Are informal “Sign-Out Rounds” beneficial for 3rd year medical students on the Neurology Clerkship? (P4.206)

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of instituting daily “Sign-Out Rounds” for 3rd year medical students rotating on the Neurology Clerkship, and to study its effect on students’ level of comfort in assessing common neurologic conditions. Background: The current didactic schedule for 3rd year medical students on the neurology clerkship includes formal faculty lectures, but informal resident teaching opportunities are often trumped by patient care responsibilities. The goals of resident-led “Sign-Out Rounds” are to provide an opportunity for informal, low-pressure, student-centered teaching, and to improve student understanding of neurologic disease. Design/Methods: The Neurology Chief Resident at the University of Rochester Medical Center led a half-hour teaching session on weekdays during the first clerkship block of 2014. One day per week the Child Neurology Chief Resident led the session. Topics included overviews of common neurologic chief complaints (e.g. headache). A pre-test survey using a 5-point Likert scale was administered to evaluate comfort level in assessing eight of the most common neurologic chief complaints. A similar post-test survey was administered at the end of the rotation, and scores were compared using paired t-tests. Comments were coded for strengths and suggestions for improvement. Results: “Sign-Out Rounds” were held 16 days over 4 weeks, with 12 medical students in the clerkship block. The pre and post survey response rate was 100[percnt] and 92[percnt], respectively. 100[percnt] of survey responders supported continuation of “Sign-Out Rounds.” The level of comfort in assessing each chief complaint improved significantly after 4 weeks (p-value ranged from 0.001 to 0.024). Students commented that sessions were organized and informal, but they would have appreciated handouts. Conclusions: Daily “Sign-Out Rounds” for 3rd year students were associated with improved comfort levels in assessing common neurologic chief complaints. All students supported implementation of “Sign-Out Rounds” into the Neurology Clerkship. Disclosure: Dr. Wexler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schneider has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rubin has nothing to disclose. Dr. Huffer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Muhlhofer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hilmarsson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kulik has nothing to disclose. Dr. Meyers has nothing to disclose. Dr. Thompson-Stone has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jozefowicz has nothing to disclose.