Methods and results of resident participation in this aspect of a postgraduate pediatric curriculum at the Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Bronx, New York, are described. Peer discussion and group problem-solving and exploration are used and evaluations suggest a positive impact on learning and patient care. (LBH)

A effort begun in 1976 by first-year Harvard Medical School students to humanize the medical curriculum is described. Eleven students have met one evening every other week to discuss issues in medical education, supplementing the curriculum as well as helping students become more effective and humane physicians. (LBH)

The journal club format offers the resident a unique opportunity to develop specific skills in reading, comprehending, and evaluating medical literature. A course designed for residents in obstetrics and gynecology at the Letterman Army Medical Center and at the University of Cincinnati is described. (MLW)

The amount and cognitive level of teacher questions and student discussion in small clinical discussion groups were studied. The "process" of how small group interaction related to certain outcomes, such as the students' critical thinking and their performance on the examinations of the National Board of Medical Examiners is examined.…

A pilot support group established at Boston City Hospital deals with the personal and professional issues arising from stresses of internship. This report describes the functioning of this group, including a statement of goals, content of weekly meetings, and evaluation by group members. (Author/LBH)

Knowledge of sexual behavior, modifying attitudes that block understanding of sexuality, and developing skills for the evaluation and management of sexual problems were the objectives of a sex education program for medical students at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. (Editor/LBH)

Medical schools need to stress programs specifically concerned with interesting physicians involved in new plans for the health services. (IR)

Discussions about death, dying, and dissection during the first-year curriculum were initiated at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to deal with personal questions and emotions evoked by cadaver dissection. The evolution of these discussions, their timing, the present content of the sessions, and student response are described.…

A two-week elective to introduce medical students to primary care internal medicine was developed and evaluated. Course time is divided between conference sessions and office experience. Evaluations by students consisted of a questionnaire of conference topics, the student's ability to carry out course objectives, and the preceptor's teaching…

A survey of medical students in self-help groups revealed that social affiliation and an opportunity to express feelings in a "safe" environment were primary attractions. Nonprofessional faculty contact, support from fellow students, and stimulating discussions about medicine were the main benefits. (Author/MSE)

A method of curriculum evaluation developed in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba and used successfully for four years is described. The small-group discussion technique was applied to the pilot Curriculum Evaluation Seminar (CES), which both faculty and a majority of students have found to be an important evaluation method.…

At Queen's University an extramural interprofessional discussion group, involving students and faculty members from medicine, nursing, theology, education, and law, has been meeting since February 1977. The discussions center on actual persons and problems with implications for a number of professional groups. (Author/LBH)

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)