Neurosurgical rotations or clerkships in US medical schools.
OBJECTIVE
Medical student exposure to neurosurgery is limited. To improve the educational interactions between neurosurgeons and medical students as well as neurosurgical medical student rotations or clerkships (NSCs) we must first understand the current status.


METHODS
Two questionnaires were sent, one to every neurosurgery course coordinator or director at each US neurosurgery residency program (99 questionnaires) and one to the associated parent medical school dean's office (91 questionnaires), to assess the current status of NSCs and the involvement of neurosurgeons at their respective institutions.


RESULTS
We received responses from 86 (87%) of 99 neurosurgery course coordinators or directors and 64 (70%) of 91 medical school deans' offices. Most NSCs do not have didactic lectures (53 [62%] of 86 NSCs), provide their medical students with a syllabus or educational handouts (53 [62%] of 86), or have a recommended/required textbook (77 [90%] of 86). The most common method of evaluating students in NSCs is a subjective performance evaluation. Of 64 medical school deans, 38 (59%) felt that neurosurgery should not be a required rotation. Neurosurgical rotations or clerkships are primarily offered to students in their 4th year of medical school, which may be too late for appropriate timing of residency applications. Only 21 (33%) of 64 NSCs offer neurosurgery rotations to 3rd-year students.


CONCLUSIONS
There is significant room for improvement in the neurosurgeon-to-medical student interactions in both the NSCs and during the didactic years of medical school.
Fox
Benjamin D
BD
Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Amhaz
Hassan H
HH
Patel
Akash J
AJ
Fulkerson
Daniel H
DH
Suki
Dima
D
Jea
Andrew
A
Sawaya
Raymond E
RE
D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000592:standards*; D003625:Data Collection; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D008611:Mentors; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000193:education*; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000639:trends*; D013337:Students, Medical; D014481:United States