Clerkship

The four core objectives for the neurology clerkship are to:

1. Learn to perform a complete neurologic examination.
2. Gain an understanding of the presentation, evaluation and treatment of the most common neurologic diseases.
3. Complete a patient write-up, incorporating pertinent neurologic history and examination.
4. Develop an understanding for localization of neurologic disease through history and examination.

You will be assigned a preceptor for the two weeks. Discuss your schedule with your preceptor. As part of your time in the outpatient clinic, we will schedule you a patient to interview, examine and present. You will compose a formalized write-up about this patient to be presented and discussed with your preceptor as part of your overall evaluation. The preceptor evaluation is worth 60 percent of your final grade. You will also partake in didactic lectures, inpatient teaching rounds, and outpatient teaching.

The Department will loan you "Blueprints: Neurology" to prepare for the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Neurology Subject Exam given on the final day of your two-week rotation. The exam will constitute 40 percent of your Neurology grade. The NBME passing score is equal to or greater than 57 Equated Percent Correct. You must pass the exam to pass the clerkship.

At the end of the clerkship, you will be notified by LEO to complete the “Student Evaluation of Clerkship” and “Student Evaluation of Preceptor.” Your preceptor will complete the “Preceptor of Assessment of Student Performance” evaluation from LEO.

Students will observe or participate with faculty supervision one of each case listed below.

• Cognitive disorders
• Movement disorders
• Epilepsy
• Neuromuscular disease
• Headache
• Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
• Neuro-immunology (multiple sclerosis)

You will be expected to see at least one case from each of the above categories. Some of these you will be more likely to see in the inpatient setting (cerebrovascular disease), some in the outpatient setting (cognitive disorder), and others may be more ubiquitous (headache). Each student will be issued a copy of Case Files Neurology, 2^nd ed., which can be used to supplement your exposure should you find that you were not exposed to one of these clinical categories during your clerkship. Please return this book at the end of the clerkship.

Week 1

Day 1 (Monday): Ch. 1-3 in Blueprints: Neurology

Day 2 (Tuesday): Ch. 4-6 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lecture: Visual Symptoms and Dizziness - Susan Scarberry, M.D.

Day 3 (Wednesday): Ch. 7-9 in Blueprints: Neurology

Day 4 (Thursday): Ch. 10-12 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lectures: Dementia - Michael Sharland, Ph.D.; Headaches - Cynthia Knutson, M.D.

Day 5 (Friday): Ch. 13-15 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lectures: Seizures - Amanda Diamond, M.D.; Stroke - Matthew Roller, M.D.

Day 6 (Saturday): Ch. 16-18 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lecture: Movement Disorders - Tanya Harlow, M.D.

Day 7 (Sunday): Ch. 19-21 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lecture: Multifocal Neurologic Disease - Rebecca Caillier, M.D.

Week 2

Day 8 (Monday): Ch. 22-24 in Blueprints: Neurology + Web lecture: Neuromuscular Disorders - Richard C Bailey, M.D.

Day 9 (Tuesday): Ch. 25 and Questions 1-50 in Blueprints: Neurology

Day 10 (Wednesday): Questions 51-100

Day 11 (Thursday): Review

Day 12 (Friday): Morning shelf exam

The reading and viewing materials are tools for you to learn neurology.

The questions in the shelf exam are comparable to those in Step II.

There will be downtime during the day in hospital or at clinic. Make good use of the down time to read.

You will impress a faculty member if you read the chapters in their specialty area the night before you are working with him or her.

View Web Lectures Here

Southwest Campus (Bismarck)

Students on the Southwest Campus will spend two weeks on their Neurology rotation at either Sanford Health, CHI St. Alexius Health, or Mid Dakota Clinic. They will spend time with neurologists learning to perform a neurologic examination, gain an understanding of neurologic diseases, and complete a patient write-up incorporating neurologic history and examination. The students will also attend neurologic lectures by the neurologists.

Southeast Campus (Fargo)

1. A student may be assigned to Essentia for two weeks. The student will have both in- and outpatients experience.
2. A student may be assigned to Sanford Health for two weeks. The student will spend one week in the outpatient clinic and one week in the inpatient setting. During the outpatient week, a student may be assigned to VA AM outpatient clinic.

Northeast Campus (Grand Forks)

Students on the Northeast Campus spend two weeks on their Neurology rotation at Altru Heath. They spend time with neurologists receiving both in and outpatient experience.