Neurology Clerkship


Course Overview

This clerkship is a two-week rotation at The University of Chicago Medical Center. Students spend the first week on either the neurology in-patient service or on the out-patient service (neurology clinic) and then switch services for the second week. During the inpatient service, students will make rounds with residents, followed by morning report and attending rounds. Diagnostic studies, particularly imaging and neurophysiology studies, will be reviewed. The goal of this week is to train students to perform a competent neurological evaluation, to consider a differential diagnosis, to plan diagnostic tests and to become familiar with acute neurological problems. Students will take call, write admission notes and attend all conferences. Each afternoon, students also have the opportunity to make consult rounds with the consult attending; this experience is directed toward the recognition and management of stupor, coma, seizures, and neurological complications of medical diseases. Interested students are also encouraged to rotate through the neuro-intensive care unit in the last two days of their inpatient week.

During the clinic week, students will work one-on-one with attending physicians in general neurology and specialty clinics. The goal of this week is to become familiar with common neurological problems and to evaluate several patients with similar problems in specialty clinics such as MS, sleep disorders, epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders, ALS and diseases of the peripheral nervous system.

Since this is a two-week clerkship, students are expected to be present at all times during the clerkship. They are expected to submit a complete write-up of a case with a section on the differential diagnosis; the write-up should be signed by a resident or attending.


Educational Goals & Objectives

  1. Learn to obtain a neurological history and perform a competent neurological examination:

    • Students will be provided a framework for neurological history taking and examination that they will utilize when examining patients on the floor.

    • They will also observe attendings and residents perform the neurological examination on the floor and in the clinics.

    • A laminated card describing the essentials of neurological history taking and examination will be provided to students at their orientation session.

  2. Learn the basics of localization in neurology:

    • Students will learn about the basics of localization during an orientation session with the clerkship director.

    • They will also learn the importance of localization in making a differential diagnosis and guiding imaging studies.

  3. Obtain exposure to a variety of neurological disorders:

    • On the inpatient floor students will have exposure to acute presentations of stroke, seizures, multiple sclerosis, and neuromuscular disorders.

    • Interested students also have the opportunity to rotate through the neuro-intensive care unit as part of their floor rotation.

    • During the outpatient week students have the opportunity to work with attendings in specialty clinics in multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disease, Parkinson’s disease, neurooncology as well as general neurology.

  4. Understand the role of diagnostic tests in neurology:

    • Students will have a didactic session devoted to the basics of reading a CT scan of the brain conducted by the clerkship director.

    • Students will have the opportunity to see patients undergoing EMG and EEG tests as part of their outpatient rotation.

    • They will also have the opportunity to understand the role of multiple diagnostic modalities including CT, MRI and ultrasound imaging as well as lumbar puncture and other lab investigations relevant to patients seen on the floors and in the clinics.

  5. Understand the role of medical and surgical treatment and rehabilitation of neurological disorders:

    • Students will have exposure to various acute and chronic modalities of medical treatment as applied to patients seen on the floor and in the clinic.

    • They will also be exposed to the role of surgical treatment in epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

  6. Obtain feedback on neurological history taking and examination:

    • Students will obtain ad-hoc feedback on history taking and examination skills on the floors and in the clinic.

    • Students on the inpatient service will present a history and physical examination to the clerkship director at the end of the week. They will be given feedback on their history taking and localization skills during these presentations.

    • Key elements of the neurological examination will also bee reviewed at these feedback sessions.

Evaluation of Performance

Students will be evaluated by attending physicians on their ability to perform a complete neurological examination and interpret the abnormal findings, make a diagnosis and understand the agents used in therapy. In addition, oral and written communication and professional behavior will be assessed.


Recommended Readings

  1. Download the The Neurology Clerkship Handbook

  2. Online access to NeuroOnDisk

  3. Blueprints in Neurology (Blueprints Series), by Frank Drislane et al. (Brief review of neurology as part of USME review series) - Find it on Amazon.com

  4. Harrison’s Neurology in Clinical Medicine, by Stephen Hauser et al. (Comprehensive review based section on neurology in Harrison’s Textbook of Medicine) - Find it on Amazon.com