The German system for educating and certifying pharmacists is described, including national standards for curriculum content and design, licensing examinations, the structure of graduate study and specialization, and the availability of continuing professional education. (MSE)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill medical school uses an objective structured clinical examination as the final exam in physical diagnosis. Since 1987, students and evaluators have shown overwhelming acceptance and support of the test, partly because it is structured for teaching as well as assessment. (Author/MSE)

Advances in genetics and genetic testing promise to catalyze a fundamental change in the practice of medicine. Psychologists have much to offer as psychotherapists, researchers, educators, and policymakers to a society heavily influenced by the genetic revolution. To make the most of new opportunities available to mental health professionals in…

This report presents a new comprehensive design for licensing teachers. The design would require beginning teachers to complete a supervised internship as the penultimate step in the licensing process. Local school districts, operating under state guidelines, would be expected to make carefully planned internships available to all beginning…

Discussion of the use of simulations for licensure testing highlights the Dental Interactive Simulations Corporation (DISC) project that uses interactive video patient simulations for dental education and licensure. Topics addressed include reliability, validity, test administration issues, effects of fidelity on reliability and validity, and…

Cites changes to occur on the Medical College Admissions Test to include: a reduction from six to four sections, biology and physics content-specific sections to absorb chemistry, elimination of multiple-choice questions to a problem-solving format, and the inclusion of graded essay questions. (RT)

The origins, facilities, structure, progress, and future prospects of Nigeria's University of Benin optometry program, the first of its kind in Black Africa, are described. (MSE)

A two-dimensional patient management problem test was designed to measure third-year optometry students' clinical competency at Pacific University (Oregon). Results suggest this evaluation method is valid and may be useful in identifying students needing to improve their clinical thinking skills. Some issues in test administration and scoring…

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School administered identical, simultaneous objective structured clinical examinations to large medical school classes and found the method logistically and psychometrically feasible. Potential for use of the test to make pass-fail grading decisions and proposals for modification of administration and…

At Illinois College of Optometry a peer-review committee evaluates the exams of both basic science and clinical courses to provide an objective means of evaluating a faculty member's teaching ability. Five aspects of the exam (content, construction, statistical analysis, adjusted questions, instructor's rationale) are evaluated to determine the…

A curriculum project to help dental students identify, reason about, and resolve ethical problems applied moral development theory to professional education, an approach not previously used. The project involved testing student attitudes and abilities and developing learning activities to promote the desired abilities. (Author/MSE)

A review of issues in professional school admission policy includes a brief history of admissions; notes on contract theory as it pertains to the student school relationship; and notes on admission procedures, publication requirements, applicant information, race, testing, age, disabilities, moral character, and residence. (MSE)

Examines various methods for assessing dental students' learning in a problem-based curriculum, including objective structured clinical examination; clinical proficiency testing; triple jump evaluation (identifying facts, developing hypotheses, establishing learning needs to further evaluate the problem, solving the learning needs, presenting…

A discussion of the new era of legal education in Russia examines the general structure of the legal system and related careers, legal education within and outside the universities, costs, and curriculum design. A more detailed look at the St. Petersburg State University law school examines the curriculum, teaching methods, testing, instructional…

A test of pharmacists' practice knowledge, for use in professional continuing education, was developed by having practitioners prepare 673 assessment items related to specific competencies. Item pool was refined by psychometric evaluation and content validation. Two parallel tests, each containing 120 items, were pilot-tested with first-year…