Department of Neurology

Neurology 639

Billings- Regional Neuroscience Center
Billings, MT

1041 North 29th Street
Billings, MT 59101

Site Director: James Richards, MD
Hospital Office Location:  3rd floor hospital next to EEG
Hospital Office Phone:  406-237-3854
Clinic Coordinator: Linda Raisl, linda.raisl@sclhs.net
Clinic Phone: 406-237-5577 or 406-237-5563
Clinic Fax: 406-237-5575

WWAMI Administrative Contact: Jenny Jutz
Phone: 406-247-3285; Email: jenny.jut@riverstonehealth.org

Paperwork Requirements

  • Immunization records:  You’ll need to bring proof of immunization, including TB. If you do not have a copy of your immunization records, you can request a copy from Hall Health or the Employee Health Office in UWMC.
  • Drug screen:  Standard panel drug test through the UWSOM is required.
  • Letter of Good Standing (LOGS):  Required for this site.  Please go to your E*Value profile and download the LOGS to send.  Instructions if needed.

Travel, Housing & Computer Access

Housing: Housing is provided in a house shared with 2 to 6 other students. Each student has a private bedroom and shared bathrooms (2), kitchen, living area and dining area. All rooms are fully furnished with linens, blankets, clocks. Towels and basic toiletries (such as toilet paper and paper towels) are provided. A washer and dryer is available free of charge, but you will need to provide detergent. The kitchen is fully furnished with cups, plates, silverware, pots and pans, and other utensils. Contact Jenny Jutz at the phone number or email listed above for further information.

Computer access: The house has internet available via a wireless router. You will need to bring your laptop with a wireless internet card. There are also two computers in the clinic that can be accessed by students, and there is free wireless access from the clinic for laptops.

Travel: If you drive, you will receive mileage reimbursement for one roundtrip to and from Billings. You may also be eligible for one night’s stay in a hotel during your drive each way. Contact Scott Bailey sgbailey@uw.edu for mileage reimbursement and hotel information or to make other travel arrangements. Please be advised that there is no vehicle available at this site. If you fly, you will need to use public transportation once at your site.

Parking: Student apartments are in the medical corridor and only a few blocks away from all the medical facilities. Parking elsewhere in the medical corridor is problematic and on a first come-first serve basis.

First Day & Orientation

Clerkship orientation: You will need to view the away student orientation video on the Distance Learning page.

First day: Contact the site to find out when to arrive on your first day.

Equipment to bring: White coat and name tag, reflex hammer, tuning fork (128Hz), stethoscope, (ophthalmoscope recommended).

Pocket syllabus: The “pocket syllabus” you learn about in the orientation video will be available at the site. A printable (PDF) version is also available on the Pocket Syllabus page.

Course Requirements

Course requirements are listed below. Refer to the Distance Learning page for due dates.

Cases: Two case write-ups are due each week. Further information is available in the orientation video and on the Cases page. Your assigned case numbers are on the Distance Learning page. Please note that your assigned case numbers are different than for the Seattle-based students. Weekly case answers and video lectures will be available on the Distance Learning page on Thursdays after 1PM.

Patient log: You are required to log in the patients you have seen each week. The log is described in the clerkship orientation video. Additional details are on the Patient Log page.

Clinical & Bioethical Mini-CEX exercises: You are required to do both a clinical and a bioethical mini-CEX for this course. See the Mini-CEX page for details.

Presentations: Presentation requirements are described in the orientation video and are available on the Presentations page.

Final exam: Your final exam will be held in Billings unless you tell the clerkship director otherwise.  The scheduling/notification process runs through UW Testing Services and the contact email is somtests@uw.edu. See the Final Exam page for details about the exam. 

About The Site

General: Regional Neuroscience Center is part of Saint Vincent Healthcare. Our goal is to ensure that in this brief four week clerkship medical students master the techniques of the neurological history and exam, acquire a working knowledge of common neurological disorders, and an understanding of the differential diagnosis of common neurological signs and symptoms.

Schedule: Students are expected to spend five days per week, Monday through Friday, at the clerkship site. Exceptions are made for holidays. Our office day typically begins at 9AM and finishes close to 5 PM. Opportunities are also available to accompany neurologists to rural outreach clinics. You may be invited to join us in the operating room for insertion of deep brain or vagus nerve stimulators.

We realize that students need to be away from time-to-time for residency interviews, vacation, etc. We encourage you to let us know as soon as possible the dates that you will not be available. Refer to the absentee policy.

Demeanor & attire: Patients with neurological diseases are generally older, conservative, anxious and fearful. Conservative and professional behavior and attire are required from students. White lab coats are recommended.

Faculty: During the 4-weeks we plan for you to be instructed by the entire faculty in our neurology practice. 

Outpatient:
Arturo Echeverri, MD
Kris French, MD
Jeffrey Mosser, MD

Inpatient:
James Richards, MD
Ali Kerro, MD

Pediatric Neurologist:  (part time)
X Van Orman, MD

Dr. Richards is the clerkship site director. He will instruct the students in the performance of the neurological examination in the first week of the rotation and provide feedback. Proficiency will be reevaluated at the end of the rotation as well, to ensure mastery of the neurological examination. Each neurologist is encouraged to give you feedback on your performance one or more times during the rotation, and don’t be shy about asking. We also welcome your feedback. Our goal is to make this clerkship as informative as possible for you. Please tell the site director if you have any specific goals for the month so that your experience is as fulfilling as possible. The clinical mini-CEX can be confirmed by any of the neurologists. Linda Raisl is the office coordinator who has control of the schedules and is a good resource also.

Inpatient experience: Our neurology group has a busy inpatient service, consisting of elective and emergency admissions and consultations. Students will spend an average of 2+ days per week in the hospital. The student is expected to follow their assigned patient from the time of admission or consultation until discharge, or the resolution of the clinical issue.

Clinic experience: A combination of three different learning models will be employed during the clerkship. In the “autonomous” model the student is requested to see the patient first and then present to the preceptor. In the “shadow” model the student will follow the preceptor and observe different varieties of patients and interaction styles. The third model allows the student to evaluate the patient, but in the presence of the preceptor, which provides the opportunity for the most thorough feedback. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses. Other opportunities include observing and reading EMGs, EEGs, evoked potentials, lumbar puncture, angiography, etc. Experience with a neurosurgeon, neuropsychologist, physiatrists, etc., can be arranged during the month.