Preceptor: Tyler Smith, MD
Contact: Meredith Marsini, Meredith.Marsini@NYULangone.org
Phone:  929-455-5635

Prerequisites: Core Neurology Clerkship

Who should enroll in this elective?

Students who are considering Neurology as a career

Clinical sites

Tisch/Kimmel Hospital, NYU Brooklyn Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, and outpatient clinic sites

Description

This is an advanced 4-week elective that seeks to build on neurologic knowledge and experiences gained in the pre-clerkship and clerkship years. It may be used to build upon experience from the 2-week Neurology Introductory Elective. As an advanced elective, students will be expected to serve at the level of a sub-intern. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty through encounters with a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will gain this experience rotating on the inpatient and consultation stroke, neurology ward, or ICU services at NYU Tisch, NYU Brooklyn, and Bellevue Hospitals. Students will have a primary assignment on an inpatient unit. They will also have an opportunity, if requested, to attend a week of a subspeciality clinic such as: General Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease, Movement Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Headache, Pediatric Neurology, Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Epilepsy, and Cognitive Neurology. The emphasis of this elective is on neurological localization, diagnosis, and management in preparation for a neurology residency.

Objectives of the Elective

By the end of this elective, through daily contact with patients and didactics, you will:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the field of neurology, building on your pre-clerkship and clerkship experiences, through a broad exposure to neurologic diseases
2. Expand your skills in inpatient and outpatient workup and management of patients with neurologic diseases
3. Learn about specialty-specific history and physical exams as well as the indications for, and complications of specialty-specific procedures
4. Begin to learn how to perform neurologic procedures (lumbar puncture) through graduated degrees of hands-on participation
5. Gain knowledge regarding treatment modalities used to treat neurologic diseases
6. Gain insight into the interdisciplinary nature of this specialty and how our clinicians interact with other medical disciplines to provide comprehensive patient care
7. Ensure your choice of neurology as a career
8. Learn more about sub-specialization in neurology
9. Gain preparedness to excel on day 1 of neurology residency

Key Responsibilities of the student while on Elective

By enrolling in this elective, you have agreed to:

1. Participate in at least 35 contact hours of education each week
2. Provide communication of any excused absences to the Office of Student Affairs (excused absence form) and to the elective coordinator, in a timely fashion
3. Arrive in a timely fashion to all locations to which you are assigned
4. Participate in daily morning rounds and patient care with residents and attendings
5. Be an active participant in the care of patients being followed by the team, as dictated by the resident/attending
6. Attend any clinics assigned to you
7. Attend all didactics provided for trainees, as outlined below

Key Responsibilities of the preceptor/residents/faculty while you are on Elective

By accepting your enrollment in this elective, the department has agreed to:

1. Clearly communicate their expectations of you
2. Maintain a supportive clinical learning environment
3. Ensure that you have access to a broad case mix and clinical experience 
4. Provide the education necessary for you to gain an understanding of the patients and pathology reflective of this specialty
5. Provide feedback on your clinical skills

Didactic program

On this elective, clinical responsibilities and experiences take priority. However, students should communicate and coordinate with their team to attend grand rounds, morning report, and professor’s rounds. This lecture schedule will be sent via email by the elective coordinator each week.

Method of Evaluation

Students are expected to receive verbal feedback at the end of each week from the attending and resident (if applicable) that they worked with over the course of the week.

Scheduling Information

Duration: Four Weeks

Months Offered: All Year

Student point of contact before start of elective: Students should reach out to Drs. Tyler Smith or Rajeev Motiwala to discuss their interests and how to best achieve their goals on the rotation.

On day 1, students report to: Tisch Hospital: KP 17-003 at 7AM; Bellevue Hospital: H Building 16S27 at 7AM; NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn: 3rd Floor Workroom 3325 at 8AM or their assigned subspecialty clinic.

Students per elective block: 3 (1-2 students per site depending on core clerkship assignments)

Note: For this elective, visiting student applications will be processed through AAMC’s Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) program. The VSLO Application Service (aka VSAS) enables students to browse and apply for this elective.

This elective gives visiting medical students who come from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine the opportunity to explore and experience training at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.