Reflections on medical education: An innovative near-peer led initiative using online media to teach the neurological exam

Abstract

The move to virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in fewer opportunities for medical students to participate in bedside teaching and encounter patients presenting with characteristic clinical findings of various neurological disorders. We describe an interactive, peer-taught learning-session on Zoom teleconference wherein upper-year students developed learning cases using online videoclips of neurological examinations and corresponding findings. A post-session survey revealed an overwhelmingly positive response, especially regarding the sessions’ case-based and peer-taught structure. Overall, considering the dual benefits of peer-teaching, and the opportunity to see a wide range of findings from the videos, this initiative may be a valuable supplemental learning activity for existing undergraduate neurology rotations.

Keywords

• medical education
• neurology
• online media
• COVID
• neurological exam