Combatting “Neurophobia”: A Proposed Preliminary Educational Model to Promote “Neurophilia”
Objective:
How can we promote neurology education to undergraduate medical students considering the educational phenomenon of "neurophobia"? We hypothesize that by utilizing a unique neurology curriculum for preclinical year (2nd year) students, we can increase student performance and favorability towards the specialty of neurology.
Background:
When we reflect on medical education as a whole, novelty in structure and content promotes growth and enhances student outcomes. The teaching of neurology is no different and presents a more unique hurdle in its instruction considering the well-described phenomenon of “neurophobia”. With the burden of neurological diseases on the rise, there is a heightened demand on medical educators to understand the possible causes of this educational misalignment and implement solutions necessary to ensure adequate education of students.
Design/Methods:
We describe a novel approach to neurology education for 2nd year medical students to stimulate "neurophilia", incorporating evidence-based approaches within identified areas to combat "neurophobia"—Active Learning Pedagogies, Diagnostic and Clinical Reasoning, Use of Technology, Field Exposure and Mentorship, and Innovation.
Results:
Students demonstrated superior academic performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) neurology assessments, and general positive feedback to the use of the innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
Conclusions:
Overall, we propose this method of teaching neurology as a successful model educational platform that incorporates the areas needed to reduce “neurophobia” and promote “neurophilia”.