The Clinical Behavioral Sciences Program at McMaster University, an interdisciplinary approach to mental health education, deemphasizes the acquisition of new credentials and selects students with baccalaureate degrees who are professionally qualified and employed in mental health fields. Students' work-related issues and problems are used in this…

A method for selecting performance variables to be used in the evaluation of the clinical performance of internal medicine residents is described. Twenty of the highest ranking variables are listed, as determined by the formal sampling of the opinion of full-time and volunteer faculty and residents associated with the University of Nebraska. (JMD)

Directors of patient evaluation courses at U.S. and Canadian medical schools were surveyed to identify problems that might underlie decreasing competence in clinical skills. The problems identified include inadequate numbers of patients for student examinations, lack of administrative and financial support, and lack of recognition for faculty.…

Five priority items for the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine are outlined: (1) financing of podiatric medical education; (2) federal government relations; (3) applicant pool; (4) clinical competence; and (5) master plan for podiatric medical education. (MLW)

A long-range plan to evaluate medical students' physical examination skills was undertaken at the Ingham Family Medical Clinic at Michigan State University. The development of the psychomotor skills evaluation model to evaluate the skill of blood pressure measurement, tests of the model's reliability, and the use of the model are described. (JMD)

A study compared scores on identical tests in internal medicine for two groups of graduating University of Toronto (Canada) medical students: those in a traditional, lecture-based curriculum (TC) and those in a redesigned curriculum with less didactic instruction and more clinical experience (NC). All comparisons showed a significantly higher…

A study investigating the effects of a two-week early clinical experience for fifth-year pharmacy students on concurrent didactic and subsequent clerkship performance found no significant effects. However, student and faculty course evaluations indicated early exposure to clinical experience was viewed as beneficial. Results will be used in…

Explores cost implications of residency programs within the Veterans Administration health care system, particularly the costs and benefits of residencies in family medicine, osteopathic medicine, and general dentistry, because they resemble optometric residencies most closely. Costs of an existing vision therapy residency are examined, and…

The University of Maryland Dental School began a comprehensive external and internal analysis of dentistry and dental education. Three analysis groups were established to review the external environment, the competitive environment, and institutional strengths and weaknesses. A strategic directions group identified directions and created a…

Describes a program that enables students to apply their lecture and laboratory knowledge to practical situations in order to make a more informed career choice. Explains the three types of programs, student responses, and faculty involvement. Reports on the outcomes of the program. (RT)

A discussion of ethical responsibility, professional boundaries, and legal liability in social work field experience programs looks at specific issues in the complex network of dyadic relationships between the student, client, field instructor, and field liaison. Specific situations are used to illustrate the issues. (MSE)

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 University of Georgia physical assessment course for entry-level doctoral pharmacy students is described. The course focuses on provision of patient care and communication skill development, not strictly physical diagnosis. It includes classroom instruction in interviewing and physical assessment techniques, case studies, and a three-hour…

A review of 85 articles published 1984-93 on the effects of medical school curricula, faculty role models, and federal biomedical research support on the specialty choices of medical students suggests effective strategies to enlarge the proportion of medical students choosing generalist careers including institutional reform to emphasize…

A study investigated the usefulness of a new ambulatory medicine clerkship design by randomly assigning students to it or to an existing traditional general medicine rotation, then comparing student performance on the licensing examination, a laboratory interpretation test, written work, and a problem-solving exam. Performances were the same…