Life & Wellness
Resident Life
Our residents stand out as the best part of the UCLA program. They are top-tier, and not just for their talent and intellect. Their camaraderie, mutual love of neurology, integrity, dedication to excellence and support for each other engender happiness and success at all levels of training. Our residents form an incredible bond — they work hard, they support each other, and have fun. Faculty, staff and residents build strong relationships over the three years they’re together, and residents graduate with lifelong friends and colleagues.
The neurology department holds multiple events for faculty and staff to gather and interact outside of their clinical duties. Residents also frequently get together outside of work during their free evenings and weekends. They can be found enjoying the delicious food that LA has to offer, hiking, drinking a cold beer, and hanging out at various homes for pumpkin carving, fire pits, and game nights. And as a fun fact, UCLA Neurology's First Resident ever was Dr. Oliver Sacks!
Wellness
We are committed to promoting a culture of wellness within the department and greater institution. In addition to resident self-organized activities, our department has built in system-level strategies to promote wellness and social engagement. Some of these initiatives include:
- Weekly protected resident didactic time on Wednesday mornings free of clinical responsibilities
- Our 4 + 2 schedule (4 weeks of inpatient followed by 2 weeks of outpatient) allows for a break from busy inpatient life to explore a variety of outpatient subspecialties and admin time for personal responsibilities
- Annual resident retreat at Lake Arrowhead, California for resident bonding in nature
- Quarterly department gatherings and happy hours to foster camaraderie
- Daily general and stroke neurology team lunches outside in the sun
- Fatigue mitigation ride program
Life in the City of Angels
In the City of Angels, there is ALWAYS something to do. Los Angeles is a thriving and vibrant city with many cultures, diverse neighborhoods, endless activities, great farmers markets and all types of food. In LA there is something for everyone. The city offers landmark museums (The Getty Center, the Broad, LACMA to name a few), exciting nightlife, movie studios (Warner Bros and Universal Studios), world-famous theme parks, iconic beaches (Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu, and more), concert venues (Hollywood bowl, Disney Concert Hall), sports (Dodgers, Lakers, Clippers, LAFC, USC & UCLA football), and outdoor activities in all directions. With a car everything is accessible. Last but not least, the SoCal sunny weather is unrivaled and allows for exploration of L.A.’s unique experiences all year long.
