Ending Neurophobia with Education Innovations to Enhance Medical Student Interest in Neurology: A Long-term Plan to Address the Shortage of Care in Mississippi
Sydney Bhopatkar1, Delora Denney1, Connor Bluntson4, Elelia Phillips5, John Ingram2, Mary Willis6, Sukriye Damla Kara3
1School of Medicine, 2Department of Pediatric Neurology, 3Department of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 4Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, 5Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic
Objective:
Our aim is to utilize innovative strategies to encourage more medical students to enter the field of neurology to help address the discrepancy between patient need of neurological care and the number of neurologists available to provide it.
Background:
Mississippi is a historically underserved area with a reported number of 93 Neurologists in the state, and 47.3% are above age 60. There is a projected shortage of Neurologists in the United States. About 30% of students entering medical school consider a neuroscience field, however only 2% of graduates actually enter Neurology residency. Our team utilized innovative strategies to address this discrepancy delivered through the Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN).
Design/Methods:
SIGN organized (1) neurological emergency and procedure simulations (2) internationally collaborative journal clubs (3) community outreach events (4) research collaboration within the department (5) collaborative neurology and student research day (6) scholarship and conference attendance support (7) social events to foster interaction between medical students, residents, and faculty.
Results:
In the span of two years, SIGN membership has increased from less than 15 members to over 100 members. Annual SIGN meetings increased from 3 per year to regular monthly meetings with consistently increased attendance. The number of executive officer roles was doubled. This year, 9 students were matched into research projects, yielding over 10 presentations and publications.
Conclusions:
The projected shortage of Neurologists in the U.S. and current decreased access to regular neurological care in Mississippi requires innovative strategies to improve medical student interest in the field. Our team focused on increasing student interaction with residents and faculty in both educational and interpersonal settings. In two years, we were able to foster student interest in Neurology and grow SIGN membership nearly tenfold.
Disclaimer: Abstracts were not reviewed by Neurology® and do not reflect the views of Neurology® editors or staff.