Empathy in healthcare can increase the quality of medical care and contribute to developing a positive doctor-patient relationship. Balint groups employ case-based talks to investigate, reflect on, and improve the clinician-patient relationship. It has been proposed to be an effective technique for increasing clinician empathy. The study aimed to…

There is currently little guidance for medical school admissions committees regarding how to weigh postbaccalaureate program grades relative to undergraduate grades. This study was designed to address this issue. Admissions data, preclerkship course performance and United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 results were analyzed over…

This study examined the lived experiences of premedical advisors employed in four-year institutions of higher education in the northeastern U.S. advising premedical students about the gap year options between undergraduate education and medical school. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews of 17 premedical advisors and analyzed…

Previous research has indicated that the use of case studies is effective for promoting critical thinking, enhancing interest in curricular content, and improving student understanding of core concepts. To prepare students for the challenges of a medical education, the biology faculty at a small, liberal arts college attempts to expose…

This study examined Chinese undergraduate medical students' acceptance and adoption of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) using the general extended technology acceptance model for e-learning via a Likert-scale questionnaire. Specifically, it examined the relations between the five antecedents and the four core components in the model (i.e.,…

Training in chemistry is essential for undergraduate medical students; however, at the National University of Colombia, basic chemistry courses are associated with high fail rates and low academic performance with regard to first semester students, especially in vulnerable special admission populations. A longitudinal study was carried out via…

Anatomy teaching methods have evolved as the medical undergraduate curriculum has modernized. Traditional teaching methods of dissection, prosection, tutorials and lectures are now supplemented by anatomical models and e-learning. Despite these changes, the preferences of medical students and anatomy faculty towards both traditional and…

Context: Over a decade ago, leaders in rural medical education established the Rural Medical Educators (RME) Group, an interest group within the National Rural Health Association, to support faculty in rural medical education programs. This group has convened an annual RME conclave since 2006. In 2008, this conclave convened 15 national leaders in…

This work describes the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) applied to the biochemistry class for undergraduate, first-year medical students at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The course focused on the integration of energy metabolism, exploring metabolic adaptations in different physiological or pathological states such as…

Clerkships would benefit from teachers' improved understanding of the didactic aspects of their task. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that determine the teaching quality of clerkships and to examine the predictive value of these factors for students' global satisfaction. Thus, results would be further reflected to clinical…

The paper considers the current health care crisis in rural and inner city areas and proposes changes in physician education including changes in premedical education and medical school admissions criteria. Changed criteria could encourage more broadly educated students to enter the medical profession thus maintaining high standards while meeting…

A study examined the relationship between undergraduate and medical school achievement, as indicated by a variety of measures, and competence in 18 medical care tasks during early residency. (MSE)

Describes development of a senior undergraduate level medical research class. The purpose of the class is to help health professionals critically analyze medical research and thus decide whether or not to use the results to change their professional practices. (CH)

Many students planning to apply to medical school take undergraduate courses covering concepts that are taught within the medical school curriculum. A study to determine whether these students perform better in similar courses in medical school than students without prior exposure is discussed. (Author/MLW)

Changes in behavioral science preparation among applicants to U.S. medical schools and the success of behavioral science majors in being admitted are reported. Data provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges regarding the undergraduate baccalaureate majors of applicants to U.S. medical schools were analyzed. (MLW)