Although time-consuming and in some cases causing apprehension among staff and residents, the experience of a peer review at Cleveland Clinic Foundation was useful for staff members, residents, and administrators. Peer review was effective in identifying program strengths and weaknesses and in increasing communication among staff. (Author/MLW)

Graduate medical education is defined as the phase that begins at graduation from medical school and ends after completion of the requirements for one of the specialty certifying boards. A chronology of events in the history of graduate medical education, 1844-1981, is provided. (MLW)

Questionnaires were sent to the directors of combined residency programs in internal medicine and pediatrics. All the programs emphasized training in primary care and included the use of outpatient clinics where residents often work with nonphysician health care providers. (Author/MLW)

Third-year medical students at Mount Sinai School of Medicine participated in a year-long survey that included self-administered questionnaires to ascertain the frequency and duration of the symptoms of minor illnesses. A significant association between the illness rate and the pediatric clerkship was documented. (Author/MLW)

The number of U.S. graduates who enrolled in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in 1984 increased by 577 from a year ago. The most competitive programs were in emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery, otolarynology, urology, and diagnostic radiology. (MLW)

The value of a critical analysis of the process of education in family practice residency programs is demonstrated. Such an analysis is seen as maybe the most valuable aspect in the evaluation of any curriculum, considering the limitations of time, resources, and demands on family practice teachers. (MLW)

The development of professional identity as a family physician is better understood by referring to Erikson's description of the development of personal identity. Erikson describes eight stages, each one defined by its alternative outcomes--the best versus the worst that can happen. (MLW)

The prevalence of anxiety and depression in clinic patients, residents' ability to identify these affects, and accuracy of patients' responses to simple questions about them were investigated at a University of Virginia clinic. Neither patient nor resident assessments were found to be very accurate, but together they are more effective. (MSE)

In-training examinations, those tests designed primarily to evaluate residents in graduate training, were endorsed by the Committee on Goals and Priorities of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Current utilization of these examinations is reported by half of the medical specialty group members of the American Board of Medical Specialties.…

Student perceptions of nation-wide surgical residency application procedures were evaluated in this study designed to determine areas in need of reform. The data indicate that the majority of students are not completely satisfied with the present interviewing process. (LBH)

A study designed to assess interrater agreement among senior residents who rated junior residents on 25 specific behaviors representing the different categories assessed by the "verification of clinical competence" form used by the American Board of Pediatrics is described. (MLW)

Based on expressed interests of medical school residency programs, a two-day workshop for chief residents was sponsored by the University of Utah Medical Center. The 180 residents from 138 programs in 21 specialties learned specific management skills through lectures and small-group exercises. (Author/MSE)

Baylor College of Medicine's system for evaluating the clinical progress of anesthesiology residents, developed in response to problems of standards, staff cooperation, and student dissatisfaction with evaluation, assesses resident progress in terms of performance levels based on case complexity and degree of staff intervention. (Author/MSE)

The number of U.S. seniors who enrolled in the National Resident Matching Program in 1986 decreased. The most competitive programs were in emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery, and diagnostic radiology. A new match, called the Medical Specialties Matching Program, is underway for fellowships. (MLW)

Some of the programs in general internal medicine are now reaching the point at which surveys of graduates can help assess program strengths and weaknesses. A survey of graduates from the University of Colorado School of Medicine is described. (MLW)