Beginning on January 14, 2013, the
current class of first year medical students will embark upon the new
Neurological Disorders Block as they progress through the inaugural year of the
College of Medicine’s Lead Serve Inspire curriculum. Neurological Disorders is
the 3rd block during Part 1 or Clinical
Foundations portion of the curriculum and represents the midpoint of the
first year for this new class of students. In prior years, the neuroscience
curriculum was divided into 4 distinct divisions with basic science concepts such
as neuroanatomy and physiology clustered in the earlier portions and clinical
science topics grouped during the later parts. In the new curriculum, the
Neurological Disorders block is slightly shortened in total duration, but
maintains all of the core foundational teaching via the use of more efficient
teaching and learning methods such as increased use of e-learning modules
similar to what is being done in other blocks. There is emphasis on integrating
concepts learned during lectures or online modules with patient care. Clinical Reasoning Case Presentations
and discussions occurring during the students’ weekly Longitudinal Group
sessions will focus on topics important to clinical neurology such as dementia
and stroke presented during lectures and e-learning modules. A number of team
based learning sessions are planned which encourage students to work both
individually and in groups to solve clinical problems based on what they have
learned in the block and by using the medical literature.
Because the Neurological Disorders block
is one of the longer blocks in the Clinical Foundations portion of the LSI
curriculum and covers so many topics, it is divided into distinct weeks each
focusing on a different concepts or portions of the nervous system. In addition,
one week is specifically dedicated to ophthalmology or the visual system and
the last 2 weeks of the block provide an introduction to psychiatry including
mood, personality, behavioral and psychotic disorders, substance abuse and the
psychiatric interview. The Neurological Disorders block involves faculty from
numerous departments in the College of Medicine including neuroscience,
anatomy, neurology, otolaryngology, pharmacology, ophthalmology, pediatrics and
psychiatry. Thus students gain exposure to a broad and diverse group of
teachers and clinicians. As with
other blocks during the Foundational Sciences, student assessments will
incorporate a variety of methods such as objectively structured clinical exams
(OSCE) in addition to traditional multiple choice exams, allowing students to
showcase the knowledge they have gained.
It is our hope that having completed the Neurological Disorders block
students will be well prepared for the Clinical Applications portion of LSI and
feel ready to begin diagnosing and treating neurological and psychiatric
diseases.
