Neurology Education Research Articles

A Guide for Aspiring Neurology Educators.

Deans of medical schools have diverse roles and responsibilities. In this article, we use the career development trajectories of neurologists who have become education deans in student affairs and curriculum to offer advice to aspiring clinician educators of all levels and backgrounds. Although their roles differ, the advice they share is universal and essential for the career development of future clinician educators. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:823-825.

Veterinary neurology residency training in Europe-A survey on preparation and plans.

Difficulties in recruitment of veterinary specialists to academia is an ongoing problem for university teaching hospitals. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of veterinary neurology specialists that plan to work in academia after their residency training and identify the main factors that may influence that decision. An electronic survey was distributed to European College of Veterinary Neurology (ECVN) residents in training and those that completed their residencies within the previous 12 months. Despite similar numbers of residents training in clinical practice and academic institutions, most respondents (79.7%) planned to work in private practice. The most influential factors for deciding future workplace were quality of life, salary, location, and the number of other specialists (with specialists in subjects other than neurology viewed as more important than neurologists) working in the same institution. The most common reasons for not choosing academia were low compensation, excessive bureaucracy, and high administrative workload compared to private clinical practice. Academic institutions need to review support for academic staff and provide stronger mentorship to overcome these problems and ensure provision of high-quality undergraduate teaching in veterinary neurology as well as promoting advancement of the field through basic and applied research.

Report from the child neurology education and training workshop at the International Child Neurology Congress 2024: Expert'saddressing the training gap

This report summarizes the key findings of a workshop undertaken at the International Child Neurology Congress in 2024 by child neurologists with expertise in training education and invested colleagues. The workshop aimed to explore global issues which have impact on access to child neurology training. The major findings supported a great need for more training programs globally, that consensus is needed for the minimum standards of training, and that training programs can be strengthened via global health partnerships especially with collaborations from regions with more available resources. The group concurred that the phenomena of ‘neurophobia’ amongst general paediatricians and medical trainees, was a reality, and creates barriers both working with paediatric colleagues, as well as recruiting specialists to the field. Optimal teaching practices for child neurology should include the expansion of learning through global partnerships and virtual educational resources. Measures must be put into place for fledgling training programs, to support colleagues in less resourced settings and to avoid their burn-out. Collegial and collaborative work is essential to support the future of child neurology across the globe, both to reach the current capacity needs but also to meet the necessary growth in the field.

Globally advancing neurological education in headache

Globally advancing neurological education in headache

Neurological Surgery Resident ABNS Written Exam Scores Before and After Introduction of a Weekly Didactic Educational Intervention: A 12-Year Single-Institution Retrospective Study.

United States neurological surgery residency education has undergone substantive changes over the past 2 decades. Neurosurgical professional bodies have developed numerous initiatives providing standardized assessments and training opportunities for residency programs. However, there have been few studies using standardized measures to assess core components of educational programming in individual programs. We conducted a 12-year retrospective review of resident American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS) board scores using our institutional data from 2010 to 2021 to determine the effect of introducing a weekly didactic resident education hour (REH) on resident scores in the ABNS written in-training examination. ABNS scaled scores were analyzed before (2010-2016) and after (2017-2021) REH introduction. To account for a practice effect, we used a 2-factor linear regression model with an interaction term. We obtained ABNS scores from 43 residents representing 132 test attempts. The average ABNS scaled score significantly improved after the introduction of REH (319 vs 410, t = -3.44, P = .0008). Accounting for the practice effect revealed a significant interaction effect between the number of attempts taking the ABNS examination and whether formal didactics were taught, accounting for 46.2 points on the examination (t = 2.309, P = .023); however, REH alone did not have a significant effect on the scaled scores (t = -1.649, P = .102). ABNS written board scores represent a standardized metric by which educational initiatives within training programs may be assessed for efficacy. Further research is needed to identify educational approaches that are effective to meet the goal of demonstrated mastery of fundamental knowledge in neurosurgery across a diversity of neurological surgery residency programs.

Live Streaming of the Professor's Ward Rounds in Undergraduate Neurology Education: Usability Study.

