Department of Neurology

Resident Continuity Clinic

The educational objectives of the Resident Continuity Clinic are for the adult neurology resident to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to perform a thorough neurological exam and to diagnosis and manage non-acute neurologic illness by providing faculty supervised care to a diverse population of patients presenting with a broad range of neurological illnesses. The resident will assume an ascending level of responsibility (with appropriate faculty supervision) based upon maturation of knowledge, skills and attitudes applicable to the educational goals of this experience. The specific educational goals for this experience include:
• A practical experience in obtaining an orderly and detailed history from the patient, in conducting a thorough neurological examination, and in organizing and recording data
• An understanding of the indications for and the limitations of clinical neurodiagnostic tests and their interpretation
• The ability to correlate information derived from neurodiagnostic studies with the clinical history and examination in formulating a differential diagnosis and management plan
• Participation in the evaluation of and decision making for patients with disorders of the nervous system requiring surgical management
• Participation in the management of patients with a psychiatric or neuro-psychiatric disorders
• To better understand the principles of bioethics and the provision of appropriate and cost-effective evaluation and treatment of patients with neurologic disorders
• Participation in end-of-life palliative care including adequate pain relief and psycho-social support and counseling for family members about these issues

Resident Responsibilities
Resident continuity clinics will be held at The Vanderbilt Clinic. All Pediatric Neurology residents will have their continuity clinic at The Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt throughout their training. All clinics will be held one half-day per week.

Resident responsibilities on this rotation include the following:

• Have his/her own patient template for which he/she is responsible.
• Fully evaluate patients prior to presenting a formulated assessment and plan to the attending.
• Once staffed with the attending, implement formal plans as well as document a complete note. Notes must be available in StarNotes/StarChart or CPRS, whichever is applicable.
• All patient calls will be directed to the appropriate resident or resident providing cross coverage.
• The resident is responsible for canceling his/her clinic at least one month in advance in the event that he/she will be absent that day (e.g. vacation, conferences, etc.). If he/she is unsure whom to contact, the resident should ask the attending or the chief resident.

Attending Faculty Responsibilities
• Residents present cases with their diagnosis and therapeutic plans during these rounds.
• The faculty member reviews the history, physical findings, impression, and treatment plan with the junior resident.
• Identify teaching points from the inpatient clinical caseload.
• Assign appropriate reading and research to residents.
• Conduct follow-up discussions at the beginning or end of clinic.
• Faculty members are encouraged to schedule brief presentations by residents, reviewing assigned topics.
• Encourage and monitor senior residents to junior residents and junior residents to student teaching.