Residency Program Overview

Our Mission

The primary mission of our Neurology Residency training program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is to train fine clinical neurologists. Our ultimate goal is to train competent specialists to provide neurological care to people in need. A secondary goal is to nurture potential clinician-researchers and clinician-educators to become the next generation of academic physicians to educate future doctors-in-training and carry on the clinical research that is vital to the ongoing improvement of health care in the United States.

Description of the Program

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) offers a Neurology residency program that is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).  The residency program integrates the following ACGME core competencies: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice-based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism and Systems-based Practices. The program provides a minimum of 18 months of clinical adult neurology (inpatient and outpatient), six months elective time, three months in clinical child neurology, and one month in clinical psychiatry. On site elective rotations include neuroimaging, EEG and evoked potentials, epilepsy monitoring unit, EMG, autonomic laboratory exams and neurosurgery.

Facilities

Lubbock has the largest health care system in Northwest Texas and we serve a 62 county area across West Texas, Eastern New Mexico and Southwest Oklahoma. Our two affiliated hospitals, University Medical Center (UMC) and  Covenant Medical Center (CMC), combined offer more than 1,300 hospital beds. UMC is adjacent to TTUHSC in Lubbock and Covenant is located within two miles from TTUHSC.

UMC is the primary teaching hospital for the School of Medicine. It is a 301 bed facility operated by the Lubbock County Hospital District.  UMC houses the West Texas perinatal center and the regional burn center. UMC is the first hospital in Texas to receive a Trauma One designation.  Subspecialty care capabilities of the faculty and staff make the hospital a focal point of tertiary care for West Texas and the surrounding states.

Covenant Hospital is a member of the St. Joseph Health System and is a successful not-for-profit health system that has over 1,033 licensed beds. It was founded in 1998 through the merger of two of Lubbock health care facilities: St. Mary of the Plains Hospital and Lubbock Methodist Hospital System.  Covenant is comprised of four cornerstone facilities: Covenant Medical Center, Covenant Medical Center – Lakeside, Covenant Specialty Hospital and Covenant Children’s Hospital.

AeroCare provides transport for critically ill or injured patients throughout West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.  Preferred provider status has been established with UMC and CHS.  On average, AeroCare transports 400 patients to UMC and 520 patients to CHS a year.

The Community

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is located in Lubbock, Texas.  In the heart of West Texas, Lubbock is a growing educational, commercial, medical and cultural center. Around the world, Lubbock is remembered as the birthplace of rock music pioneer Buddy Holly.  The metropolitan population, in excess of 200,000 residents of which 28,000 are Texas Tech University Students, lives in mild seasonal conditions with an average of 267 days of sunshine per year. With eight hospitals and no less than 85 health care clinics, Lubbock is known as the medical center for West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.

As a cozy college town, Lubbock boasts low housing costs, unique restaurants, bars and boutiques, and a drive of less than 20 minutes to anywhere in the city.  Lubbock also has great school systems, almost 200 churches of every denomination and over 66 public parks.  If you enjoy the outdoors, Lubbock also offers hiking, fishing, camping, water sports and water parks in the area.  Lubbock also has a strong tradition of equestrian sports as well as seasonal hunting, and 7 public and 3 private golf courses.  The mountains of New Mexico offer winter sports and are only 4 hours away by car.

Lubbock’s entertainment possibilities range from major theatrical touring companies, to weekend rodeos, to exhibits at the Museum of Texas Tech University. The city maintains a symphony orchestra, a ballet company, civic chorale and numerous community theatres.  The new United Spirit Arena is one of the finest sports and multi-purpose facilities in the U.S. It hosts everything from sporting events to concerts.  If you’re a sports fan, Texas Tech is a member of the Big 12 Conference so there are plenty of sport functions to attend.

Lubbock's strongest asset, however, is its people - friendly, warm and caring.