Neurosurgery

NSURG 750: Neurosurgery Acting Internship

Credits: 5

Program director: Mark S. Dias, MD

When offered: All rotations

Length of course: One month

Description: The Neurosurgery Acting Internship is designed to introduce fourth-year medical students to intermediate principles of evaluating and managing patients with neurosurgical disease. Students will gain experience in evaluating and caring for patients with a wide variety of neurosurgical conditions and will improve their ability to obtain a neurological history, perform a detailed neurological examination, recognize and interpret normal and abnormal neurological responses, interpret neuroimaging findings, and develop treatment plans for both non-operative and operative management of these disorders. Students will learn the basics of neurosurgical patient care, focusing on common symptoms such as headache and back pain, and common neurosurgical conditions such as stroke and cerebrovascular disease, trauma, tumors and neuro-oncology, degenerative spine disease, epilepsy and functional neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, developmental and pediatric disorders, and neurocritical care.

The elective builds on skills gained in the evaluation of patients with neurological complaints during the core third-year rotations and also provides an expanded opportunity both to obtain direct patient care (with appropriate oversight) and operating room experience developing technical skills and participation in a wide variety of neurosurgical and endovascular procedures. Students will also engage with the neurocritical care team in the management of critically ill neurosurgical patients.

Students on this elective will serve as an integral part of the neurosurgery team with neurosurgical faculty, residents, physicians assistants and nurses. Didactic teaching will be accomplished through discussions with the neurosurgery faculty and residents on rounds, in the clinic, in the emergency room and in the operating room. Students will be expected to attend and participate in departmental teaching conferences every Friday. Students have an opportunity to focus on individual neurosurgical subspecialties as interest dictates.

NSURG 750A: Neurosurgery Third-Year Elective

Credits: 2.5

Program director: Mark S. Dias, MD

When offered: All rotations

Length of course: Two weeks

Description: The Neurosurgery third-year elective is designed to introduce third-year medical students to the basics of evaluation and management of neurosurgical patients.

Students will gain experience in patient care, focusing on common symptoms such as headache and back pain and common medical problems such as conditions such as stroke and cerebrovascular disease, trauma, tumors and neuro-oncology, degenerative spine disease, epilepsy and functional neurosurgery, peripheral nerve surgery, developmental and pediatric disorders, and neurocritical care.

The experience on this elective will allow students to solidify skills gained in the evaluation of patients with neurological complaints gained during their core Phase II Neuroscience clerkship.

The elective will also give students the opportunity to explore the field of neurosurgery early enough in their medical school curriculum to consider this field as an option for residency training. For those students who do choose a neurosurgical career path, it will allow them to develop an early relationship with a neurosurgical mentor.

Students on this elective will serve as members of the neurosurgery team with neurosurgical faculty, residents, physicians assistants and nurses. Didactic teaching will be accomplished by discussions with the neurosurgery faculty on rounds, in the clinic, in the emergency room and in the operating room. Students will be expected to attend and participate in departmental teaching conferences every Friday, and case conferences with the clerkship director and/or senior residents as scheduled.

NSURG 751: Neurocritical Care Acting Internship

Credits: 5

Program director: Mark S. Dias, MD, and Christopher Zacko, MD

When offered: All rotations

Length of course: Four weeks

Description: The Neurocritical Care Acting Internship provides students with advanced training in the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and discharge disposition for critically ill patients having neurological disorders who are cared for in the Neurocritical Care Unit (NCCU). Students will be given responsibility (with appropriate supervision) for a number of critically ill patients with stroke and cerebrovascular disorders, tumors, brain and spinal trauma, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, infections, neuroendocrine disorders, and a wide variety of other disorders. Students will learn the acute management of elevated intracranial pressure, status epilepticus and other neurological emergencies, as well as the general supportive care for the critically ill patient with neurological disease. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in neurosurgical interventions (both bedside and operative procedures). Students will also learn a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to these patients in concert with other medical and surgical specialties and a variety of other healthcare specialists.

The Acting Internship builds upon skills gained in the core Phase II Neuroscience, Medicine and Surgery clerkships. Students will participate in didactic and other educational conferences as part of the Neurocritical Care and Neurosurgical teams.