Formal research exposure during neurology residency training matters

In North America, the curriculum of neurology residency training must accomplish a variety of metrics in a constrained period of time. The 6 American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Core Competencies are made up of different milestones that residents should master at key stages of their medical training, including patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. The ACGME requires scholarly activity by all trainees participating in residency and fellowship programs. The curriculum should advance a resident's knowledge of the basic principles of research and introduce him or her to a research pathway that would enhance the quality of medical training. Research, as any other educational and professional activity, has to be taught within a structured mentored educational program that advances the student from basic to more complex skills. Traditionally, the research activity during the neurology residency was left to the discretion and motivation of the neurology resident during his or her training. The final research production defied easy measurement and varied substantially across graduating residents. Other medical specialties, including internal medicine, have explored the advantages of having a formal scholarly program during the residency. Participation in scholarly activity can lead residents to superior clinical performance as well as better scores on the in-service residency examinations and board examinations.¹