Course Catalog

 
STP2359 INTRODUCTION TO EPILEPSY
Department NEUROLOGY Campus Birmingham
Course Type(s) Special Topic Facility
Course Director TYLER GASTON, MD Enrollment Limit 5
Contact TYLER GASTON, MD Enrollment Minimum 1
Email teg702@uab.edu Address CIRC 312
Phone (205)934-3866 Fax
Weeks
Normally Offered
See Offering Dates		 17-17, 44-44
Prerequisites NO PREREQUISITES AVAILABLE. CONTACT DEPARTMENT. 
Specific Clerkship Prerequisites:
Visiting Students
No LCME students accepted.
No osteopathic students accepted.
Course Description Seizures and epilepsy are very common, and are likely to be encountered by all physicians during their careers no matter their specialty. This course aims to provide exposure to and education on the diagnosis, short-term, and long-term management of seizure disorders in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Students will rotate through the outpatient epilepsy clinics, the inpatient epilepsy services (epilepsy monitoring unit and ICU EEG monitoring service), and learn basics of EEG interpretation. There will also be formal lectures on first time seizure management, identification and management of status epilepticus, basic anti-seizure medication pharmacology/clinical considerations, and special considerations in the management of seizures (basics of epilepsy surgery and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures). Finally, students will be given reading assignments which will be discussed at the end of the course.
Where To Report Civitan, Room 312, 8 AM.
Requirements Students will be required to attend their assigned clinics with epilepsy faculty (approximately 2 half day clinics), attend their assigned time on the epilepsy inpatient services (2 half days approximately), and attend all formal lectures (which will be held at noon either by zoom or in Civitan). On the final day of the course, students will meet with Dr. Gaston to discuss reading assignments to ensure comprehension of the material. Students are welcome to have more exposure in the clinical setting if they are interested and as time/availability allows with the epilepsy faculty.
Evaluation There will be a brief formal assessment in quiz format to assess that a student has met the course objectives. The assessment questions will be focused on the material taught during the formal lectures (which are a comprehensive summary of what will be encountered in the clinical experiences).
Notes Day 1: Orientation to Special Topics Week, Lecture: "Management of First Time Seizure and Basic Seizure Definitions", rotate in epilepsy clinic
Day 2: Lecture: "Pharmacology of Anti-Seizure Medications", rotate in epilepsy clinic
Day 3: Lecture "Basic EEG Concepts and Recognition of Basic EEG Patterns", inpatient EEG services/EEG review
Day 4: Lecture "Identification and Basic Management of Status Epilepticus", inpatient EEG services/EEG review
Day 5: Lecture "Special Considerations in Epilepsy (Epilepsy Surgery and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures), Brief assessment of knowledge, review of reading assignments