General Objectives

• Practice obtaining a history of neurological symptoms. In most cases these symptoms will lead to a hypothesis proposing where (in the neuraxis) the lesion lies that is responsible for the symptoms.
• Practice performing a neurological exam. In most instances it will allow you to conservice or reject your hypothesis as to lesion location. It will also guide you to select conserviceatory imaging and/or lab tests that will enable you to predict what the lesion is.

Specific Neurosurgical Objectives

• Learn what role neurosurgery plays in a tertiary hospital.
• Be able to use the Glasgow Coma Scale and understand the concepts of brain death and raised ICP (global, as in hydrocephalous; focal, as in mass lesion).
• Be able to recognize and discuss the management of raised ICP, ischemic disease (stroke), hemorrhagic disease (subdural hematoma, AVM, aneurysm, some strokes), extrinsic neural compression syndromes (producing neuropathy, radiculopathy, or myelopathy).
• Be able to discuss the field management and ER care for the compression syndromes which are produced by head and spine trauma.
• Follow two assigned inpatients. One will be assigned by the Neuro ICU director and the other by your faculty mentor.
• Learn indications for various imaging studies.

Expectations:
Students should plan on:

• Attending one general neurosurgery clinic and two specialty neurosurgery clinics (such as pediatrics, functional, spine or brain tumor);
  • One clinic should involve working directly with your mentor.
• Following two inpatients, one assigned by the Neuro ICU director and the other by a faculty mentor;
• Presenting patients daily to the mentor and the Neuro ICU director;
• Observing the placement of a parenchymal ICP monitor, a ventriculostomy, and a shunt;
  • These cases may or may not be those of your mentor.
• Observing one spine operation and one craniotomy;
  • These cases may or may not be those of your mentor.
• Attending conferences;
• Being responsible for completing a log of required activities.