Structure
The clinical neurology clerkship is a 4 week third-year core clerkship where students are scheduled at various sites including:
- The inpatient ward service at UPMC Presbyterian
- The inpatient consults service at UPMC Presbyterian
- The Neurovascular intensive care unit at UPMC Presbyterian
- Inpatient stroke team at UPMC Presbyterian and Mercy Hospitals
- The VA Medical Center
- Shadyside Hospital
- UPMC Children’s Hospital
- Neurology outpatient clinics
- Passavant Hospital outpatient clinic
- Inpatient service at UPMC Passavant Hospital
- Magee Women’s hospital/women’s neurology service
- Magee Women’s Hospital Outpatient MS/Neuroimmunology Clinic
Taking a complete history and performing a complete, organized neurologic examination by the end of the rotation is a main objective of the clerkship. Cigdem Isitan-Alkawadri, MD the clerkship director, or Katherine Cobb-Pistick, MD, assistant clerkship director, will demonstrate this process at orientation. The distributed syllabus will outline clerkship goals and objectives while explaining how they will be assessed; information about required forms, texts, websites and conferences will either be available on the Navigator or Elentra online course site. Online resources are also listed available at the medical school health science library.
Content
Didactic lectures that will be given by faculty – topics include:
- Neuroradiology
- Neuromuscular Diseases
- Stroke
- Movement Disorders
- Seizures
- Headache
- Multiple Sclerosis
- NBME subject examination review
Asynchronous lectures – topics include:
- Neuro-emergencies
- Localization
- Pediatric Neurology
- Social Determinants of Health
- Dementia
Medical students will perform an OSCE neurologic examination at the end of orientation week, obtain consent for a lumbar puncture from the standardized patient and complete a lumbar puncture on a mannikin, entering spinal fluid orders and writing a procedure note. In addition to attending a neuropathology small group session, students take an evening of stroke call with the senior resident; this enables the students to observe patient sign-out and the acute evaluation and management of stroke patients. Evaluation
Clinical performance is evaluated using the standard University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine evaluation form, which is distributed through Elentra to all faculty, fellows, and residents who have worked with the student. Evaluators complete and submit the form at their discretion. The evaluation encompasses the following domains: medical knowledge, patient care, practice-based learning and improvement, clinical reasoning, problem-solving, formulation of differential diagnoses, professionalism, and communication.
At the midpoint of the rotation, each student receives a mid-clerkship evaluation from a faculty member. This evaluation includes both faculty feedback and the student’s written self-reflection on their progress. In addition, faculty and residents directly observe every student performing a complete patient history and physical examination.
Students are also required to complete an EMR note review exercise. They submit one note during the rotation, for which they receive formative feedback, and a final note that is graded using a validated evaluation template.
At the conclusion of the clerkship, all students take the NBME Neurology Subject Examination.
For questions, please contact Cigdem Isitan-Alkawadri, MD, Director of the Neurology Clerkship and Electives.
