Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors provides a forum for the exchange of views on educational matters related to the teaching of clinical neurology to medical students.
The AAN provides information to:
- Help maintain an up-to-date record of basic information concerning neurology clerkships at all American medical schools
- Foster development of educational materials
- Encourage the development of a recommended core curriculum and other consensus policies regarding the teaching of clinical neurology to medical students (Clerkship Core Curriculum Guidelines (pdf))
- Promote the importance of education as an academic activity
In addition, the AAN Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors coordinates activities with the Undergraduate Education Subcommittee of the AAN Education Committee and represents neurology clerkships in the following organizations devoted to clinical training of medical students:
- Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE) is a multidisciplinary group formed in 1992 to enhance clinical instruction of medical students. ACE's mission is to foster collaboration across specialties in order to promote excellence in clinical education of medical students. The ACE website offers several publications, including a Guidebook for Clerkship Directors.
- Association of American Medical Colleges Council on Academic Societies (AAMC) offers clinical skills information and provides leaders of medical schools and teaching hospitals with an extensive array of data to support their missions, including salary surveys, benchmarking tools, physician workforce projections, and online databases to help member institutions manage their operations and attain their objectives.
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the MD degree in US and Canadian medical schools. The LCME website offers information on accreditation standards.
The AAN provides Clerkship Directors with the following educational tools from previous AAN Annual Meetings: Neurologic Education Abstracts, Education Colloquium Presentations; Education Program Materials; AUPN Boot Camp; and Clerkship and Program Directors Conference Materials.
Educational Tools for Clerkship Directors
Family Practice Curriculum in Neurology is a collaborative effort by neurology and family practice faculty. It focuses on developing primary care skills in evaluation and management of common neurological problems.
The curriculum is the result of extensive dialogue between neurologists and family physicians to ensure the material meets the needs of both disciplines. Chapters are co-authored by neurologists and family physicians.
Medical Student Benefit: Free Online Access to Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology®
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is pleased to offer all medical students free online access to current and back issues of Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology®. In addition, one print issue a year will be mailed each fall, beginning in October 2009.
Continuum, the AAN's premier CME self-study program, is published six times a year. Each issue provides an up-to-date, clinically relevant review of a single neurologic topic and includes diagnostic and treatment outlines, clinical case studies, ethics and practice sections, a detailed patient management problem, and a multiple-choice self-assessment examination. A recent study showed that medical students who read Continuum have statistically significant increases in medical knowledge of neurology.*
Medical student members also have online access to Quintessentials®, published in two issues of Continuum a year. In Quintessentials, a practice-based program, hypothetical case vignettes along with practice-focused questions are presented, allowing individuals to compare their decisions to expert opinion and practice guidelines. While geared toward practitioners, Quintessentials may be of interest to medical students interested in learning more about the practice of neurology.
In order to take advantage of this member benefit, students must be AAN members. Medical students must reapply for AAN membership on a yearly basis and will need to submit an application each year to be able to access the site. Medical students can access Continuum online. They must be logged in to view the content.
* Isaacson RS. Evaluating the effectiveness of Continuum as a teaching tool for residents and medical students: a pilot study. Neurology 2008;70(Suppl):A13.
Neurology/Psychiatry Clerkship Joint Statement
Historically, the Neurology clerkship and the Psychiatry clerkships have been separate. Given the recent trend towards integration of various aspects of the medical school curriculum, the neurology and psychiatry clerkships are being paired at many medical schools, with potential benefits such as shared conferences, administrative efficiency and thoughtful coverage of overlap areas between psychiatry and neurology. However, there are also pitfalls associated with this type of integration, such as shortening of time allotted to either one or both of the disciplines, and the failure to properly recognize the difference in the spectrum of neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
The AAN Undergraduate Education Subcommittee, under the leadership of Ralph Józefowicz, MD, FAAN, and subsequently under Joanne Lynn, MD, decided to examine the current issues involved in neurology and psychiatry clerkship collaborations and invited representatives of the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) to its meetings to discuss this issue. These discussions underscored the value of developing a statement concerning several issues in Neurology/Psychiatry clerkship collaborations, reaffirming that neurology and psychiatry are distinct areas that each require adequate time in the curriculum.