Physician education has followed relatively rigid guidelines since the Flexner report of 1910. Medical education has been largely didactic with time-based progression and certifying exams, and with variable degrees of autonomy and supervision in graduate (post MD/DO degree) medical education programs. Innovative educational approaches now…

The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is a well-established method of assessing trainees' clinical competence in the workplace. In order to improve the quality of clinical learning, factors that influence the provision of feedback are worthy of further investigation. A retrospective data analysis of documented feedback provided by…

Objective: The authors examine associations of personality characteristics, National Board of Medical Examiners subject examination performance, and Objective Structured Clinical Examination performance with clinical evaluations of third-year medical students in a psychiatry clerkship. Methods: Students completed the Revised NEO Personality…

Examines physician's associate (PA) students in terms of the relationships between open-closed-mindedness, effectiveness on clinical preceptorships, and grade point average. (Editor)

Presents a 3-dimensional conceptual framework for measuring clinical competence: problem-solving process, clinical discipline, and context of care. The intersection of the dimensions defines the clinical practice domain to be measured. For each domain specific problems can be identified and clinicians asked to demonstrate competence in resolving…

Ratings of clinical competence during residency were undertaken for graduates of two medical schools. Near the end of the first year of residency, supervisor ratings were made of 13 variables for 320 graduates in seven classes at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and one class at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Principal…

The purpose of the present investigation was to address several critical issues relating to setting a performance standard on a nationally administered standardized patient examination (SPX). The specific goals of the study were to: (1) compare pass/fail rates from this exercise to those of past studies undertaken with the same examination; (2)…

A rating scale was developed for the evaluation of behaviors and skills required of medical students. From 400 items based on various role-defining studies, 92 were selected. The project staff randomly assigned 46 items to each of two alternate forms. Seven medical schools were identified as sites for pilot testing. Medical students who agreed to…

Orders written by medical residents to be carried out on newly-hospitalized patients were reviewed to determine the frequency of vital signs orders. Subsequent clinical events requiring nurses to contact house officers were determined. Data suggest that physicians should request nurses to use more efficient methods of clinical observation.…

A study is reported that examined whether the status of preceptors was related to the rating of their teaching ability in a history-taking course by first-year medical students and whether the students' performances were affected by preceptor status. (MLW)

A multimethod approach was used to investigate the validity and reliability of two clinical simulation tests (CST). Test subjects included nurses, physicians, medical students, and nursing students. Results indicate both CSTs appear to have a valid content and proficiency scores appear to discriminate between groups of subjects. The scores are…

The electives program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Medicine was evaluated. The program provides opportunities for learning in community hospitals, physicians' offices and clinics, the main campus of the university, and other health-resources locations in western Missouri. The School of Medicine emphasizes primary care in…

A preceptorship model of clinical teaching for medical education is presented. Based on the view that physicians use precepting skills in patient care, preceptorship is seen as an opportunity for medical students to learn to practice ambulatory medicine away from the medical center. A model called "Johari Window" is adapted to explain the…

The best way to determine the scope of the clinical education of medical students is to define competencies expected of newly graduated physicians (exit objectives). These objectives ensure that the scope of education includes the content, teaching/learning methods, and evaluation techniques that will result in a competent, professional product.…

The goal of this curriculum is to help all health care professionals -- physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, health educators, counselors, psychologists, and others who work with college students -- identify and treat students who are at-risk or are having alcohol-related problems. The clinical methods…