The neurology clerkship is a four-week clerkship designed to provide closely supervised evaluation and treatment of patients with neurological disease processes. The clerkship involves experience in outpatient, consultative and inpatient treatment modalities. Students will participate in scheduled didactic sessions, regular practical sessions with faculty demonstrating neurological evaluations, and educational sessions involving case centered evaluations and discussions. Topics covered reflect a wide variety of neurological illnesses, including cranial nerve injuries, neuromuscular disorders, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular disease, headaches, seizure disorders, movement disorders, coma, dementias, CNS infections, CNS neoplasms, etc. 

Students will spend the mornings (7 a.m. until noon, depending on the clinical site and varying start times for each clinic) in their assigned clinics or at the hospital working with clinical neurologists. During these times, students are expected to obtain a complete patient history and conduct a neurological exam of the patient. Students will then develop a differential diagnosis and management plan that they will present to the neurologist in a standard case-based patient presentation. The student will work with the neurologists to refine the care plan and work with the medical team in the coordination of patient care.  

All students will participate in two 2-week blocks and will be assigned to two of the following sites: 

1. Wesley Medical Center 
2. Ascension Via Christi Neurology 
3. Kansas Pediatric Neurology 
4. Neurology Consultants of Kansas 

Students will additionally have one short call experience (5:45 a.m.-7:30 p.m.) at the Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Neurological ICU, which is a closed ICU experience. The on-call experiences will give students valuable exposure to neurological critical care management in patients presenting with various neurological diseases including strokes, seizure disorders, CNS neoplasms, intercranial bleeds and aneurysms. Students will round with the team of neuro-intensivists and participate in stroke calls to evaluate patients presenting to the emergency department with stroke-like symptoms.  

Students will work with radiologists at Wesley Medical Center for one afternoon to learn about the interpretation of neurological imaging including CT and MRI scans of the head and spine. Students will additionally be able to observe, and if invited by the radiologist, conduct CT-guided lumbar punctures on patients under the direct supervision of the attending radiologist. Students may additionally work with interventional radiologists to observe neurological procedures including aneurysm clipping, coiling and clot retrieval.