Third-year medical students prepared case studies involving ethical issues, drawn from clinical experience. A study of the quality of the projects, the types of ethical issues raised, and attitudes expressed in them revealed limited student understanding of the range of ethical issues and widespread disagreement with physician handling of cases.…

Final-year Ontario medical students (n=88) took a 4-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) using standardized patients and involving decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment. Performance was scored on a checklist of behaviors unique to each case. Results indicated that because of low reliability, the OSCE is not a feasible…

Development of a comprehensive medical ethics teaching program for four years and residency, and of an ethics consultation service, are described. Potentials and significant difficulties in program establishment and maintenance are discussed, including long-term funding, negative faculty and student attitudes, and instructional approaches.…

A survey of 665 fourth-year medical students in 6 schools investigated whether students had encountered ethically problematic situations, their attitudes about them, and their perceptions of their personal ethical development. Results suggest that ethical dilemmas are commonly encountered and often detrimental, warranting attention of physicians,…

A survey of 249 students at the State University of New York at Buffalo identified medical ethics issues arising during clinical training in professional norms, limits of intervention, defensive shielding of professional colleagues, respect toward patients, communication, and student boundaries. Concerns differed by student year, supporting…

A study evaluated the feasibility of an objective structured clinical examination to assess the competence of foreign medical school graduates, clinical clerks, and interns to address clinical ethical situations. The University of Toronto's experience with the measure found it useful but in need of improvement. (MSE)

This paper argues that medical ethics education relies too much on strategies that target ethical thinking and should focus more on students as ethical actors in specific clinical contexts, responding to ethical dilemmas. Traditional approaches may not offer the skills students need to learn norms of ethical behavior. Strategies for encouraging…

Four factors of clinical decision making identified by medical students include quality of care, cost, ethics, and legal concerns. This paper argues that physicians have two responsibilities in the clinical decision-making model: to be the primary advocate for quality health care and to ensure balance among the four factors, working in partnership…

A study identified seven recurring ethical issues arising in pediatrics clerkships at the State University of New York at Buffalo, then surveyed pediatrics house staff concerning frequency of encountering the topics, levels of comfort in addressing them, role models and resources, and perceived need for training. Residents perceived training to be…