David McK. Lawrence discusses the objectives, program components, strengths, and weaknesses of the MEDEX training model, an attempt to bridge the gap between academe and practicing physicians for the new health practitioners. Robert E. Jewet describes background, program highlights, and key issues in the physicians assistant (PA) training…

The evolution and goals of teaching medical ethics, the nature of medical ethics, and integrating such teaching into the curriculum are examined. Because moral considerations are as much a part of medical decisions as technical considerations, teaching is best done in the context of real cases. (Author/MLW)

A national survey to determine the extent and characteristics of interpersonal skill (IPS) teaching in medical schools is reported. Eighty percent of IPS programs are less than five years old, are taught by psychiatrists and psychologists, and teach process, information-gathering, and psychological intervention. (LBH)

Approximately two-thirds of all United States and Canadian medical schools have provisions for the evaluation of their departments. Some of the forces leading to the popularity of departmental review, the review process and the various ways it can be managed, and its implications for medical school administration are discussed. (Author/JMD)

The Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Clinical Evaluation Program, initiated in 1979, is described. Efforts toward improvement of evaluation focused on three tasks: definition of educational objectives, specification of criteria for determining when those objectives are met, and development of methods for assessing individual…

A chief psychiatric resident and her supervisor at George Washington University Medical Center adapted traditional clinical supervision to encourage the resident's development as a teacher. The chief resident used weekly care conferences to teach first-year residents to make psychiatric formulations. (JMD)

Residents in family practice sponsored by the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine and Deaconess Hospital select a rotation to fulfill a community-university service requirement. The program was designed to involve residents in giving health care in Buffalo and western New York, where there is a physician shortage. (JMD)