The Education Committees of The American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons have developed a core curriculum in neurological surgery for medical students. The curriculum outlines the basic neurological disease processes, and was distributed to medical school deans. The core curriculum was developed out of concern for the variability of curriculum and level of knowledge of graduating medical students regarding the indications and general principles of surgical therapy for neurological disease.
“Most of these medical students will never receive subsequent formal teaching about neurological disease. Yet, these will be the physicians entrusted with the front line decisions in health care systems of tomorrow,” Edward R. Laws, Jr., MD, president of the AANS, said. “They must decide whether a headache may be due to a brain tumor or ruptured aneurysm, what may be an early warning sign of stroke, or whether a child who struck his head or had a seizure will need specialized intervention. In each case, there must be minimal standards for recognizing the presenting symptoms of neurological disease, an understanding of the initial management principles and diagnostic pathways, and a reliable threshold for referral to specialized expertise.”
The objectives and topics listed in the core curriculum were designed to assist deans, curriculum committees and faculty members with the difficult task of adjundicating what must be known by medical students. The Core Curriculum includes areas on General Skills, Intracranial Disease, Spinal Disease, Peripheral Nerve Disease and Other Common Neurosurgical Problems. The Recommended Core Curriculum was approved by both the AANS and CNS.
If you would like to view the Recommended Core Curriculum in Neurological Surgery, please visit NEUROSURGERY://ON-CALL ® (www.neurosurgery.org).