Child Neurology Service

Educational objectives of the inpatient and outpatient Child Neurology Service at Children’s Medical Center of Dayton are for the neurology resident to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to perform a comprehensive pediatric neurological exam and diagnose and manage a broad range of acute and non-acute pediatric neurological illnesses. Residents rotate between the clinic and the inpatient service where they are taught and supervised by Board-certified Child Neurology faculty. This is accomplished by providing faculty supervised outpatient and inpatient consultative care to pediatric patients presenting with a broad range of neurological illness. The resident will assume an ascending level of responsibility based upon maturation of knowledge, skills and attitudes applicable to the educational goals of this experience.

The specific educational goals for the child neurology rotation are:

1. Proficiency in obtaining an orderly and detailed history from the patient or caregiver, conducting a thorough general, developmental and neurological examination. Core competencies addressed: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.
2. Understanding of the indications for and the limitations of clinical neurodiagnostic tests such as EEG and EMG, and their interpretation in the pediatric population. Core competencies addressed: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.
3. Proficiency in correlating information derived from neurodiagnostic studies with the clinical history and examination in formulating a differential diagnosis and management plan. Core competencies addressed: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.
4. Participation in the evaluation and decision-making for pediatric patients with disorders of the nervous system requiring surgical management, with medical, psychiatric and neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Core competencies addressed: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.
5. Participation in the management of patients with acute neurological disorders in the pediatric intensive care unit and participate in family conferences. Competencies addressed: patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.
6. Understand the principles of bioethics in the provision of appropriating cost-effective evaluation and treatment of pediatric patients with neurological disorders and principles of end-of-life palliative care including adequate pain relief and psychosocial support and counseling for pediatric patients and family members about these issues. Competencies addressed: patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice.