NHNN plays a key role in postgraduate medical training of neurologists, neurosurgeons and related medical specialties including clinical neurophysiology, neuroanaesthesia, neuroradiology, neuropsychiatry, neuro-otology and neuropathology.
In neurology and neurosurgery, NHNN acts as the hub for London and KSS Deanery rotations and some Eastern Deanery trainees. At any time 16 neurology and 10 neurosurgery specialist registrars are based at NHNN.
Aspiring clinical academics in neurology can follow a parallel strand as Walport pre-doctoral Academic Clinical Fellows (ACF) at ST 1-3 level with 25 per cent protected research time over rwo to three years and post-doctoral Academic Clinical Lecturers (CL) at ST3+ level with 50 per cent protected research time. These posts provide support and development for trainees with outstanding academic potential, enabling them to prepare for an application for PhD research funding at ACF level and to continue post-doctoral research at CL level. Generic research training skills are also taught and developed as part of the ACF programme. Posts are advertised annually by the London Deanery. There is also a CL post in clinical neurophysiology (contact Professor Martin Koltzenberg).
Medical students from the UCL and Royal Free medical school undertake neuroscience attachments at NHNN. Undergraduate medical student elective attachments for UK and overseas students are also available.
Professional training of nurses is fully supported; all ward sisters at NHNN have, or are working towards, a degree in Nursing with structured progression of competencies through Clinical Nurse Specialist to Nurse Consultant level.
Allied health professionals also benefit from NHNN training, including undergraduate and graduate courses in Speech & Hearing Sciences. UCL runs the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, which is the largest course of its kind in the UK.
NHNN together with the IoN offers unrivalled opportunities for taught and research degrees in all aspects of Neuroscience. At undergraduate level, integrated 3-year BSc programmes are offered in molecular, cellular, developmental and systems Neuroscience. Eighteen taught Masters courses are offered by UCL Neuroscience. 3- and 4-year PhD programmes and MPhil and MD (Research) degrees are all offered (see www.ion.ucl.ac.uk/education for further details).
A wide range of courses and teaching sessions take place at NHNN/IoN. These include the famous ‘Gower’s Round’ weekly clinical case presentations, the annual GlaxoSmithKline lecture series, annual ‘short courses’ in a wide variety of clinical and academic subjects as well as numerous weekly seminars, invited lectures and lecture series. A weekly teaching timetable is available through the IoN Education Unit office.
We have three major lecture theatres including a new lecture theatre in the 33 Queen Square Clinical Neurosciences building. The NHNN/IoN Rockefeller Medical Library provides a unique source of Neuroscience information and has recently been fully refurbished. The new UCLH Education Centre, with state-of-the-art simulation facilities, including video recording and replica operating theatre and clinical areas, is also available to NHNN staff for training in realistic simulations.