Objective:

The goal of our podcast series is to utilize a multimedia approach to introduce medical students to the various subspecialties in neurology and to support student-led career exploration and development.

Background:

Specialty selection is a pivotal decision for all medical students, and is influenced by many factors, including specialty exposure, mentorship, perceived personality fit, patient interaction, and professional balance. While Standard 11 of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) requires that every medical school has a career advising system, early clinical exposure during the preclinical years remains varied, especially in neurology where not all medical schools include neurology as a required clerkship. The “Ask a Neurologist” video podcast series was developed to provide a platform for in-depth discussions with a variety of clinicians in the neurosciences. Discussion topics include personal career path, patient populations and procedures, and perceptions on the future of the field. These conversations hope to generate interest in neurology by showcasing the diversity and varied opportunities within the field.

Design/Methods:

A standardized information sheet and question list was provided to interviewers and interviewees to guide recorded discussions. Members of the Student Interest Group in Neurology invited clinicians at our affiliated hospitals to participate in our podcast series and obtained consent for participation and publication.

Results:

A total of 12 podcasts have been recorded, so far, including interviews with attendings in approximately 7 different subspecialty areas. The average length of the podcasts is 24 minutes (range 13.19 - 32.51). Podcasts are released every other week, with the first episode released in October 2023.

Conclusions:

By successfully implementing a dynamic platform for neurologists to advance awareness and understanding of their fields, we have provided a feasible avenue for increasing exposure to the various subspecialties in neurology.