A survey of residents (N=323) in 6 internal medicine programs investigated the topics students wanted included in the medical ethics curriculum and by which of 17 methods they would prefer to be taught. About three-fourths had previous medical ethics instruction, and most wanted more on specific topics, especially legal and end-of-life issues.…

A program combining pediatrics and internal medicine is described. The four-year program, focusing on ambulatory care, alternates six-month rotations in each field and includes clinic training. Success factors include comparison of outpatient and inpatient care, developing an ambulatory practice to support resident salaries, and preparation for…

Stanford Medical Group, a model group practice in internal medicine, was established at Stanford University (California) within the academic medical center. Clinical faculty status was raised by developing a separate faculty track for the practice. The approach has been well-received and successful in attaining training and patient care goals.…

A study assessed the effectiveness of medical resident training programs during 1983-88 by evaluating students' certification scores and comparing them to the program's evaluation of students' clinical competence. Results are reported and analyzed for top-rated, university-affiliated, and non-university-affiliated programs, focusing on trends over…

The ambulatory care segment of the Southern Illinois University internal medicine clerkship provides extensive clinical exposure in a variety of settings and includes formal educational activities in seminars and workshops. Despite problems, educational quality has improved. Planned expansion includes a longitudinal experience for students.…

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…

In the present study, task instruction and lab data format were manipulated to explain the discrepancy between the positive linear recall function with expertise (reported by van de Wiel and others, 1993), and the generally found intermediate effect in clinical case recall. Sixteen second-year medical students, 16 fourth-year students, and 16…

The spectrum of patients seen in a traditional hospital-based training program is compared with patients seen in the University of Minnesota's ambulatory care clinic. Records were kept of the author's primary care experience with 687 patients. (LBH)

Data from a 1976 survey indicate: continued emphasis on education in ambulatory care, without coordinated primary care training efforts; leveling-off of interest in HMO's; no significant change in the number of affiliated programs for training nurse practitioners or physician's assistants; and marked increases in internal medicine and pediatrics…

The experience of two combined residency programs in internal medicine and pediatrics is reviewed. The difficulty for residents of achieving competence in two disciplines is compounded by a lack of faculty role models. Success will depend on the ability of graduates to offer special talents to academic and clinical settings. (Author/MLW)

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…

A study that demonstrated that a group of medical residents could independently run microcomputer-based patient simulations and subsequently achieve significant increases in test scores is discussed. This outcome supports the use of computer-assisted instruction to provide a core of self-taught material for a clinical subspecialty rotation.…

This study examined whether two variations on the typical Angoff group standard-setting process would produce sufficiently consistent results to recommend their use. The results imply that judgments gathered after an initial traditional group-process session can provide an efficient alternative mechanism for setting cutting scores using the Angoff…

Dartmouth Medical School offers a problem-based internal medicine clerkship structured to give students an opportunity to think critically through real patient cases with unknown diagnoses and allow faculty to evaluate students' problem-solving skills, clinical judgments, and reasoning without the influence of residents. (MSE)

The goals, formats, and outcomes of journal clubs in a sample of internal medicine residency programs in New York City were surveyed. The results of the survey and a description of the club in the Department of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center are presented. (Author/MLW)