Curriculum Innovations: Enhancing Medical Student Neuroscience Training With a Team-Based Learning Curriculum.

Background And Problem Statement: Neurophobia, the fear of, discomfort with, and dislike of clinical neurology, is frequently due to poor experiences in preclinical neuroscience education among medical providers. We developed, implemented, and assessed a curricular innovation using clinician-educators and team-based learning (TBL) with the goals to demonstrate clinical relevance in neuropathology, enhance student engagement in neuropathology education, and promote direct application of knowledge.

Methods And Curriculum Description: We identified an underperforming neuropathology curriculum within the second-year medical student neuroscience course at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and implemented a traditional TBL curriculum to deliver this content.

Managing Neurophobia: How Can We Meet the Current and Future Needs of Our Students?

Neurophobia was defined more than two decades ago as a "fear of neural sciences and clinical neurology" among medical students. Despite recognition of the ailment and research into underlying causes, medical students and neurological educators continue to struggle with neurophobia today. At our institution, we have been successful at mitigating neurophobia.

Education Research: Positive effect of scheduled faculty modeling on clerkship student bedside skills exposure and learning.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of scheduled bedside skills modeling for third-year medical students on their neurology clerkship.

Methods: During the 2012-2014 academic years, 56 third-year medical students participated in a curricular pilot program involving a scheduled bedside skills modeling experience during the first week of their neurology clerkship, whereas 131 students underwent the typical rotation. The experience consisted of observing a faculty member conduct a comprehensive encounter on a new outpatient.

Formal faculty observation and assessment of bedside skills for 3rd-year neurology clerks.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and utility of instituting a formalized bedside skills evaluation (BSE) for 3rd-year medical students on the neurology clerkship.

Methods: A neurologic BSE was developed for 3rdyear neurology clerks at the University of Rochester for the 2012-2014 academic years. Faculty directly observed 189 students completing a full history and neurologic examination on real inpatients.

Diagnosis and treatment of somatoform disorders.

Many patients with somatoform disorders present to the neurology clinic, often after extensive evaluation that has left the patient and multiple other physicians frustrated. Knowledge of the typical characteristics of particular disorders enables the clinician to arrive at a positive diagnosis and facilitate referral to appropriate services. Using a series of representative cases, we review the somatoform disorders most likely to present to the practicing neurologist, highlighting the epidemiologic features, typical presentations, and possible therapeutic approaches to each condition.

Neurology education: current and emerging concepts in residency and fellowship training.

This article discusses the current and future state of neurology training. A priority is to attract sufficient numbers of qualified candidates for the existing residency programs. A majority of neurology residents elects additional training in a neurologic subspecialty, and programs will have to be accredited accordingly.

Neurologic complications of respiratory disease.

The respiratory and central nervous systems are intimately connected through strict control of ventilation by central mechanisms. The exquisite sensitivity of central chemoreceptors and cerebral blood vessels to changes in central nervous system oxygenation mandate this type of control to maintain proper brain function. When diseases of the lung and respiratory system interfere with this fine balance, neurologic symptoms, sometimes severe, may develop.

The challenges of residents teaching neurology.

Background: Teaching is integrated into the daily practice of residents, and it is a skill necessary for practice as well as academics. The settings in which teaching and learning take place are ubiquitous but include classrooms, small groups, bedside rounds, and grand rounds. Given the learning environment of residency, neurology residents should have working knowledge of basic principles of effective teaching to make learning successful.

The quality of in-house medical school examinations.

Purpose: Most medical schools test their students throughout the curriculum using in-house examinations written by the faculty who teach the courses. The authors assessed the quality of in-house examinations used in three U.S.

Neurologic complications of respiratory disease.

The respiratory system and the central nervous system are interconnected in a delicate balance; disorders in this equilibrium can have devastating consequences. Respiratory dysfunction, whether acute or chronic, may cause neurologic disease, including headache, encephalopathy, and in extreme cases, coma and death. This article will discuss abnormalities in ventilation and gas exchange, their subsequent pathophysiologic effects on the nervous system, and mechanisms of treatment for these disorders.