The Working Group on the Pre-Clinical Years of the 1997 National Consensus Conference on Medical Education for Care Near the End of Life identifies promising settings and suggests how they might be used for maximum benefit in end-of-life education. Basic-care competencies are in five domains: psychological/social/cultural/spiritual issues;…

Administration of the Derogatis Stress Profile to 509 medical students, 380 law students, and 215 graduate students at McGill University (Ontario) revealed that medical students are not greatly stressed relative to other groups, so other explanations must be sought for elevated levels of depression in some. One clear stressor found is the…

This paper addresses the predictive value for performance in medical school of undergraduate grades, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), selectivity of the undergraduate institution, and transcript data. The performance data examined were basic science grades; clinical science grades; scores on National Board of Medical Examiners…

Third-year medical students used 12 descriptive items to evaluate the teaching skills of first-year residents, senior medical residents, preceptors, and attending physicians. Intraclass correlations showed that the students were able to judge their instructors reliably. (Author/MLW)

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 314 medical students before and after a required third-year internal medicine clerkship found differences between students choosing primary care and subspecialties, while undecided students shifted between those groups on several items. Results suggest the clerkship may affect students' image of primary care. (Author/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…

Analysis of the internal medicine clinical rotations of 43 University of Michigan medical students revealed that students saw many kinds of medical problems but few instances of each and that there were wide gaps in exposure to some typical ambulatory care problems. Student skill gains did not correlate with problem types encountered. (MSE)

A study of stress, coping, depression, and somatic distress among students (n=69) in a University of Mississippi psychiatry clerkship found clinical levels of depression in almost one-fourth of the group and high levels of somatic distress in over one-half. Coping strategies appeared useful to students, and training in coping is recommended.…

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…

Medical students' (N=18) were interviewed as part of the evaluation of an innovative Longitudinal Introduction of Clinical Medicine program. Three themes emerged: the importance of experiences with patients; the differences in the effect of patient contact in the first versus the second year; and the educational structure that makes patient…

Drawing on principles of reflective thinking and experiential learning, four recommendations are made for improving ambulatory care education for both medical students and residents: (1) plan for experiences in carefully selected ambulatory care settings; (2) facilitate reflective observation; (3) encourage conceptual thinking and inquiry; and (4)…

Performance of senior medical students on an objectively scored examination of clinical competence based on standardized-patient cases was used to assess the predictive validity of the two most commonly used admission measures. The measures were found useful for selecting students successful in both clinical and basic science settings. (Author/MSE)

A review of the literature on medical school curriculum and primary care specialty choice suggests that three types of curricular experiences may increase interest in primary care: third-year required family medicine clerkships, especially longer clerkships; continuity experiences in primary care settings; and primary care tracks. (Author/MSE)