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)

A one-month, elective fourth-year medical school course in advanced physical diagnosis is described. The course featured organ-specific didactic and interactive practice sessions, physical examination-based case conferences, professorial rounds with use of professional patients, and objective structured clinical examinations. (Author/MSE)

Six medical school faculty evaluated the overall performance of eight students completing a surgery clerkship at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Students were also evaluated by the National Board of Medical Examiners' Computer Based Examination (CBX). Faculty ratings correlated highly with scores produced by the CBX's…

Selection of family practice residencies in 1981-89 was compared for graduates of State University of New York campuses and all United States medical schools. Compared to other groups, more of the students who had been trained during their third year in a Binghamton primary care clerkship selected family practice residencies. (MSE)

In August and September of 1989, 76 fourth year students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine took the objective structured clinical examinations. Analyses were conducted looking at the relationship of sequence to see whether scores showed a decrease in the afternoon. No significant effect of examinee fatigue was seen. (MLW)

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.…

A computer simulation was developed to estimate the number of medical residents one or two faculty teachers could supervise in a university-based primary medical care teaching clinic. With no non-teaching tasks, it was shown that two teachers could supervise 11 residents, while one teacher was able to supervise only three residents under similar…

The University of Wisconsin Medical School began a class mentor program in 1985 utilizing five senior physician faculty members who attended courses as mentors through four years with the assigned class. Mentors shared practical experience about the subjects being taught. Program response was highly favorable. (GLR)

The patient's body is an image that medical students and residents use to process information. The classic use of images using the patient is qualitative and personal. The contemporary use of images is quantitative and impersonal. The contemporary use of imaging includes radiographic, nuclear, scintigraphic, and nuclear magnetic resonance…

A survey of 222 obstetrics patients assisted by medical clerkship students from the University of Vermont and 78 who refused student participation found privacy the primary motivation for refusal and a desire to contribute to students' education a primary reason for accepting student participation. Patients frequently erroneously anticipated the…

Guidelines for evaluating clinician-educators are based on four forms of scholarship (application, teaching, integration, and discovery) and offer principles for making promotion decisions. These principles include encouragement of diversity, weighting of scholarship types, discipline- and institution-determined criteria, and evaluation of…

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.…

The Harvard University Medical School (Massachusetts) and a community health maintenance organization (HMO) have formed the first medical school department to be based in a freestanding HMO, replicating the conventional teaching hospital clinical teaching model in a managed care situation. The model is seen as potentially transforming medical…

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,…

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)