Many medical students approach neurology with trepidation, due to its perceived complexity. With the aging of the U.S. population, a pressing need exists for effective education in Neurology. Clerkships need resources to encourage and assist students in learning key concepts in a limited time frame.

125 third year medical students at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine were provided with The Neurolympics; a workbook-style resource that leads learners through neuroanatomy and clinical neurological presentations. Outcome measures included student assessment of their experience with The Neurolympics via anonymous questionnaire, and de-identified National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject exam scores. Using the Mann Whitney U group test, student exam performances before and after the introduction of The Neurolympics were compared.

With an 81% response rate, 68% of students used, and 30% completed The Neurolympics. Of those who used the resource, 93% enjoyed it, and 97% reported learning from it. Mean NBME exam scores before and after the introduction of The Neurolympics (80 and 81), did not significantly differ (U= 7691, p=0.408). The data suggest a trend towards improved scores towards the end of students’ third year, but this study was not powered to adequately perform such an analysis.

The Neurolympics resource was designed to help students in their approach to learning neurology. While there was no statistically significant improvement in NBME subject exam scores after its introduction, students used this resource and endorsed its value as a learning tool.