One of the joys of my position at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as an Associate Professor of Neurology is the opportunity to teach medical students and residents. They tag along with me on rounds and contribute to patient care to the extent their knowledge and experience allow.
There are so many unusual cases at my hospital that we are often compelled to share them with the medical community. Typically, these are brief reports, but their length belies the work required to complete them. First, one must organize the patient's hospital course, including the history, physical exam, neurologic exam, lab tests, imaging, procedures, and treatment. Second, and even more importantly, one must review the literature to put this particular case in context. For example, has a similar case ever been reported? If so, what was the outcome? What is particularly instructive about this patient? How can knowledge of this patient's experience improve the treatment of other patients?
To publish the case, all the information must be put into a standardized format and comply with the journal's word count. After several drafts, submissions, rejections, and more submissions, acceptance may come with instructions for more changes and clarifications, and then, finally, publication!
Learning from each patient is a habit I try and instill in all my students. The best doctors, I'm sure, keep learning every day.
Let me share our latest publication here!
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