Neurology Core Rotation

The neurology core rotation is required for Baylor College of Medicine medical students but is open to all other interested students as well. The department is proud of the didactic component of this rotation, which includes:

There are eight core neurology lectures over the four-week rotation. They address topics that are essential for students, regardless of the field of medicine that they will enter. Examples include stroke, neurologic emergencies, and the management of epilepsy. Lectures are given by world-respected faculty members and their fellows.

Students meet in small groups twice per week with a faculty member. For each meeting, a student presents a patient of general interest, and the group discusses important points regarding the history, physical examination, work-up, and treatment of the patient's disorder.

Morning Report is held daily at each hospital. Either a patient of general interest or all patients admitted in the previous 24 hours are reviewed with a faculty member. Students present patients whom they have worked up.

A Pediatric Neurology Elective has recently been added to the Core Rotation. Students interested in pediatrics can now spend four weeks on a Pediatric Neurology consult service.

There are several weekly departmentwide conferences that students attend including Neurology Grand Rounds, Pediatric Neurology Grand Rounds, and the Friday Resident Conference. There are additional conferences at each hospital, including neuroradiology, neuropathology, and clinical neurophysiology (EEG, EMG/NCV).

There are three hospitals through which students may rotate. Each hospital has a unique population that it serves, and therefore the disorders that present to each institution differ markedly. Students may request a specific hospital assignment, which is accommodated up to the maximum number of positions available at that hospital.

The Neurosensory Center has about 60 neurology beds, to which there are about 2,000 admissions per year. There is also an eight bed Neurology Intensive Care Unit. Many inpatients at the NSC have complicated neurologic disorders, having been referred from physicians outside the Texas Medical Center. There are also several consult services on which more common neurologic disorders are observed. Students may rotate on an inpatient or consult team.

Ben Taub Hospital serves Harris County's 4.5 million inhabitants. There are about 800 neurology admissions per year, and many additional inpatient and emergency room consults. Patients presenting to Ben Taub tend to have disorders that are either of acute onset or have progressed beyond the stage at which they usually present to a physician. Ben Taub also affords an excellent outpatient experience, with students attending three morning clinics per week.

The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center serves a large catchment area of Texas and Louisiana so that the patients who present to the VA have a mixture of rare and common ("bread-and-butter") disorders. Our 40 bed ward is generally very active and has EEG and EMG laboratories located in the area. There is also an active neurology consult service. It is often requested by elective students because of the intensive teaching that occurs on the small consult team, which consists of one or two students, one or two residents, and an attending.

Students work as a team with one resident for the month. This includes taking call about every fourth night. This structure facilitates information transfer from the resident to the student regarding patient's disorders, performance of procedures, and feedback on histories & physicals. Upper level residents also frequently give short, informal talks to all members of the team at each hospital.

Baylor students are welcome to rotate on our core and sub-internship Neurology rotations. Baylor and non-Baylor students are welcome to rotate on our elective Neurology rotations.