Neuroscience Clerkship

UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF CLEVELAND

&

 METROHEALTH MEDICAL CENTER

NEUROSURGERY ROTATION

Dear Students:

Welcome to the Core Clerkship in Neurological Surgery at CWRU.  The next month will be a busy one.  We will be covering a great deal of information in a relatively short time, hoping to provide you with a solid background in clinical neurology and neurosurgery, and to introduce you to some of the exciting advances in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system.  Below is a brief outline of the clerkship activities.  Although the schedule is rigorous, it is our hope that your experience over the next month will be both educational and enjoyable.

Rounds

Students are expected to function as an integral part of the neurosurgery team.  Rounds are conducted Monday through Friday beginning at 6:30 A.M. At UH rounds begin in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSU) on Lerner Tower Four.  At MetroHealth Medical Center (MHMC) Rounds begin in the Tower Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU).  Students are expected to make Rounds with the neurosurgery team, and to participate in activities on the ward and in the operating room.

Daily Activities

Each student will be assigned to a neurosurgery resident, who will serve as his or her preceptor throughout the clerkship.  The neurosurgery chief resident will make the specific assignments. Please contact the chief resident on the first day of the clerkship to receive your resident assignment.

Students are encouraged to shadow the residents and spend time with them both on the ward and in the operating room.  Students are encouraged to work-up patients that are admitted to the hospital and to follow them throughout their stay, writing progress notes and participating in the day-to-day management decisions.  Two history and physical write-ups are required, and should be submitted to the neurosurgery chief resident for evaluation.  At the end of the clerkship, students should be facile performing a neurologic history and examination.

Sign-out rounds are conducted at varying times, usually in the late afternoon or early evening.  Students should participate in sign-out rounds when possible. If rounds are delayed until after 5:00 P.M., students need not stay, but should sign-out to their resident preceptor when possible before leaving.

Call

Overnight call is not required, but students are expected to shadow the residents, and to stay late once a week, depending on the resident's call schedule.  Students are not required to stay later than 10:00 P.M., but are encouraged to stay late and participate if something interesting is going on.  If your resident preceptor is assigned to more than 2 night calls in a given week, you need only to stay for 2.  Weekend call is not required of the students.

Students are expected to participate on Rounds on Saturday morning.  Saturday morning Rounds begin at 8:00 A.M. at UH and 7:30 A.M. at MHMC.  Following Rounds, there is a teaching conference run by the Neurosurgery Department Chairman, Dr. Robert Ratcheson, in the Hanna House 5 Conference Room.  On some mornings, the Chairman's conference is canceled.  On these mornings, students do not need to attend Saturday work rounds.  Please check with the chief residents on Friday to find out the status of the Saturday morning schedule.

Conferences for Neurosurgery Students

Conferences for All Students

Presentations

Each student is expected to prepare a brief presentation (5-10 minutes) for the Wednesday morning Neurosurgery Clinical Conference. The presentation should be on a neurosurgery topic that is of interest to the student. Topics should be selected in consultation with the chief resident.

Grades

Students are expected to play an active role on the service in order to receive a satisfactory grade.  There is a written examination for all students (neurology and neurosurgery) that includes material from the didactic sessions.   Students will not be tested on material that has not been covered in the clerkship.

The neurosurgery residents and attendings are eager to participate in student teaching and are here to help you navigate your way through the clerkship.   Students are encouraged to spend time with the neurosurgery attendings on Rounds and in the OR.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me any time. Good luck!

Sincerely,
 

Alan R. Cohen, M.D.

Helpful Phone Numbers