A study investigated the relationships among nine instruments designed to measure clinical knowledge and performance in a third-year surgery clerkship. Results suggest that various types of measures are necessary for broad evaluation of clinical performance. Instruments clustered into two groups: measures of medical knowledge and clinical…

An innovative internal medicine clerkship provides a one-month ambulatory care component followed by two months of traditional inpatient experience. Assessment of the changes in student ability to diagnose in a variety of brief cases found knowledge gains in the shorter ambulatory care segment were double those in the longer segment. (MSE)

Interrater reliability in numerical ratings of clerkship performance (n=1,482 students) in five surgery programs was studied. Raters were classified as accurate or moderately or significantly stringent or lenient. Results indicate that increasing the proportion of accurate raters would substantially improve the precision of class rankings. (MSE)

A remedial program was designed for Oregon Health Sciences University clerkship students demonstrating adequate clinical skills but inadequate knowledge. In two years, six students were enrolled in the tutorial program. The experience was highly successful for all but one. Participants saw it as one of their best medical school experiences.…

Analysis of data from an annual graduating medical students' survey revealed that a required third-year family medicine clerkship of at least four weeks is associated with a higher percentage of students choosing training and specialty certification in family practice. Whether clerkship inspires or reinforces preexisting choices is not indicated.…

A study compared the productivity and patient-care revenues of clinical teaching faculty and their nonteaching physician counterparts over two years. Productivity was reduced by 30-40 percent when teaching, and revenue lost reached as high as $24,000 per student taught. Implications for ambulatory-care delivery system planning are discussed.…

A study supported use of the objective structured clinical examination for screening foreign medical graduates (n=67) wishing to enter a preinternship program in at the University of Toronto. However, it also showed that appropriate training for the candidates was the internship, not preinternship, program. (MSE)

A study compared results of 2 teaching methods, traditional Socratic method (22 students) and a problem-based curriculum (35 students) in a University of Kentucky medical school surgery clerkship. Results showed the problem-based method resulted in similar knowledge level but improved clinical problem-solving skills. (Author/MSE)

A study of medical clerkship students' time allocations found the greatest time expenditures in personal activities, then organized educational activities (rounds, conferences, lectures, chartwork, patient contact, examination study, ancillary activities, procedures, and directed study. Students slept 5.8 hours per night. Better balance of patient…

A study of a medical student clinical assessment program since 1986 at the University of Massachusetts indicates student awareness of increased faculty observation and increased feedback to students during and following clinical rotations. Results indicate a conscious faculty effort to improve students' clinical skills by improved observation and…

In the University of South Dakota's medical school clerkship program, students may choose one of three ambulatory-care settings. In one, the curriculum is problem based and student centered to enhance student interest in primary care. The new program has been successful and well received and is being further developed. (MSE)

The process used by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine to develop core curriculum guidelines for third-year family medicine clerkships is described, the guidelines are presented, and dissemination, implementation, and further development activities are outlined. The work was supported by a Department of Health and Human Services grant.…

Drawing from survey data (n=138 medical schools in the United States and Canada), a study analyzed medical schools' systems for evaluating student progress in clinical experiences. The 4-stage model used by most schools, common and unique characteristics, and 17 symptoms of system errors, signaling a need for system review, are outlined.…

Among 745 physicians graduated from the University of Calgary (Canada) women were more likely to take parental leave, but gender differences in breaks taken for other reasons were less. Women worked fewer hours in direct patient care. Female parents under 35 spent fewer hours on patient care than all male parents. (Author/MSE)

What is needed in graduate medical education is a curriculum built around learning experiences and valued activities, not performance objectives. The example of a curriculum for an ambulatory care block rotation illustrates the development of such a curriculum and how it can be used to frame the rotation experience. (MSE)