Frequently Asked Questions
What is the aim of this project? To teach the theory of the neurosciences to speciality registrars to support training and to consultants to support their continuing medical education To engender a sense of community amongst neuroscience doctors working in geographically distant regions Who is it aimed at? Registrars and Consultants in all of the neuro specialities. Primarily but not exclusively doctors based in the UK and Ireland. What is on offer? A steadily growing number of courses covering neuroscience, professionalism and management Practice MCQs / Mock exams What is a course? Most courses are equivalent to about 4 hours work. Courses run continuously. Examples include “Anterior Cervical Discectomy” and “Unruptured Aneurysms” How are the courses structured? Each course has course authors who continually update and monitor their course. Content can include text, images, video, audio, quizzes and discussions. All courses have at least one assessment (usually an MCQ). You will have to complete feedback on every course. Once you have completed all the quizes, spent a minimum amout of time on the course and done the feedback then you will be able to print a personalised certificate to say you have completed the course. Can I do courses from different specialities? Yes. For example an epilepsy neurologist might wish to do a neurophysiology, neuropsycology, neurology and neurosurgery course in epilepsy. Who is running this? The UK and Republic of Ireland School of Neuroscience is running the courses. This is currently established as a company but the plan is to convert it to a charity in about 2 years time. It is not for profit. The founders are Mr Simon Thomson, Dr Robin Sellar and Prof JD Pickard. These specialities have or will be invited to participate: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology, Paediatric Neurology, Neurophysiology, Stroke Medicine, Neuropathology, Neurorehabilitation, Neuroanaesthesia, ENT, Audiological Physicians, Pain Society, Opthalmology, Primary Care Neurology, Neuropsychiatry How much will it cost? Practice MCQs are free and there is a demonstration course on anterior cervical discectomy that is also free. Users may subscribe to the whole site or just one section on an annual basis. The first year does not expire until Dec 31st 2010 so if you subscribe now you will get extra time free of charge. We have been fortunate to be sponsored by two companies and will endeavour to keep costs as low as possible. What is likely to happen is that we will charge for courses but members of the speciality associations will get free access as a benefit of membership providing those associations support the project financially. How will you ensure the content is educationally valid? Courses will be designed to reflect the neuroscience curricula as defined by PMETB. Each module must have at least one assessment that will be objectively marked. Courses are written by two authors and reviewed by a senior expert. Feedback is mandatory in all courses. Courses attracting poor feedback comments will be updated, edited or removed. Each speciality has a speciality lead who is responsible for ensuring the quality of the courses What does the Speciality lead do? Coordinates the courses within that speciality. They carry responsibility for the educational content and coordination of the courses in that speciality. They are expected to recruit and support the course authors. They are not paid. What does the Course Author do? Course authors run a course. They are expected to keep the course up to date and provide e-mail support to students taking their course. They are not paid. June 2008 |