Introduction

The Department of Neurology offers senior medical students a discipline-based pathway. It is designed who plan to pursue a career in Neurology and its broad array of subspecialties. The coursework is meant to provide students with the foundational education needed to prepare them for a residency in Neurology. Close mentorship and career guidance will be provided through the residency application and Match process.

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Sites and Personnel

Pathway Director:

 Drexel University College of Medicine

Anh-Thu Vu, M.D.

(215) 991-8518 Phone (Heather McLaughlin)

anv57@drexel.edu

Drexel Administrative Support for Neurology:
Heather McLaughlin
(215) 991-8518 Phone
e-mail: hgm28@drexel.edu

Goals and Objectives

The goals of the pathway include:

1. To promote student development of clinical skills and acquisition of knowledge in the field of Clinical Neurology.
2. To expose the student to the multiple subspecialties of neurology and understand how neurology collaborates with other medical specialties.
3. To allow the student opportunities for personal career exploration of the many facets of a career in neurology and the neurosciences.

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Description of Pathway

Senior Student Discipline-Based Pathway Curriculum in Neurology

Students selecting the discipline-based pathway in Neurology are required to take the following courses as part of the fourth-year curriculum. Each student may select or be assigned a faculty advisor who will assist the student in organizing the senior year pathway and who will provide close supervision and guidance throughout the year.

Required Courses

1. Emergency Medicine Subinternship
   Emergency Medicine Subinternship is required by the University as a senior year course. During this course we would expect that the student will learn the principles of rapid assessment and stabilization of critically ill and injured patients; learn the initial evaluation and management of the wide range of undifferentiated patient complaints in the Emergency Department; gain skills, specialized examination technique and real-time interpretation of diagnostic studies; participate in common and more advanced procedures.

2. Required Subinternship Objectives: Neurology Pathway students must complete a required Medicine Subinternship
   By the end of the rotation learners will be able to:
   1. Take ownership of their patients and be the primary point person regarding their care.
   2. Demonstrate the ability to care for patients with increasing independence while seeking help when appropriate
   3. Handle the daily tasks of an intern including preparing for rounds, presenting on rounds, interprofessional knowledge and communication skills, and patient interactions, histories and physicals, note writing of all varieties, and sign-out in a proficient and efficient manner.
   4. Apply their knowledge towards diagnosis and management of common acute complaints and chronic conditions, creating care plans and communicating with consultants as necessary.
   5. Perform general procedures through demonstration of the necessary preparation and key issues required for the performance of procedures, including understanding patient-specific factors, indications, contraindications, risks, benefits, and alternatives.
   6. Demonstrate reliable mechanical skills in performing procedures in most situations and knows when to seek help for procedures or situations beyond the learner’s abilities.
   7. Perform safe transitions of care, coordination of care, and discharge planning.
      
      
3. Neurology Sub-internship: This is available at Drexel affiliates as a “home rotation”. Reading Hospital – Tower Health and Allegheny General Hospital are the main sites currently available. St. Luke’s University Health Network is available via VSLO and requires a special elective application sent to Clinical Education. If a student is accepted at St. Luke’s for an away rotation, it will count as a “home rotation” toward the Neurology Sub-I requirement. If a home rotation is not possible, select away neurology rotations may be specially approved by the Pathway Director to count toward this requirement. The required Neurology sub-internship must take place at a site with a neurology residency and must have an inpatient component.
   
   Neurology Sub-internship Objectives:
   
   • Develop clinical skills appropriate for the intern level neurologist including the ability to take a thorough neurologic history, perform a complete neurological exam, and provide an appropriate assessment and management plan.
   • Localize lesions within the neurologic system and provide an appropriate differential diagnosis for each localization.
   • Explore some of the subspecialties available within neurology and learn about neurological careers from the resident to attending levels.
   • Take ownership of patients and demonstrate increasing independence in neurologic patient care.
   
   Elective Courses
   
4. Neurological Electives: Optional, should not be greater than 8 weeks. Away rotations need to be approved in advance by the Pathway Director.
   • Child Neurology may be available at SCHC. You may seek electives at other locations.
5. Research Elective: Contact faculty in the Department of Neurology listed on the Drexel Neurosciences Institute website. You may seek out other research electives. All research must be approved by the Special Electives Committee.
6. Neuro-related Elective(s): Choose at least two from this list:
   The general electives offer the student experiences outside Neurology, but in disciplines with relevance to neurologic diseases. These electives can be taken "home" or "away."
   a. Geriatrics
   b. Rheumatology
   c. Ophthalmology
   d. Otolaryngology
   e. Emergency Medicine
   f. Cardiology
   g. Sports Medicine
   h. Neuroradiology
   i. Neurosurgery
   j. Infectious Diseases
   k. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
   l. Hematology/Oncology
   m. Critical Care
   n. Pain Management
   o. Palliative Care
7. Free Electives
   • The Neurobiology and Anatomy Teaching Elective is highly recommended.
   • There are free elective periods in the senior year. Proposals of a "non-traditional" free elective are welcome and students are encouraged to select clinical and/or research experience at institutions outside the DUCOM system. Strict adherence to educational value is necessary, however.

Neurology Subinternship Curriculum

See Neurology Subinternship

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Textbooks and Learning Resources

1. Mayer, Marshall, R. S. (2021). On call neurology (4th edition.) Elsevier.
   Useful symptom-based approach for most inpatient neurology concerns! Useful for the floors.

2. Blumenfeld H. Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases. Oxford University Press.
   This is an excellent clinically-based review of neuroanatomy.
3. Ropper AH, Samuels MA, Klein J. Adams and Victor’s Principles of Neurology. McGraw-Hill Education
   This is an exhaustive text, best used as a reference for a very in-depth look at a given disease/topic
4. American Academy of Neurology: How to Apply for Residency:
   Key resource for applicants, including annual consensus statements, webinars, interview tips
5. Neurological Exam Tutorial
   https://learninglink.oup.com/access/the-neuroexam-video#tag_01-introduction-to-the-neurological-exam https://neurologicexam.med.utah.edu/adult/html/home_exam.html
6. Neuroradiology Tutorial: https://www.med.harvard.edu/AANLIB/home.html

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Evaluations

Evaluation of the Student
The student's performance in each rotation will be evaluated by supervising physicians, and residents when appropriate, using the standard Drexel University College of Medicine clinical evaluation form. Students not receiving a grade of satisfactory or higher will be counseled and provided with remediation.

Evaluation of 4th year Courses
Upon completion of each rotation, students are encouraged to complete the end-of-rotation evaluation form in DOCSS. Students have the opportunity to provide feedback on the rotation as well as on specific faculty (and residents) with whom they worked in DOCSS. All feedback is de-identified.

Evaluation of the Pathway
Students are encouraged to complete an end-of-year Pathway evaluation for the Pathway. The feedback from this evaluation will help in advising future students more effectively.

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