A University of Washington study investigated predictors of performance for 205 students in a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency. Results show clinical residency performance was predicted by clerkship honors grades, probation predicted by failing a basic science course, written board performance related to status with a medical…

A study of 217 Stanford University (California) Medical School graduates found clerkship experience lengths from 12 to 23 months; the median was 18 months. A highly significant correlation was found between longer clinical training and higher scores on Step 2 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Results suggest that decreasing…

The ambulatory care clerkship at the College of Human Medicine of Michigan State University has an extensive database of clerkship experiences including a catalog of students' clinical experiences, assessment of students' performances by the faculty, and students' evaluation of various aspects of the clerkship. (MLW)

Medical schools (N=136) were surveyed concerning their use of standardized patients (lay persons trained to replicate a clinical encounter consistently and realistically). Among 16 specific topics covered are breast and pelvic examination, male genitourinary examination, interviewing skills, administration of program, start-up concerns, and…

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…

Computerized workstations at a teaching hospital were developed so that physicians in training could integrate and automate some of their information management tasks. The project is part of the National Library of Medicine's Integrated Academic Information Management Systems program at Georgetown University School of Medicine. (Author/MLW)

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 of 88 students in a problem-based surgery clerkship found significant gain in knowledge level, found to be linked to improved clinical performance. Additional findings included peers were good judges of students' knowledge and skills; faculty were not good judges of changes in student skills or ability to apply them. (MSE)

The use of a performance-based assessment of senior medical students' clinical skills utilizing standardized patients was evaluated, with 6,804 student-patient encounters involving 405 students over 6 years. Results provide evidence for test security, content validity, construct validity, reliability, and test ability to discriminate a wide range…

A study with about 280 Southern Illinois University senior medical students found that standardized patients felt male and female examinees generally performed equally well with respect to interpersonal and communication skills, except for female examinees' higher performance in personal manner. Patient gender was not an influence. (Author/MSE)

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)

A survey of U.S. medical schools (104 responses) found a significant association between required family practice clerkships or preceptorships and those institutions ranking in the highest quartile for percent of graduates entering family practice. A similar significant association was found between student selection of family practice options and…

The Department of Surgery at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine has developed a multidisciplinary clerkship that melds traditional and nontraditional clerkship features within an organizational structure that places the teaching, curriculum, and student evaluation responsibilities in the hands of the faculty. (MLW)

The University of Minnesota's required six-week ambulatory medicine clerkship provides a comprehensive orientation to ambulatory care through planned integration of patient care with academic work. Responses of both students and faculty have been enthusiastic, with the benefits compensating for high costs in preceptor time. (MSE)

A study investigated whether a third-year medical clerkship evaluation system validly predicted students' later performance ratings during internships. Internship ratings of students needing remediation from 1986 to 1993 were compared with those of students voluntarily choosing fourth-year medicine. Results indicate the medicine clerkship…