A comparison of faculty and resident attitudes concerning procedural skills medical students should be exposed to, should perform with proficiency, and have experience with resulted in a list of 52 such procedures. Both groups saw need for proficiency in only a small number of procedures. (Author/MSE)

Describes two complementary teaching initiatives that contribute to the development of professionalism in the medical academic environment: a resident-as-teacher program and an approach to faculty bedside teaching that mirrors and extends the lessons of the resident-as-teacher effect. (SLD)

A study explored the responses of medical students, resident physicians, and experienced physicians to 12 vignettes describing hypothetical patients to determine the relationship between clinical experience and susceptibility to bias in treatment decisions resulting from presentation of possible outcomes. Framing bias was most evident in the…

Medical trainees and recent graduates of 3 Quebec medical schools were surveyed as to how they valued 16 dimensions of medical competence classified in 4 broad categories: clinical, technological, humanistic, and social and preventive. Medical trainees gave more importance to basic diagnostic and therapeutic skills. (Author/MLW)

Medical school faculty cite the fear of litigation as a reason for their reluctance to offer candid evaluations of students' and residents' performances and to dismiss them when necessary. Three legal issues are addressed: fair and equitable treatment, due process, libelous and defamatory performance evaluations, etc. (Author/MLW)

A 1988 survey of 122 senior medical students and 60 residents at the University of Washington indicated the most important characteristics of ambulatory care teachers were active involvement of learners, promotion of learner autonomy, and demonstration of patient care skills. Environmental factors were not influential. (Author/MSE)

A study compared the performance of 232 Brown University (Rhode Island) medical graduates on senior-year examinations in clinical skills examinations and during residencies, as evaluated by their residency directors. Results indicated a strong correlation between the two evaluations, suggesting that the performance-based undergraduate assessments,…

A survey of 580 senior medical students in 10 schools investigated perceptions of mistreatment during undergraduate medical education; a follow-up survey of 571 subjects examined perceptions of mistreatment during the first year of residency. Similar results from the two surveys is seen as providing compelling evidence that the perceived level of…

A study of the workload of nine medical interns and seven residents in a neonatal intensive care nursery investigated the number of X-rays, arterial blood gas analyses (ABGs), and electrolyte determinations ordered for 321 infants over 5 months. Results show that as the workload increased, interns ordered ABGs more often than residents, especially…

Logs completed by 201 medical students in third-year clerkships at nine community-based hospitals indicated students received 6.5 hours of teaching with an instructor daily, spending 4.9 more hours in clerkship-related learning. Most teaching was by full-time faculty and residents. In half their educational activities, students participated with…

A study investigated medical student interest in psychiatry as a specialty at matriculation and first year of residency. Comparisons were made by school, region, and institution type (public vs. private). Increased interest in psychiatry was found in most regions, particularly the southeast. Implications for development of individual specialties…

A study investigated possible differences in standardized patient examination scores for three groups of undergraduate (n=176) and graduate (n=221) medical students assessed at different sites over two years. Results show no systematic change in scores over testing dates, suggesting no problems with breach of test security. (MSE)

A survey of departments of internal medicine to assess information about requirements for ambulatory clinical experiences for medical students is discussed. The survey yielded information on status, reasons for ambulatory care training, characteristics, goals, structure, ratings, problems, and difficulties for students. (Author/MLW)

Explores how changes in conceptual frameworks in science, from reductionism to complexity; an outgrowth of the chaos theory that views parts in relation to one another, the entity they form, and the environment, must inform the development of an academic discipline in women's health. (SLD)

Studied the views of enrollees in an academically affiliated health maintenance organization (HMO) about participating in the education of medical students. Responses from 210 adults and 125 parents or guardians replying about children show that enrollees thought the HMO should be involved in teaching but they had specific concerns about the…