Department of Neurology

Clerkship Information

 

Neurology Medical Student Clerkship 

The Neurology Clerkship is a four-week rotation for third-year medical students with the goal of providing the clinical skills needed to develop the correct approach to the diagnosis and management of neurological disorders.

The following provides an overview of our program.  Please contact the Clerkship Office with any questions.

The Neurology Clerkship office is located in the Neurosciences Center, Suite 201, 2130 West Central Avenue Toledo, Ohio 43606  telephone 419-291-6590  fax 419-291-0389. Contact Brandi at Brandi.Hendrickson@utoledo.edu.

Vicki Ramsey-Williams, M.D., Ph.D.

Vicki Ramsey-Williams, M.D., Ph.D.
Clerkship Director

Jennifer Amsdell, M.D.

Jennifer Amsdell, M.D.
Associate Clerkship Director

Brandi Hendrickson

Brandi Hendrickson
Clerkship Coordinator

 

Clerkship Structure

Orientation - occurs on the first day of the clerkship.  Students receive an overview of the clerkship, expectations, assignments and presentations on Neurological History and Examination skills and a basic Neuroscience review.

Rotational Groups - Students rotate in groups and spend one week on each of the three Neurology Inpatient Services at ProMedica Toledo Hospital: Primary, Consult and Stroke and two weeks in the clinics at the Neurosciences Center. 

Student Lecture Series - Most days begin with a morning lecture or case discussion lead by a Neurology Faculty member.   Students then work in the clinics or on one of the inpatient units evaluating new and returning patients, reviewing lab and tests results, documenting findings and presenting to a Neurology faculty member.

Clinical Skills Session - At the end of the first week, students participate in a skills session performing a neurological history and physical on a standardized patient with immediate feedback from one of the attending neurologists.    The session is ungraded and is done at the beginning of the clerkship to give students the opportunity, to apply the skills learned, for the remaining four weeks.

Formative Feedback Session - Half way through the clerkship, students meet with the Clerkship Associate Director for a mid-clerkship review.   The purpose of the session is to reviews the student’s progress and discuss any areas of concern. 

Specialized Training - Students also attend Lumbar Puncture and Fundoscopy Simulation Training and take the NIH Stroke Scale Training Course and the American Academy of Neurology Student Self-Assessment.


Neurology Clerkship Student Comments

The faculty and clinical coordinator were truly spectacular in every way. I feel like I have learned so much in 4 weeks, and feel very motivated to learn more about Neurology thanks to this rotation.

Each physician was willing to dedicate time to teach whether it was at the end of the day or throughout the day as we saw patients. It was very well structured with lectures in the morning as these proved to be helpful in gaining a clinical understanding of common disorders. Each physician gave us the opportunity to demonstrate autonomy when seeing patients and learning to do the neurological exam.

This is one of the most organized systems I've experience in my clinical rotations. The faculty taught very well in clinic/online lectures, and they also provided guidance that overlapped with the knowledge needed to perform well on the Neurology Shelf Exam. Providing and requiring students to take the neurology assessment for practice mid-way into the clerkship was very helpful. This prepared students for success in both clinic and on the shelf.

This was hands down the best run clerkship and was an exemplary learning environment. The level of autonomy and responsibility is on par with our level of training. As well, the involvement and teaching from residents to attendings puts this easily atop UTMC’s mandatory rotations. Other clerkships should take notes.


Electives

Neurology electives are available for fourth-year medical students interested in learning more about clinical practice and research in the field.  Current electives include:  two and four-week Neurology Clinical Elective, Neurology Acting Internship, Clinical Neurophysiology, Interventional Neurovascular Care and Neurology Research Elective.

Last Updated: 9/15/24