The Division is involved in providing instruction to UBC medical students (265). Division members lecture within the didactic calendar on topics such as headache, dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and neuromuscular disorders.
The Neurosciences Clinical Skills programme provides first and second year students 18 hours of small-group instruction (6 – 8 students) in learning to perform a neurological examination. This consists of 32 student groups using on average 28 neurologists from the Division (includes VGH, UBCH and SPH staff).
Support materials have been developed and these are disseminated to distant sites as printed and video material. These sessions have been enhanced by the recruitment of volunteer patients who are used to demonstrate common deficits found on neurological examination.
During third year, all Vancouver-based students participate in a small-group (2 – 4 students) bedside session. They evaluate a patient with neurological disease following which a Division member provides direct instruction.
A 4-week elective/selective is offered in third or fourth year (guidelines attached) to any UBC medical student. The students participate at either SPH or VGH sites in a primarily inpatient rotation. At VGH students may be scheduled to Neurology as part of their medical CTU training. In addition, the Division accepts students from other Canadian and accredited foreign medical schools for elective study.
The demand for the elective in neurology at VGH as increased dramatically. This has led to a decision to increase the capacity to 6 students for each block and limit international students. This has allowed students from UBC and Canada to participate.
Faculty members who are associated with the Division provide clinical teaching in the Vancouver Island, Southern Okanagan and Prince George programs.