Specialty choices for medical school graduates of the University of Sao Paolo (Brazil) in 1975-84 and 1989-94 were analyzed by gender. Results showed women predominating in pediatrics and men in surgery and orthopedics in both periods, with no gender predominance in other specialties. Significant changes occurred in specialty choice patterns…

A study of medical students' and internal medicine course directors' perceptions of the value of medical case write-ups and the faculty evaluations of those write-ups found broad agreement on the exercise's value but major concerns about variability of criteria and standards of write-up evaluation. (MSE)

Medical specialty choice and reasons for change among those Wright State University students who switched their choice between entry and graduation were studied, based on questionnaire findings. For the class of 1982, 35 of the 70 students chose as their eventual specialty their preference at entry to medical school. Primary care specialties…

Experience on the traditional internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry clerkships was compared with the experience on a family medicine clerkship. The family medicine clerkship offered the most experience with circulatory, respiratory, digestive, neurological, musculoskeletal, and skin problems and with…

The hypothesis that the relationship between medical school achievement and postgraduate performance would vary by specialty was confirmed in a comparison of grades, standardized medical exams, and ratings in four areas of competence (medical knowledge, data-gathering skills, clinical judgment, and professional attitudes) in internal medicine,…

A review of 287 patient visits to a teaching hospital polyclinic shows that most patients had multiple problems that required the help of subspecialists. However, the patients' needs for accessibility, comprehensiveness, coordination, and continuity are as great as those of patients receiving primary care. Implications for academic internal…

A study of 16 years of records of a general internal medicine faculty at a university hospital and its affiliated Veterans Administration medical center suggests the faculty involved in subspecialties and who have protected research time can improve their research productivity. (Author/MSE)

A study of house officers' performance of a complete medical history assessed interview content, questioning technique, and interview style. Frequent deficiencies included inadequate social, psychiatric, and drug reaction histories and an overly direct style. Use of detailed checklist for student evaluation is recommended to provide feedback and…

This study attempted to establish the validity of an essay test of clinical judgment by defining the domain of clinical judgment and operationalizing this definition in a 12-item essay examination administered to 98 residents in internal medicine. The relationship between essay scores and other measures of competence was then examined and the…

Objective: To compare the effects of active and didactic teaching strategies on learning- and process-oriented outcomes. Design: Controlled trial. Setting: After-hours residents' teaching session. Participants: Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics residents at two academic medical institutions. Interventions: We…

A study of stress during residency training involved data analysis of questionnaires completed by residents and fellows in internal medicine. The results suggest that scheduling and structural changes in residencies are necessary to reduce stress in residents. (Author/MLW)

Physicians who completed residencies in internal medicine at major teaching hospitals in 1982 evaluated their residency training in ambulatory care. Their recommendations were similar to those reported in evaluation studies published over the past 25 years, indicating that training programs have not been successful in restructuring their…

The unique research methodology of a series of 24 specialty surveys of the professional activities of over 10,000 respondent physicians is described. Illustrative data are presented from five specialties (cardiology, family practice, general internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and psychiatry), and the study's relevance and implications for…

Groups of medical students were compared with respect to ward-performance scores and scores on identical examinations to determine whether students with previous clerkships are likely to perform better in their internal medicine clerkships. It is concluded that previous experience apparently does not have a beneficial effect on student performance…

A review of current trends in primary care career choice is reported. Questions addressed include whether students choosing the primary care specialties share similar attitudes toward their medical role, and whether student attitudes have changed during the last few years as the result of the national focus on primary care. (JMD)