A study identified variables perceived by clinical medical faculty (n=20) to influence the ease or difficulty of teaching in the ambulatory care setting. Characteristics affecting the teaching situation included teacher, student, and patient characteristics. Implications for faculty development on teaching in the clinical setting are discussed.…

Literature on general, fellowship, and short-term faculty development activities for family medicine educators is reviewed. Suggestions for future activities include initiation of training during residency, fourth year clinical fellow positions and two-year research fellowships supported by clinic revenue and grants, and more rigorous fellowship…

General practice medical residents (n=18) evaluated their performance in videotaped consultations at the beginning and end of a three-month residency. Results indicate self-awareness was increased. A major benefit of this method, in addition to feedback, may be training in self-evaluation, useful throughout a demanding career. (Author/MSE)

Examined how the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education (SDRME) and offices of medical education (OMEs) have contributed to the research in medical education (RIME) efforts. Found that SDRME has sponsored literature reviews and collaborated with various national organizations. OMEs have served the needs of their institutions and…

Studied the arts-related activities available in U.S. medical schools through a questionnaire completed by 100 medical school deans (78% response rate). Twenty-one medical schools offered arts-related required courses, 42 offered electives, and 89 offered extracurricular activities in the arts. (SLD)

Describes both the content of a domestic violence teaching program and the process used to integrate the program into the curriculum at MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Quantitative and qualitative date from a three-year period indicate that the program has been successfully integrated, is effective, and satisfies students. (EV)

Third year medical students (n=26) participated in a pilot program of an entirely outpatient multispecialty clinic experience. Overall, 61 percent of outpatient encounters involved a surgical diagnosis currently managed entirely on an outpatient basis, illustrating the importance of this setting in broad student exposure to surgery and surgical…

Describes the Program for Professional Values and Ethics in Medical Education (PPVEME) at Tulane University School of Medicine. It brings together students, residents, and faculty into learning teams that teach the other teams about one of five themes: integrity, communication, teamwork, leadership, and service. It emphasizes learner-driven self…

In a pilot project, computer-assisted bibliographic retrieval from MEDLINE was taught to an entire entering medical school class (n=112), followed by incorporation of a MEDLINE searching exercise into an early phase of the curriculum and monitoring of subsequent spontaneous use. The method was seen as useful and effective. (Author/MSE)

Studies in five senior medical school classes at Southern Illinois University investigated whether using multiple standardized patients to simulate the same case in postclerkship medical student evaluation affects the measure's reliability. Results of three studies show little or no effect on reliability of total, checklist, or written test…

A University of Adelaide (Australia) study investigated the effect of administering identical stations to different classes over a 12-year period within the objective structured clinical examination component of a final-year medical school examination. Repeat administrations correlated with improved student performance over time. (Author/MSE)

A study evaluated a teaching model in which contact between medical students, patients, and physicians was maximized. Each student (n=96) learned the physical examination of the abdomen and genitourinary system through contact with four patients, a plastic model, and five physicians. Students appreciated the interaction and physician role models.…

Four years of experience with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) following an eight-week surgical clerkship (n=356 students) are reported, including data on mean student performance across years, reliability coefficients, and generalizability. Implications for improvement and development of OSCE are discussed. (Author/MSE)

A study using five Southern Illinois University senior medical school classes (n=350 students) investigated whether having a standardized patient simulate a case repeatedly in postclerkship medical student evaluation affects the measure's reliability. Results suggest that repeated simulation had little or no effect on intercase reliability of…

Surveyed clinical clerkship directors at a large medical school to determine which patient problems they regarded as critical or important to know. Found a significant overlap of the clinical curriculum between clerkships, suggesting multiple opportunities for faculty collaboration in clinical education. (EV)