Goals and Objectives

Goals

Our primary goal is to provide an academic and clinical learning experience that will enable the neurology resident to be competent in child neurology with special skills in the diagnosis and management of neurological disorders affecting the newborn infant and during early childhood and adolescence.

Objectives

  • Be able to obtain a thorough pediatric neurology history, including gestational, delivery, developmental milestones and presenting neurological problem(s).
  • Be able to examine children at all stages of development and identify normal and abnormal neurological features that are present.
  • Be able to describe and discuss common neurological disorders affecting children, such as seizures, epileptic syndromes, headaches, neuromuscular disorders, neurogenetic conditions, neurometabolic disorders, developmental and learning disorders.
  • Be able to describe and discuss the underlying pathophysiology and management of these disorders.
  • Be able to describe the clinical role of current neurodiagnostic studies relevant to the practice of child neurology including electrophysiology (EEG, EMG), neuroimaging (CAT, MRI< MEG), histopathology, diagnostic molecular studies and common neuropsychological testing procedures.
  • Develop attitudes and behaviors that are consistent with the team approach to medical care of children with neurological disorders, including interactions with other medical and nursing personnel involved in the management of the patient.

The neurology resident rotating on the inpatient and consultative Pediatric Neurology Service will be expected during that month to be clinically familiar with all the patients on the Service and will be supervisory to the other residents (pediatric, medicine-pediatric and psychiatric) and students (medical) rotating on the Service. The neurology resident will also be responsible for organizing the teaching and patient Service rounds with the attending child neurologist and will supervise the clinical presentations of patients to the attending physician by the students and residents on the Service.

The neurology resident will also be responsible for supervising the consultation and daily medical record notations in the chart of the patients allocated to the other students and residents on the Service. The neurology resident is also responsible, together with the other residents on the Service, for the timely completion of a brief but pertinent discharge summary on all patients admitted directly to the Pediatric Neurology Service.

The pediatric neurology resident will be expected to supervise the attendance of neurology residents, other residents (pediatric, Medicine-Pediatric and psychiatric) and students at the various outpatient clinics of the Service attending and also other child neurologists in the Division. Although the Pediatric Neurology Service commitments are primary, selected members of the Service will also attend the various general and specialty (epilepsy, neuromuscular, neuro-oncology and movement disorders) child neurology clinics.

The pediatric neurology resident will be expected to be actively involved in the teaching aspects of rotation on the Service, including supervision of other residents and students in history-taking, neurological examination and patient management, and also elaborating further on clinical and teaching information presented by the attending pediatric neurologist(s). The pediatric neurology resident will also be involved in the overall assessment and formal evaluation of other members of the clinical Service (residents and students) as required by the Medical School and the specific departments.

The pediatric neurology resident is expected to supervise and participate in the clinical case presentations by medical students and residents at the weekly Pediatric Neurology Conference (Friday, 8-9am), together with active participation by the pediatric neurologist attending that month. The neurology resident is expected to evaluate the important clinical aspects (presentation, course and management) of the case(s) presented (using photographs or videotapes or personal attendance of patients where possible) and to direct the review of new information regarding diagnosis, management and pathogenesis, particularly current molecular methods impacting on these areas. Review of ethical and psychosocial issues will be emphasized as appropriate in these case presentations. This conference will require considerable attention to details since topics discussed have an educational component but also represent an opportunity for quality review of all aspects of diagnosis and management of important clinical topics.