begin to develop autonomy in the evaluation and treatment of neurosurgical patients.

PGY-4 and PGY-5

One of these years is devoted to an enfolded fellowship or dedicated research experience. Residents may pursue structured fellowships in neurotrauma or cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery. The program offers flexibility to support a range of interests, including basic or clinical research, additional degrees or clinical rotations at Tufts or external institutions.

The other year includes:

One-month rotations in Neuropathology, Neuro-ophthalmology and Gamma Knife
A three-month rotation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital with emphasis on functional neurosurgery
A six-month rotation in pediatric neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital

PGY-6 and PGY-7

Senior residents assume leadership of the neurosurgical service and play a central role in managing the inpatient team, supervising junior residents and coordinating clinical care. They participate in advanced and complex neurosurgical procedures with increasing operative responsibility and autonomy. By the end of training, graduating residents are well-prepared for subspecialty fellowship or independent practice, with the skills and confidence to manage the full spectrum of neurosurgical conditions.

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