Objective:

Cultivate interest and engagement in the field of neurology by creating formalized clinical exposure for medical students.

Background:

In the summer of 2019, the Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) was developed across the five clinical sites across Texas A&M College of Medicine (TAMU COM). By 2024, the number of students going into the field of neurology increased from one to three solely with the implementation of SIGN between 2018 and 2024. In 2024, a pilot neurology clerkship was first developed. The goal of this study was to assess the result of clerkship implementation on neurology residency matches.

Design/Methods:

TAMU COM established their neurology clerkship pilot during the Spring of 2024 which was offered as an optional clerkship for third- and fourth-year medical students. The number of individuals enrolled in the clerkship and matched to neurology was tracked by TAMU COM.

Results:

TAMU COM students applying for and matching into the field of Neurology has increased since the creation of SIGN with one match in 2018, two in 2019, four in 2020, four in 2021, three in 2022, three in 2023, and one in 2024. In the Summer and Fall 2024, a total of 33 students completed the pilot neurology clerkship prior to the Match 2025 cycle. Seven TAMU COM students matched into neurology in 2025.

Conclusions:

Early involvement in a medical specialty can elicit interest in the field. The establishment of the SIGN led to a moderate increase in matches in the field of neurology. The establishment of the neurology clerkship with a formalized education curriculum led to a significant increase in students entering the field of neurology, over 200% on average. Secondary to these astounding results, TAMU COM has now made this clerkship mandatory. This will hopefully lead to continued increases in applicants entering the field of neurology from TAMU COM.