Educating Residents and Students in the Clinic

Training of students and residents in outpatient settings requires adequate exposure to a broad range of neurologic diseases. A competency-based method has been frequently used to provide a framework for the design and assessment of medical curriculums. However, it is the responsibility of the faculty within a medical school to design the curriculum and ensure its quality. In this article, we review learning objectives, assessment of core competencies, the current status of outpatient neurology education, and the flaws that may affect its quality. We also discuss potential strategies and approaches for the improvement of education and learning process in the outpatient setting, including early clinical exposure of students, cross-disciplinary courses, balancing case mix, near-peer teaching, active learning, electronic and online education, and virtual modules.