The value of higher education is a topic of great consideration and discussion, not only for current and future students, but also for legislators, educators, and employers. A college degree is more than a pathway toward advanced knowledge in a given subject; it is a component of a larger outcome beyond a diploma, it's a job. While the scale of…

The first phase of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Medical School Objectives Project, to develop consensus on the attributes medical students should possess on graduation, is reported. Each of the four identified attributes is explained, and the associated learning objectives are stated. Attributes are the physician must be…

A survey of 136 general practice dental residency directors and 52 advanced education in general dentistry program directors investigated the extent to which program graduates possessed 85 different competencies, and their need for those competencies at graduation. More agreement than disagreement was found, but with considerable variation…

A survey of 64 pharmacy school deans revealed new deans' career patterns, factors perceived as beneficial to professional development, mentoring activities, and administrative skills viewed as important. Comparisons are made between new deans and those with at least five years' experience, and trends identified. Implications for career planning…

The proceedings of the American Association of Dental Schools, which report on activities for 1997-98, are presented in their entirety. Included are the president's annual report, keynote addresses, proceedings of the 1998 house of delegates, statements of accreditation principles and new dentist competencies, and related information about…

A University of Georgia pharmacy school survey of 230 preceptors and 73 externs investigated students' competence and confidence. Results indicated areas of weakness in communication skills and therapeutic knowledge and revealed that externs lacked confidence in hospital and clinical practice. Results are being used in curriculum development.…

Entry-level skills needed of optometrists, as of allied health occupations practitioners, include thinking skills, communication skills, sensitivity to personal and professional values and ethics, awareness of self and individual social responsibility, lifelong learning skills and habits, interpersonal and group competence, and management…

Common complaints about physicians are that they don't care enough about patients, don't know enough to practice the best medicine, and don't do enough to maintain the public's trust. The best way for graduate medical education (GME) to address these complaints is to improve the educational content of residency programs. (MSE)

A study investigated the effect of an extramural rotation on dental-hygiene students' self-perceptions of competence in specific clinical areas. Results indicate student perceptions of competence improved significantly on six of 19 dimensions of dental-hygiene practice over the course of the rotation, suggesting that rotation is a valuable…

A University of New Mexico pharmacy clerkship in Indian Health Service rural ambulatory clinics is described and its results compared with an urban hospital clerkship. Unique benefits to participants included improved skills in patient counseling and chart screening, more hands-on experience, extensive individual physician consultations, and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of two- and 3.5-day domestic-violence interclerkships in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of two successive cohorts of University of Massachusetts third-year medical students. Participating students immediately and significantly improved in each of these areas and fully or partially sustained…

This report highlights trends in disease patterns and technological advances that call for sweeping changes in the education of oral health personnel. It first provides a brief history of the development of dental education. The second and most extensive section analyzes global trends for dental caries, periodontal conditions, tooth loss and…

A study examined the extent to which current medical-student evaluation assesses noncognitive clinical skills and behaviors needed by graduates, including small-group conferences, case-based discussion, library research, lifelong learning, reasoned thinking, interpersonal skills, and logical/sequenced history taking and physical examinations.…

A study explored the notion that moral reasoning skills are important to the provision of pharmaceutical care. It compared the moral reasoning skills of two classes of pharmacy students with those of practitioners who scored high on measures of pharmaceutical care and clinical decision making. Implications for pharmacy school admissions and…

The proceedings of the annual meeting of the American Association of Dental Schools include the president's annual report, president-elect's and executive director's addresses, a summary of proceedings, the revised constitution, a list of competencies for entry into the dental hygiene profession, association bylaws, member administrators,…