The general internal medicine program at the University of Colorado has sought to emphasize the psychosocial aspects of care in its training. The performance of traditional track residents with general internal medicine resident performance was compared. (MLW)

Responses to questionnaires were compared between 106 students in nursing homes with those of 171 students in hospitals to evaluate interview and physical examination instruction for medical students. The nursing home was assessed as an appropriate alternative site for teaching the medical interview and physical diagnosis. (GLR)

Information about the consultative practice of nephrology in a community environment was gathered and used to speculate about improvements that could be made in the training of nephrologists in academic medical centers, based on their knowledge of such training. (Author/MLW)

This study represents a preliminary effort toward the ultimate goal of identifying some of the major determinants of final career plans of residents in internal medicine. Initial career goal statements indicating future subspecialization are found to be important but the incidence of goal reversal is high. (LBH)

A survey of several hundred internists, surgeons, and psychiatrists concerning their attitudes toward female and male alcoholics, alcoholism, the adequacy of their education about alcoholism, methods of handling alcoholics, and desire to learn about alcoholism is reported. Implications for continuing professional education are discussed. (MSE)

An analysis of data from the National Study of Internal Medicine Manpower and the National Resident Matching Program is presented. The degree of congruence of the data is determined and the potential of answering questions about why and when certain career choices are made is discussed. (MLW)

A study investigated whether internal medicine training program directors found feedback on their students' test performance helpful in understanding where their residents ranked nationally. Results suggest that directors have learned to rank their own candidates against a common standard but may have lowered the standards they used. (MSE)

In an attempt to replicate an earlier study by H. G. Schmidt, H. P. A. Boshuizen, and P. P. M. Hobus (1988), 96 students and physicians at the University of Limburg (Netherlands) studied 4 clinical cases, produced a diagnosis, and recalled each case. Subjects were 24 second-year, 24 fourth-year, and 24 sixth-year medical students and 24 internists…

The characteristics of the mental health components of residency training in traditional internal medicine, primary care internal medicine, and family practice were examined. Internal medicine programs relied on the consultation method and in-patient facilities, and used the psychiatrist as the primary teacher. Evaluation of the outcome of…

Medical specialty choice and reasons for change among those Wright State University students who switched their choice between entry and graduation were studied, based on questionnaire findings. For the class of 1982, 35 of the 70 students chose as their eventual specialty their preference at entry to medical school. Primary care specialties…

Experience on the traditional internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry clerkships was compared with the experience on a family medicine clerkship. The family medicine clerkship offered the most experience with circulatory, respiratory, digestive, neurological, musculoskeletal, and skin problems and with…

This study attempted to establish the validity of an essay test of clinical judgment by defining the domain of clinical judgment and operationalizing this definition in a 12-item essay examination administered to 98 residents in internal medicine. The relationship between essay scores and other measures of competence was then examined and the…

Groups of medical students were compared with respect to ward-performance scores and scores on identical examinations to determine whether students with previous clerkships are likely to perform better in their internal medicine clerkships. It is concluded that previous experience apparently does not have a beneficial effect on student performance…

A study investigated performance of 51 second-year internal medicine residents on an objective structured clinical examination and analyzed the test's role in evaluating clinical competence. The examination included nine physical diagnoses and several test-interpretation stations. Performance was analyzed statistically and correlated with…

A study investigated the availability of each of 19 medical school support services offered by 493 residencies in 6 specialties: family practice; internal medicine; obstetrics/gynecology; pediatrics; psychiatry; and surgery. Results show many specialties do not offer common, effective support services. It is suggested that programs move to…