The COVID-19 pandemic introduced several unprecedented challenges to undergraduate medical education. In Spring 2020, in an effort to identify areas of greatest need and concern among students interested in neurology, and to guide resource development, an AAN Student Interest Group in Neurology (SIGN) Leadership Work Group (WG) designed a needs assessment survey.

The needs assessment survey was distributed to 90 allopathic SIGN chapter leaders in the US and Canada. Participation in this survey was voluntary. Qualtrics, an online survey portal, was used to collect responses. The question set was designed by the SIGN WG to include both qualitative and quantitative data points. The survey received 38 completed responses, for a 42% response rate.

Student-reported needs centered around physician mentorship/networking, virtual programming/online learning resources, research opportunities, and scholarship support. Major concerns due to COVID-19 included limitations in the clinical learning environment, the timing of USMLE Step exams, loss of research opportunities, and uncertain impacts on the residency application process. Other challenges included a lack of enthusiasm for neurology at individual institutions and a lack of involvement from SIGN members in program planning.