Neuroradiology Clerkship
For Medical Students
Clerkship Description:
Our clerkship provides students with further exposure to basic and advanced neuroimaging of the brain, spine, and head and neck. The curriculum will be tailored to the specific interests of the student incorporating participation in real-time read-out and consultations with our residents, fellows, physician colleagues, and expert Neuroradiology faculty, didactic and clinical conferences (e.g. weekly interesting case conference and tumor board), and interactive online teaching modules. Students will learn the utility of CT and MRI in diagnosing and treating diseases of the central nervous system and head and neck in both the pediatric and adult populations, and will also have the unique opportunity to participate in fluoroscopy-guided lumbar punctures for CSF collection, intrathecal chemotherapy administration, and myelograms. Students are expected to give a short presentation of a case of their choice to fellows and/or faculty at the end of the clerkship rotation.
Course Catalog
Course Objectives
- Learn the basics of radiation and strategies/techniques used to reduce radiation risk to the patient in Neuroradiology
- Learn the role of CT and MRI in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with neurological and/or head and neck disease and be able to select appropriate radiologic imaging based on the clinical presentation
- Learn basic anatomy of the brain, spine, and head and neck
- Learn basic interpretation of head CT in common neurological diseases
- Gather important clinical information and be able to perform relevant literature searches for the interpretation of common and rare neurological conditions
- Understand the process of informed consent used for basic and advanced radiology exams and procedures
- Demonstrate professional responsibility as a team member of the Radiology service
- Understand the role of the Radiologist in communicating findings to the clinician and how this affects the timeliness and cost of patient care as well as the role of the Radiologist in interdisciplinary conferences (e.g. tumor board) in developing treatment plans for patients with specific diseases
Resources
Expectations:
Meet with one of the course co-directors before the start of the rotation to tailor the clerkship to your specific interests
Attend daily read-out with the residents, fellows, and attending
Residents and fellows are in the reading room all day and are great sources of technical and practical knowledge
Attending read-outs vary but are usually between 9-11 AM and 2-4 PM daily; you can check with the fellow in the morning
Location:
Adult inpatient and head and neck neuroradiology (Ground floor by the Stanford MRI scanners); Check with fellow and/or attending for specific head and neck read-out time
Be proactive in learning (look up patient histories in EPIC before and during read-out as it helps with the interpretation of a study and with the clinical workflow; research current articles in the literature pertaining to the clinical case at hand)
Engage in interactive web modules
Attend relevant clinical and didactic conferences
Prepare a brief PowerPoint presentation (5-10 slides; 10 slides max) on an interesting case of your choice to be presented at fellows conference and/or to faculty
Enjoy the rotation and ask residents, fellows, and attendings questions about Radiology cases, lifestyle, research, etc.