Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

The 48th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology

Clinical clerkship in neurology

Ryozo Ohno, M.D.

Department of Neurology, Saitama Medical University

In this article, overview of clinical clerkships in USA was briefly shown and the results of a national survey of neurology departments in Japan were reported.
Seventy-four (85%) of 87 departments responded for the questionnaire that focused on clinical clerkship. Bed side learning (BSL) in neurology was required for all medical students in 85% of departments, whereas it was elective in the remaining 15%. BSL was carried out in a manner of so called clinical clerkship in at least 86% of departments, but the length of rotation is variable; students were required 1-2 weeks rotation in 74.2% and 3-5 weeks rotation in 17.5% of departments. And BSL was allocated in 5th year students or in 5th and 6th year students in 88.8% of departments.
Students performed the medical interview and the physical examination in all departments, and they challenged the basic or some advanced procedures in 40% of departments. Also they wrote up the medical record under the monitoring of supervising physician in at least 55.4% of departments.
From these data, BSL in neurology departments in Japan seemed to be less effective than clerkships in USA. Curricular revision might be considered to give students the fundamental clinical competencies.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 47: 894－896, 2007)
key words: clinical clerkship, bed side learning, neurology, fundamental clinical competencies

(Received: 16-May-07)