Clerkship in Neurology

The Neurology Clerkship offers a comprehensive 5-week experience that includes inpatient hospital services and outpatient and ambulatory care. The initial day of the 5-week block serves as an orientation, introducing fundamental skills such as history-taking, examination techniques, and in-depth concept review. 

This clerkship spans across six prominent educational sites, each contributing to a well-rounded exposure: UMass Memorial Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Hospital/Reliant Medical Center, Baystate Medical Center, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Berkshires Medical Center, and Milford Regional Medical Center. The curriculum nurtures the competence to deliver general neurologic care, manage prevalent neurological conditions, and effectively address neurologic emergencies. 

Learning strategies are multifaceted, combining direct clinical involvement on patient care teams with various educational activities. Students actively engage in student-led morning reports, case discussions, neurologic emergency simulations, gamified learning, and hands-on practice of neurologic physical examination skills. Two elective opportunities are offered during the block: 1) half a day shadowing experience with an outpatient clinical social worker or nurse navigator at the University neurology clinic to understand the intricate interplay of the social determinants of health and systemic factors, and 2) one day shadowing experience of neurologic physical therapy and occupational therapy at Leominster Health Alliance to appreciate the scope, roles, and approaches of physical and occupational therapies in outpatient care. Complementing these experiences are modules (including Aquifer cases) and a curated list of study resources. 

Key Clerkship Goals: 

• Enhance proficiency in gathering patient history and conducting examinations
• Assess and manage prevalent neurological disorders
• Recognize and effectively handle neurological emergencies
• Develop expertise in neurological localization and syndromic classification

Student competency is rigorously evaluated using a range of methods, including Student Performance Evaluations (SPEs), the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exam (or shelf exam), summative cases, and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) with standardized patients. Beyond formal assessments, students benefit from multiple formative opportunities, including drafting histories and physicals, refining physical examination techniques, case discussions, and gamified learning.

JAN 5 2026 | cjd