A survey of all 1987 graduates (n=112) of all U.S. combined programs found patient care as the major current involvement, with most subjects seeing patients in both pediatric and adult age groups and in primary care only. Perceived deficiencies and preferences in rotation types and quantity were also analyzed. (Author/MSE)

The process used by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine to develop core curriculum guidelines for third-year family medicine clerkships is described, the guidelines are presented, and dissemination, implementation, and further development activities are outlined. The work was supported by a Department of Health and Human Services grant.…

The University of Calgary medical school revised its curriculum based on the way patients present to physicians. The curriculum defines 120 clinical presentations; describes appropriate clinical behavior of a graduating physician for each presentation; and specifies the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed by the graduate for clinical…

What is needed in graduate medical education is a curriculum built around learning experiences and valued activities, not performance objectives. The example of a curriculum for an ambulatory care block rotation illustrates the development of such a curriculum and how it can be used to frame the rotation experience. (MSE)

Reviews studies of costs of medical education and looks at trends and issues in medical school cost containment. Finds curricular trends are tending to increase costs, and proposals to restructure medical education to reduce costs are generally maneuvers to transfer cost responsibility to other entities. Sees minimal opportunities for cost…

A study of a new University of Toronto medical school problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum found that students (n=207) and faculty (n=15) had more favorable attitudes toward PBL after direct experience with it than before. Recommendations are made for other schools and programs wishing to implement PBL curricula. (Author/MSE)

This article reviews the 25-year history of undergraduate medical ethics education. Alternatives to the traditional model that focus more directly on students' personal values, attitudes, and behavior, are discussed. Three incipient trends are identified: everyday ethics, student ethics, and macro-ethics. Specific course and curricula are used as…

A response to Kenneth Ludmerer's "Time To Heal: American Medical Education from the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care" examines changes already occurring in American medical education in both preclinical and clinical curricula. Concludes that, while Ludmerer's arguments are warranted, there is evidence of a commitment to change in the…

This article examines the debate over reform of doctoral education in biomedicine and concludes that the two solutions most advocated are flawed, and that the broad nonscientific education some would like to see in the graduate curriculum is most appropriate in the undergraduate years. More rigorous graduate education, not job-related training, is…

Identifies and characterizes five major curricular-reform movements in North American medical education since 1765: the apprenticeship-based model; a discipline-based model; the organ-system-based model; the problem-based model; and a clinical-presentation model. Discusses principles and practices and disadvantages and advantages of each. (MSE)

The American Medical Student Association's Nutrition Curriculum Project assembled a 10-member advisory board to develop a comprehensive list of nutrition topics deemed essential for the adequate training of physicians. The resulting 92 topics are divided into 5 major categories: (1) biochemistry/physiology/pathophysiology; (2) nutrition…

Funded by the Generalist Physician Initiative, the Medical College of Georgia has implemented a longitudinal experience in clinical ethics spanning the four-year undergraduate curriculum. Curriculum structure and content are outlined, and course themes and student activities during the four years are described. Early evaluation findings and plans…

A survey of 272 medical school chief residents concerning proposed revisions of internal medicine residency requirements found the most strongly supported changes were: enhanced training in interviewing, interpersonal, and physical examination skills; increased emphasis on residency as an educational experience and on general internal medicine in…

Reflects on the collective experiences of eight medical schools participating in a large-scale medical curriculum development project, highlighting lessons learned over five years and commenting on issues of leadership, governance, communication, faculty development, curriculum integration, instructional methods, student assessment, and program…