We look forward to developing your emerging neurologic skills throughout this clerkship! This is a one-month rotation in which you will have exposure to diverse neurologic conditions in different inpatient settings. Students may find that Neurology is a fast-pasted clerkship but don’t worry, we are here to help!
The Neurology Clerkship is a vital part of medical students’ clinical training. The goal of this clerkship is to have students learn to begin the evaluation of patients with neurologic symptoms and illnesses, by working with the faculty and residents. The clerkship provides a clinical foundation in neurologic history taking, performing an accurate and complete neurologic examination, and synthesis in the evaluation of patients. It also hopes to provide a scholarly approach to neurologic practice and even inspire those who may are consider entering Neurology or a related area of Neuroscience.
The rotation requires that students practice all aspects of the neurologic physical examination, as well as taking detailed histories — the essence of a competent neurologic encounter. As students care for their patients with different neurologic conditions, they have the opportunity to develop competence in the neurologic exam as well as with managing commonplace and complicated neurologic conditions. Throughout the rotation students will encounter patients with strokes, epilepsy, and many other neurologic disorders. Students will also have abundant opportunity to review the pertinent neuroradiology of their own clinical cases, and the Internal Medicine that impacts much of neurologic disorders.
There are daily didactics and a weekly live patient conference, trauma informed neurologic exam teaching sessions, lumbar puncture simulations, coma exam simulations, and a neuro-rehabilitations interdisciplinary care debrief session.
The BIDMC Neurology faculty is dedicated to teaching. Students will rotate through two three different services during the clerkship, which allows for greater diversity and exposure to different areas of Neurology and patient populations and one outpatient week including an interdisciplinary neuro-rehabilitation experience.
We hope you enjoy this unique clerkship experience.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Ms. Erica Seymourian (eseymour@bidmc.harvard.edu). If you have any special requests, please contact the clerkship director, Dr. Alexandra Hovaguimian (ahovagui@bidmc.harvard.edu) as soon as possible or Dr. Bardia Abbassi (babbasi@bidmc.harvard.edu), the associate clerkship director.
Alexandra Hovaguimian, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Neurology Clerkship Director
Director of the Principal Clinical Experience at BIDMC, Harvard Medical School
Bardia Abbasi, MD
Instructor in Neurology
Neurology Associate Clerkship Director
Neurology Advanced Elective Director