This study compared the analytic scores on an essay test of clinical judgment generated by nonphysician readers with those of physician readers. Generalizability theory was applied to determine the number of essays and scorers required to reach specified levels of reproducibility. Results suggested that with training nonphysicians could…

Although generalist physicians have traditionally been defined by their specialties (family, internal, pediatric medicine), this approach may not recognize specific competencies and training needed. A new definition based on functional requirements of generalist practice and the central role of the generalist in comprehensive care is proposed.…

Objectives: To assess the incidents of patient-initiated assault (PIA) against clinical clerks during the first six months of clinical clerkship. To characterise the assaults with respect to service, location, clerk gender, patient gender. To examine the students' perceptions of the reporting process for PIA. Methods: A brief email survey was sent…

As the second phase of a larger investigation, this study sought detailed information about the post-doctoral research training experiences of the faculty in departments of internal medicine and about the relationships between their research training experience and subsequent research activity. A six-page survey form was sent to 7,947 full-time…

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 study of internal medicine residents examined patterns of educational indebtedness, effects on their training and career decisions, frequency with which they begin loan payments during training, extent to which they moonlight and the reasons for doing so, and their opinions about the effects of moonlighting on house staff training. (MSE)

The use of nurses or other health workers to assess residents' humanistic behavior is discussed. Since nurses and other paramedical staff members observe residents interacting with their patients, these professionals may be a valuable but underused resource in the evaluation of physicians' humanistic qualities. (MLW)

In a survey, 351 internists, family practitioners, and pediatricians rated their own competency in 19 areas of adolescent health care. Most felt deficient in all areas, with some variation by physician specialty, but most did not find this an undesirable age group to work with and few wanted to improve their skills. (MSE)

A program in personal and professional development for interns was developed at the University of Connecticut Affiliated Hospitals to reduce maladaptive responses to the stresses of medical training. The goals of the program are to provide a supportive atmosphere, build trust, and promote deeper self-understanding and sensitivity. (Author/MLW)

The reliability of a 13-item questionnaire designed to assess the humanistic behaviors of internal medicine residents and the reliability of nurses as raters of those behaviors were examined. Residents were evaluated by nurses on two general medicine services and on cardiology and hematology-oncology services. (Author/MLW)

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)

The structure and the development of an internal medicine clerkship designed to promote proficiency in the process of clinical reasoning is described. A "student ward" offers a structured environment where the emphasis is on in-depth clinical exposure and the acquisition of clinical knowledge. (Author/MLW)

The teaching of clinical skills and the supervision of clinical education of undergraduate medical students were studied by reviewing students' patient-related experiences in required internal medicine clerkships in the United States and Canada during the 1979-82 accreditation cycle of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. (Author/MLW)

A prospective study using two standardized psychological tests, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), was conducted to quantify the emotional changes experienced by internal medicine house staff during the internship. (Author/MLW)

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)