Although neurology department ward rounds are among the most important medical education exercises in Japan, they have several issues. Patients may find it unpleasant to undergo repeated neurological tests, especially when in the presence of several students. Only the front row of students can closely observe the examination findings; moreover, students were prohibited from contacting patients altogether during the COVID-19 pandemic. One possible solution is to use commercial videoconferencing systems. However, Japanese patients are reluctant to have their medical information or video footage of them sent outside of the hospital via the internet. The study aimed to confirm the feasibility of conducting remote teaching rounds using an in-house web conferencing system in which the patients' personal data are securely protected. This study also explored whether using remote rounds alongside face-to-face participation would enhance learning. We created an on-premises videoconferencing system using an open-source app. To perform video ward rounds, the professor wore a wireless microphone while leading routine in-person rounds and the attending physician carried a tablet device linked to a web conference, allowing students in another room to watch the rounds on a live stream. In total, 112 of 5th-year students who entered their 1-week neurology rotation between 2021 and 2022 were instructed to participate in 1-hour in-person and remote rounds. Students were given questionnaires to evaluate their satisfaction and the educational effects of the remote rounds. The remote ward rounds were conducted easily with no interference with the in-person rounds, nor any complaints from the patients. Each examination technique was explained by another teacher to the students who participated in remote rounds in the conference room. Characteristic neurological findings, such as plantar reflexes (Babinski sign), which are usually seen only by close observers during in-person rounds, could be visualized under magnification by all students. The postexperience survey (82/112, 73% response rate) showed that the mean score of participants' satisfaction was 3.94 (SD 0.83; excellent 5 and poor 1). No participant scoring 1 was noted. The proportion of students who observed 6 representative abnormal neurological findings (Babinski sign, hyperreflexia, cerebellar ataxia, involuntary movement, muscular weakness, and abnormality in sensory examination) increased by 22% (18/82, range 13-24) compared to in-person rounds alone. When self-rating the learning value, 43% (35/82) of the students answered that remote rounds are equally as valuable as in-person rounds, while 32% (26/82) preferred remote rounds. Live-streaming of neurology ward rounds using a secure in-house web conferencing system provides additional learning experience without concerns regarding leakage of patient information. This initiative could enhance neurology learning before entering a clinical clerkship.

Global impact of a virtual neurology morning report

The global shortage and inequitable distribution of neurologists has led to significant gaps not only in neurology care, but also in neurology education. In order to increase access to neurology education, we developed neurology virtual morning report (NVMR), a virtual, open-access, case-based clinical reasoning conference available to learners worldwide. To evaluate NVMR's impact on participants' perception of, interest in, and confidence in neurology, we conducted a survey. Respondents represented 25 different countries of various income levels. The majority of respondents reported that NVMR decreased their perception of difficulty in understanding neurology and increased confidence in various clinical reasoning domains in neurology. Additionally, the majority of medical student participants showed an increased interest in pursuing neurology as a future specialty after participating in NVMR. NVMR represents a potential model for virtual educational conferences and highlights the opportunities digital education has to improve equitable access to neurology education.

What Makes a Great Peer Reviewer in Neurology Education?

What Makes a Great Peer Reviewer in Neurology Education?

Social Determinants of Learning in Medical Education: Application to Neurology and Neurosciences Education.

Social Determinants of Learning in Medical Education: Application to Neurology and Neurosciences Education.

Education and training in neurology: developments and future challenges.

Training and education is essential for best practice medicine and is especially important in a rapidly evolving field such as neurology. Due to improved imaging techniques and laboratory testing, there is a better understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases. As a result more treatments have become available. The most important developments in neurology over the last two decades and their effect on training and education are described. In addition, how future training should be aware of the challenges ahead of us is described. This is a narrative review describing developments and challenges based on personal experience and the literature. Due to major developments in radiological and immunological testing, major changes have been seen in different subspecialties of neurology, including but not limited to, the treatment of ischaemic stroke, the development of new entities in the field of demyelinating diseases and auto-immune encephalitis, and diffuse glioma. These developments challenge the education and training in neurology with, ahead of us, technological developments, an aging population, and potentially more superspecialization. Although there are differences in the training curricula between European countries, the developments and future challenges within the field of neurology are very similar. In the development of future curricula it is important to face these developments and challenges and to adapt to them.

Using Neurology Trainees as Standardized Patients in a Neurological Emergency Simulation Curriculum for Medical Students.

