Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 27;3(4):e200175.
doi: 10.1212/NE9.0000000000200175. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Curriculum Innovations: A Novel Neurology Clinician-Educator Program

Rafid Mustafa  1 , Sherri A Braksick  1 , Jeremy K Cutsforth-Gregory  1 , David B Burkholder  1 , Eoin P Flanagan  1 , Jonathan Graff-Radford  1 , Christopher J Boes  1 , Andrea N Leep Hunderfund  1 , Lyell K Jones  1 , Elizabeth A Coon  1
Affiliations

Curriculum Innovations: A Novel Neurology Clinician-Educator Program

Rafid Mustafa et al. Neurol Educ. .

Abstract

Background and objectives: Neurology residents serve as frontline teachers for junior trainees but often lack formal training in medical education. We developed a novel longitudinal curriculum to enhance the teaching skills and educational leadership of residents interested in pursuing careers as clinician-educators.

Methods and curriculum description: We developed and piloted a Neurology Clinician-Educator Program (NCEP) with the following goals: (1) improve resident satisfaction with opportunities to develop teaching skills, (2) improve resident satisfaction with opportunities to transition into a clinician-educator role after training, and (3) enhance resident teaching skills using evidence-based strategies. The NCEP was implemented on an optional basis for senior neurology residents at a single academic institution and applied through a thematic framework centered around experiential learning theory. The program involved 2 immersive 3-week experiences including both didactic and application formats. These sessions were integrated through the implementation of capstone education projects, facilitating the translation of theoretical knowledge acquired from the NCEP into real-world practice. Satisfaction with opportunities to develop clinician-educator skills was measured through preimplementation and postimplementation surveys distributed to the entire residency cohort while participant progression of educator skills was measured through faculty-guided self-assessment of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Clinician Educator Milestones framework.

Results and assessment data: Eight residents completed the 2-year NCEP in its initial iteration. Residents throughout the entire residency program (response rate 24/27 before implementation and 25/27 after implementation) reported significantly higher satisfaction with opportunities to develop teaching skills (64% after implementation vs 33% before implementation, p = 0.032) and with opportunities to transition into a clinician-educator role following training (68% after implementation vs 29% before implementation, p = 0.007) after implementation of the NCEP. Among the 8 residents who completed the NCEP, faculty-guided self-assessment improved significantly (p < 0.05) in 14 of 20 ACGME Clinician Educator Milestone domains.

Discussion and lessons learned: This study demonstrates the successful implementation of a novel curriculum for neurology residents interested in becoming clinician-educators. The NCEP was well received by participants, resulted in improved satisfaction with opportunities to develop clinician-educator skills, increased learning of education concepts and skills, and resulted in behavioral change reflected in various capstone education projects.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

R. Mustafa has consulted with Horizon Therapeutics regarding educational content for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and neurohospitalist practice. He has consulted with PicnicHealth on a study exploring the role of chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in autoimmune neurologic conditions. Dr. Mustafa is an editorial board member of The Neurohospitalist. S.A. Braksick, J.K. Cutsforth-Gregory, and D.B. Burkholder report no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. E.P. Flanagan has served on advisory boards for Alexion, Genentech, Horizon Therapeutics and UCB. He has received research support from UCB. He received royalties from UpToDate. E.P. Flanagan is a site principal investigator in a randomized clinical trial of Rozanolixizumab for relapsing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease run by UCB. E.P. Flanagan is a site principal investigator and a member of the steering committee for a clinical trial of satralizumab for relapsing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease run by Roche/Genentech. E.P. Flanagan has received funding from the NIH (R01NS113828). E.P. Flanagan is a member of the medical advisory board of the MOG project. E.P. Flanagan is an editorial board member of Neurology: Neuroimmunology and Neuroinflammation, The Journal of the Neurological Sciences and Neuroimmunology Reports. A patent has been submitted on DACH1-IgG as a biomarker of paraneoplastic autoimmunity. J. Graff-Radford receives funding from the NIH, serves on the DSMB for National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke strokeNET, and is a site investigator for clinical trials sponsored in part by Eisai and Cognition therapeutics. C.J. Boes and A.N. Leep Hunderfund report no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. L.K. Jones has received publishing royalties from a publication relating to health care, has non-compensated relationships as a member of the board of directors of the Mayo Clinic Accountable Care Organization and the American Academy of Neurology Institute, and has received personal compensation in the range of $100,000 to $199,999 for serving as an editor for the American Academy of Neurology. E.A. Coon reports no disclosures relevant to this manuscript. Go to Neurology.org/NE for full disclosures.

Figures

Figure
Figure. Neurology Clinician-Educator Program Overview
Neurology clinician-educator program themes (A) and structure (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Mahajan A, Cahill C, Scharf E, et al. . Neurology residency training in 2017: a survey of preparation, perspectives, and plans. Neurology. 2019;92(2):76-83. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000006739 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marshall AL, Thompson CA, Cullen MW, Raffals LE, Oxentenko AS. Medical education interest, exposure, and career planning in subspecialty trainees. Med Sci Educ. 2020;30(3):1011-1014. doi:10.1007/s40670-020-01007-x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lin DJ, Cudkowicz ME, Cho TA. Opinion and special articles: challenges and opportunities in defining career identity in academic neurology. Neurology. 2018;91(14):670-672. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000006284 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Butcher L. No longer an anomaly. Neurology Today. 2023;23(9):1-11. doi:10.1097/01.nt.0000936632.50450.cc - DOI
    1. Moeller J, Salas RME. Neurology education in 2035: the neurology future forecasting series. Neurology. 2023;100(12):579-586. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000201669 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources