Hi all, i will be starting my neurology residency in JuLY of this year. I really want to be prepared for the wards and on call. What would be a good starting point in terms of learning neuroanatomy and neurology.I have Adam and Victor's and Hal Blumenfeld...but I think I might have to start with a smaller text first.I am at the edge of my nerves .....and for some reason now neurology looks like a mammoth about to swallow me.
Before I was a phyician, I had a lot of background in advanced mathmatics and physics. Whenever asked, "what is the best text to read", I always say that Neurology text are a lot like math and physics books, they are written in a manner that everything makes sense if you already know it. My personal experience is, and I am sure that everybody here would agree, that the first time you review a book like Adams and Victor you think, "What the F$$%". After you start seeing cases or talk about a few cases and then re-read, it all falls into place.
ARe you starting internship or residency? Everybody learns different, me, I like to keep things simple and break things down as simple as possible, here is what has worked for me. Not to say that it would work for you but this is basically what I would call "Neurology for Dummies"
1) Blumenfeld is a great text for neuroanatomy! Yeah, a bunch of people are going to say, "If you want to be a real neurologist, read Brazis!". I say, read blumefeld before you read Brazis and you will find that Brazis makes more sense and that repitition is the key to mastery.
2) Join the AAN (duh!) and get access to the continuums online. The articles are review style and although some topics can be lengthly, you can skin an article and pick out meaty items. My approach was to always pre-round and find either a review from the AAN Continuum or Seminars in Neurology (available at my hospital's library online) and skim an article to that if I got quizzed at rounds, I'd at least not be completely clueless and might even have a few good points to add. I cannot emphasize enough the power of getting to work early and pre-rounding. Not only will you know what is going on with your patients, you can also review literature and be ready! I have found this to be the most effective form of learning for me (Neurology for dummies
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3) The Haines neuroanatomy book which has cross sections, slices of the brain, some pictures of pathways, and nice vascular pictures is a handy book to have sitting on your lap every time you look at an MRI. This was the ONLY way I forced myself how to read an MRA and learn the vasculature. I forced myself to review it with Haines open in front of me every time. Same for stroke location. Any ***** can say, "Hey look at that big bright DWI spot!" but if you want to know exactly where it is an how to anatomically relate it clinically, pop open haines and find a slice that matches what you are looking at and your job is done.
4) I recently came across a copy of plum and posners diagnosis of stupor and coma and wondered where this book had been my entire career and why nobody in my program ever recommended buying it? I feel it is a must have every time I do an consult in the ICU setting. Book book to reference in these scenarios.
That about sums it up for me, that is what I call the Neurology for Dummies approach to wards. Unfortunately in my case, nobody ever wrote this down for me like I am doing it for you, just learned this process myself but feel that it is helpful.