Simulation manikins have limited ability to mimic neurological exam findings, which has historically constrained their use in neurology education. We developed a cased-based simulation curriculum in which neurology trainees acted as standardized patients (SPs) and portrayed the neurologic exam for medical students. We ran monthly simulations of two cases (acute stroke and seizure) with resident/fellow SPs. Pre-/post-session surveys assessed students' self-rated confidence in neurological clinical skills (gathering a history, performing an exam, presenting a case) and knowledge domains. Questions about students' attitudes about neurology were adapted from a validated assessment tool. Paired t-tests were performed for quantitative items. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key themes. Sixty-one students participated. Post-session, students reported significantly higher self-confidence in all neurological clinical skills and knowledge domains (p < 0.002). Greater than ninety-five percent agreed the session met the learning objectives; 95% recommended it to others. Resident/fellow SPs were cited as the most effective educational component. Students appreciated evaluating acute emergencies and reported an increased interest in neurology careers. A case-based simulation curriculum with neurology trainees portraying the SP increased students' self-reported knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing neurological emergencies. Our intervention may improve medical student neurology education and increase interest in the field. Future research should evaluate clinical skills objectively. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02016-w.

Opinion & Special Article: Community Approach Toward Inclusion of Sex and Gender Diversity in Graduate Neurology Education.

Sex and gender diverse (SGD) neurology trainees include transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people. There has been historical exclusion of SGD trainees from participating in clinical care, medical research, and academic training programs. Therefore, neurology educators have unique opportunities to support SGD trainees and colleagues, but may lack the education to appropriately do so. Training programs and professional organizations can collaborate to create safe pathways for SGD trainees to disclose their identities in professional settings. Referral to community support and resources is important for SGD trainees considering professional disclosure. Educators should address the challenges and discrimination unique to SGD graduate trainees in neurology, such as lack of inclusion, affirming environments, supportive policies, and medical accommodations. Faculty training on sensitivity, bias, and bystander effects should be ongoing among institutions. Topics regarding sex and gender diversity are lacking in graduate medical education. Educational curricula often use outdated terminology or binary paradigms to teach about sex and gender. Health care training inequities may cause downstream harm to SGD patients; therefore, training curricula that are reflective of an accurate and affirming understanding of sex and gender may mitigate the potential for inequities. This article provides recommendations to support SGD neurology trainees and to incorporate specific training on sex and gender diversity in academic neurology curricula. Such support is critical to the career success and development of SGD neurology trainees.

Digitalisierung in der Lehre der Neurologie und Psychiatrie

ZusammenfassungDigitalisierung in der Medizin gehört zur Zukunft der akademischen Medizin. Diesem Fakt wird auch in der Lehre Rechnung getragen. Da Lehre immer forschungsgeleitet gestaltet ist, sind auch die lerntheoretischen Grundlagen und Konzepte zu diskutieren. Die Implementierung digitaler Medizin stellt eine Möglichkeit als Brückenfunktion für eine gute interprofessionelle Zusammenarbeit dar. Diese Interprofessionalität erachten wir in unserem Fachgebiet als zentral, ebenso wie gutes Netzwerkmanagement. Die hier vorgestellten Anwendungen und deren Vermittlung im Unterricht führen in der interprofessionellen Arbeit zu einer Thematisierung von Denk- und Reflexionsprozessen, die eine bessere Arbeitszufriedenheit und Patient:innenzufriedenheit nach sich ziehen.

Creation, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Formative Simulation Course for Promoting Healthy Equity Education in Neurology: A Pilot Study (P9-7.003)

Creation, Implementation, and Outcomes of a Formative Simulation Course for Promoting Healthy Equity Education in Neurology: A Pilot Study (P9-7.003)

Neurologic Education in Nurse Practitioner Programs (S39.004)

Neurologic Education in Nurse Practitioner Programs (S39.004)

Climate Change and Neurology Education (P2-7.003)

Climate Change and Neurology Education (P2-7.003)

Advancing Neurology Education in Western Kenya Through a Global Neurology Partnership (P11-15.003)

Advancing Neurology Education in Western Kenya Through a Global Neurology Partnership (P11-15.003)

A Retrospective Review of Accepted Publications to the Neurology Education Journal (S39.003)

A Retrospective Review of Accepted Publications to the Neurology Education Journal (S39.003)

Impact of a 3- week Neurology Education Curriculum in a Teaching Hospital in Tamale, Ghana (P11-15.002)

Impact of a 3- week Neurology Education Curriculum in a Teaching Hospital in Tamale, Ghana (P11-15.002)

How to Peer Review a Neurology Education Manuscript

How to Peer Review a Neurology Education Manuscript