Neurophobia is highly prevalent among undergraduate medical students. Contributors include passive learning strategies of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, lack of clinical correlation in preclinical neuroscience courses, and few opportunities for early clinical exposure. To address these gaps, we developed and implemented an immersive, interactive, hands-on clinical neurosciences workshop showcasing skills, procedures, and diverse career paths as part of the preclinical curriculum.

All 200 first year medical students participated in this mandatory workshop. Students were divided into 4 groups of 50, and assigned to one of four 1-hour rotations. 18 hands-on stations were featured (10 neurology, 4 neurosurgery, 1 PM&R, 3 psychiatry) and students were required to visit at least 3 stations. Students were provided with clinical vignettes before the workshop to guide their learning at each station. The workshop was evaluated with an optional, anonymous pre- and post-workshop survey.

After the workshop, a significantly higher proportion of students agreed (1) they had a good understanding of the clinical neurosciences, (2) there were opportunities for procedures in the clinical neurosciences, and (3) they were interested in a neurosciences career. The three highest ranked stations were “lumbar puncture,” “thrombectomy,” and “neuro-ophthalmology.” Students described the workshop as “fun”, “an extremely unique experience”, and worth “[devoting] a whole day to!”

An immersive, interactive, hands-on, clinical neurosciences workshop increased students' exposure to the clinical neurosciences, procedures in this field, and career opportunities. This workshop offers a feasible, low-resourced, and innovative approach to combating neurophobia that may be generalizable and easy to adapt to other institutions.