Curriculum

Clinical Neurology Clerkship

Director: Cassandra J. Milling, M.D., Director, Neurology Education, and Assistant Professor, Neurology

Clerkship Description: During the Neurology Clerkship you will gain experience and understanding of most common neurological disorders that affect the population, in both ambulatory and inpatient clinical settings.

Boonshoft SOM Educational Objectives/Competencies

Code

What competencies will this unit address?  

Foundational Knowledge – Medical Knowledge

1.1

Master fundamental biomedical concepts, terms, processes, and system interactions

Foundational Knowledge – Medical Knowledge

1.2

Describe the determinants of health

Foundational Knowledge – Medical Knowledge

1.3

Utilize evidence in making clinical decisions

Application – Patient Care (Clinical Skills)

2.1

Conduct patient interviews and physical examinations

Application – Patient Care (Clinical Skills)

2.2

Diagnose patient health problems

Application – Patient Care (Clinical Skills)

2.3

Propose evidence-based health maintenance and therapeutic treatments

Integration – System-Based Practice

3.1

Connect knowledge of patient populations and health delivery processes in making diagnoses and therapeutic recommendations

Integration – System-Based Practice

3.2

Advocate for the humane, just, safe and prudent care of persons

Integration – System-Based Practice

3.3

Adapt to the complex economic and social structure of health care delivery

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.1

Reflect upon one’s personal strengths and weaknesses to make changes in one’s behavior

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.2

Find one’s own meaning in medicine 

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.3

Take care of oneself

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.4

Deliver effective patient presentations and document accurately in the medical record

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.5

Communicate and work effectively with others

Human Dimension – Personal and Interpersonal Professional Development Goals

4.6

Demonstrate leadership skills in a variety of settings

Caring/Valuing – Professionalism Goals

5.3

Value and behave in a manner consistent with the highest ethical standards of the profession

Learning How to Learn – Practice-Based Learning

6.1

Develop a personal plan to become a better medical professional

Learning How to Learn – Practice-Based Learning

6.3

Appropriately utilize evidence-based resources to address uncertainty in medicine and gaps in knowledge/skills

Clerkship-Level Objectives

Code What are the clerkship-level objectives for this course?  

Boonshoft SOM
Objectives

LO1

Frame a patient encounter in an organized fashion, reinforcing etiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, localization, diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions.

1.1, 2.1

LO2

Explain disease specific treatment strategies and associated prognosis and complications.

1.1, 2.1

LO3

Understand the general clinical principles underlying neurologic localization. This includes the differentiation of lesions at the following levels of the nervous system: cerebral hemisphere (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital), posterior fossa (midbrain, pons, medulla, cerebellum), spinal cord (cervical, thoracic, lumbar), nerve root (cervical, lumbar), peripheral nerve (mononeuropathy, polyneuropathy, and mononeuropathy multiplex), neuromuscular junction, muscle.

1.1

LO4

Evaluate patients’ presenting clinical problems, including: (transient or episodic focal symptoms, transient or episodic alteration of consciousness, focal or diffuse weakness, clumsiness, gait disturbance, involuntary movements, dizziness, vision loss, diplopia, dysarthria, dysphagia, aphasia, acute mental status changes, dementia, headache, facial pain, neck pain, low back pain, numbness or paresthesias, common developmental disorders).

1.1, 2.1

LO5

Diagnose and manage patients with acute and chronic conditions including:  increased intracranial pressure, acute mental status change, meningitis/encephalitis, status epilepticus, acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), spinal cord compression, head trauma, acute respiratory distress due to neuromuscular disease, temporal arteritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain death, primary and metastatic CNS tumors, coma, dementia (notably Alzheimers disease), seizures, multiple sclerosis, migraine, movement disorders (notably Parkinson disease, essential tremor, tardive dyskinesia), myopathies (notably polymyositis) and muscular dystrophies, myasthenia gravis, cranial neuropathies, peripheral neuropathies ( acute and chronic)).

1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3

LO6

Apply the fundamentals of neurological care to coordinate the care of patients with neurological disease.

1.1

LO7

Demonstrate systematic approach to patients with neurological disease utilizing sound skills in gathering components of the neurologic history, general physical and neurologic exams. Demonstrate an organized approach to the neurologic exams in patients with normal as well as altered mental status.

2.1, 4.4

LO8

Demonstrate appropriate interpretation of labs and testing.

2.2

LO9

Begin to formulate diagnostic reasoning, and justify therapeutic decision-making.

1.3, 2.2, 2.3

LO10

Demonstrate clear and concise oral presentations and written documentation reflecting a systematic approach to patients with neurological disease.

2.1, 4.4

LO11

Identify the social determinants of health for a specific patient, and develop a plan to coordinate care to include community resources to try to improve the health of the individual.

1.2, 3.1, 3.2

LO12

Consider patient, physician, and system barriers to successfully negotiate treatment plans and patient adherence; and identify strategies that may be used to overcome these barriers.

1.2, 3.1, 3.2

LO13

Identify the role of each team member to the care of the patient, and call on interdisciplinary resources to provide optimal and comprehensive care.

3.3, 4.5, 4.6

LO14

Establish professional relationships and effectively communicate with patients, their families, instructors, colleagues and staff.

4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6

LO15

Work effectively with the broad, interdisciplinary team in patient care and appropriately incorporate their unique care skills.

4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.6

LO16

Demonstrate the ability to act with honesty/integrity while maintaining ethical duties to patients and others.

5.3

LO17

Demonstrate the ability to act in a manner that is dependable, dedicated and punctual.

5.3

LO18

Demonstrate the ability to act with patience, altruism and equanimity.

5.1, 4.1, 4.6

LO19

Recognize when additional information is needed to care for the patient and demonstrate ongoing commitment to self-directed learning.

6.3

LO20

Demonstrate effective skills in navigating the medical literature to answer clinical care questions.

6.3

LO21

Demonstrate the ability to acquire and soundly manage knowledge, identify knowledge deficiencies and create a plan for knowledge gains

4.2, 6.3

LO22

Demonstrate the ability to seek out and listen to feedback on performance, accept it positively, and respond to it constructively by improving performance.

4.5, 4.3, 4.1

Required Clinical Experiences

Encounter Log Items

Target

Expected Level of Responsibility

Acceptble Alternate Experience  

Neurocognitive Disorders

1

Moderate

Assigned Article

 
Neurocognitive Disorders

1

Observation

Assigned Article

 

Psychiatric Condition

1

Moderate

Assigned Article

 
Psychiatric Condition

1

Observation

Assigned Article

 

Substance Abuse

1

Moderate

Assigned Article

 
Substance Abuse

1

Observation

Assigned Article

 

Change in strength or movement

1

Full

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 
Change in strength or movement

1

Observation

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 

Headache

2

Observation

Assigned Article

 

Obtundation/Stupor or Coma

1

Moderate

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 

Sensory change (numbness, dizziness, pain, &/or neglect)

1

Full

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 
Sensory change (numbness, dizziness, pain, &/or neglect)

1

Observation

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 

Seizure

1

Moderate

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 
Seizure

1

Observation

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 

Stroke

2

Full

Online Didactics and Assigned Article

 

Visual change (blurred vision, visual loss, double vision)

1

Observation

Assigned Article

 

Observation: Student is observing encounter

Moderate Participation: Student completes the History and Physical (either complete or focused) and participates in the differential diagnosis. (*Student directly interacts with the patient)

Full Participation: Student completes History and Physical (either complete or focused), participates in the differential diagnosis, and then completes a therapeutic treatment plan, which can include documentation.

Last edited on 04/15/2021.