Neurology Education

Jeremy J. Moeller, MD, MSc, FRCPC

Education is one of the most important things we do as neurologists. By continually recruiting and training successive generations of neurologists, and by providing skills for life-long learning, we are ensuring that future patients will continue to receive the same level of high-quality care they do today. By nurturing and mentoring students and residents, we are sowing the seeds for the discovery of new ways to care for patients with neurological disease. And with the use of rigorous and innovative educational methods, we can inspire future educators, continuing the cycle of learning indefinitely.

Teaching is a central role for many neurologists, and so it is remarkable that so little has been written on the topic of neurological education. In this issue of Seminars in Neurology, our goal was to provide an overview of some of the most important aspects of teaching and learning in neurology. In addition to providing overviews of the current state of neurology education, we have asked our authors to look to the future, and discuss how they see things changing in the coming years. We could not be more pleased with the roster of educators who have provided reviews for this issue. It is additionally encouraging that the vast majority of the articles were cowritten by neurology trainees. The future of neurology education is bright.

We have attempted to organize this issue across the continuum of neurological education. Drs. Tarrolli and Josefowicz have provided a thoughtful and compelling article about the importance of understanding and mitigating “neurophobia” to ensure that all physicians have a decent foundation of neurological knowledge, and that many will choose neurology as a career. Following up on this, Zuzuarregui et al review specific strategies to nurture the careers of budding neurologists. We cover the spectrum of neurology teaching methods with reviews of the formal lecture and alternative didactic strategies (Schaefer et al), teaching the neurological examination (Hillis and Milligan), bedside teaching methods (Dewey and Cho), using retrieval practice to facilitate long-term retention (Larsen), the use of new media and technology (Lau et al), and simulation (Wijdicks and Hocker). The hard work of evaluating and remediating trainees is covered in two reviews, by Jones and Kurzweil and Galetta. Finally, Khazanova and Safdieh review approaches to facilitation of lifelong learning in neurology.

I am eternally grateful to Dr. David Greer for proposing that such a unique issue of Seminars would be both possible and useful, and for his invaluable input and support. For those of us who have chosen to spend our careers teaching neurology, it is extremely gratifying to have champions like him.

We are hopeful that this issue will serve both as a useful introduction for budding educators, and as a source of inspiration for experienced teachers interested in trying something new in their educational practice. Education is not always the highest profile aspect of neurology, but for many of us, it is a labor of love. In the words of William Osler:

“I desire no other epitaph … than the statement that I taught medical students in the wards, as I regard this as by far the most useful and important work I have been called upon to do.”[1]

• Reference

• 1 Silverman ME, Murray TJ, Bryan CS. The Quotable Osler . Philadelphia: American College of Physicians; 2003: 222