Pictured left to right were students Aisling O’Meachair, UCD; Milo Delaney, TCD; Aisling Murphy, UCD; Aoife Brady, UCD; Eimear Duff, TCD; Sophie Murphy, UCD; Michael Gilligan, UCD; and Eithne Nic Riogh, UCD
By June Shannon
University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin students won the inaugural competition
A team of medical students from University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin were champions at recent inaugural ‘Move Neurology’ competition at the famous Pitiè-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris — the birthplace of modern day neurology.
Prof Emmanuel Flamand-Roze, who teaches clinical neurology at the Pitie-Salpêtrière and the Pierre and Marie University Paris, devised a novel teaching technique called ‘The Move’ to help young medical students overcome neurophobia, which is a well-recognised fear of neurology.
The Move aims to tackle this fear and untangle the perceived complexity of neurology through simulation-based learning techniques for various neurological complaints.
It uses miming to teach medical students neurological semiology — the expression of neurological diseases.
Miming the symptoms of neurological illnesses gives students a unique insight and deeper understanding of what it is like to have a neurological illness. It also enhances their understanding of neurology and increases empathy.
The inaugural ‘Move’ final brought together a team of medical students from Paris and Dublin, where they showcased their neurological skills. An international judging panel comprised Profs Michael Hutchinson and Niall Tubridy, consultant neurologists at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin; and a team from the Pitiè-Salpêtrière Hospital.
This novel teaching technique has gained momentum and is being incorporated into the teaching curriculum of several university teaching hospitals throughout Europe.
Coverage by French media of this technique has also created a greater public awareness of neurological illness.
