Actors have been trained to portray patients with a variety of physical and emotional disorders for the purpose of teaching and evaluating clinical skills. Suggests that actors considered for simulations of patients be screened on the basis of sufficient acting experience and motivation for the role. (Author/PG)

Simulated clinical problems present the student with the description of the patient and his chief complaints and then require him to undertake a diagnostic work-up and make decisions regarding the management, therapy and follow-up of the patient. (Author)

Work is continuing at the University of Illinois at the Medical Center to simulate additional medically significant odors and to incorporate them into instructional and evaluation materials. Already studied are breath and urine odors used in the diagnosis of clinical conditions. (LBH)

A teaching eye model that allows the medical student to learn the hand-eye coordination and associated thinking patterns that allow for a more sophisticated use of the ophthalmoscope is described. The eye teaching model attempted to simulate the features found in the eye of a real patient. (MLW)

The Simulated Minority Admissions Exercise, an educational technique that simulates a typical medical school admissions situation, is described. The main objective is to help medical schools to select potentially successful minority applicants and to improve their retention by ensuring that they enter medical school under positive circumstances.…

A study at the University of Washington affirmed that medical students learn more and rate the learning experience higher when the "Gynny" anthropomorphic pelvic model is included in the instructional sequence than when it is not. (MLW)

In a clinical ethics course for junior medical students, simulated clinical-ethical cases were used to evaluate student achievement. The questions, methods of scoring, and findings of the program are examined. It is found that this can be an objective evaluation method and that the course results in increased student reflectiveness. (MSE)

The problem of acute pulmonary embolism is employed to illustrate that medical decision analysis is possible despite some of the difficulties encountered in previous application. The usefulness of computerized decision models is discussed. (LBH)

Sixteen community residents with relatively stable respiratory, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or neurological findings were recruited and trained as instructor-patients to teach the technical elements of the examination of an affected organ system. Faculty recruitment, instructor-patient recruitment and training, and evaluation are discussed.…

A program developed at the University of Arizona College of Medicine that used patient instructors to evaluate interviewing skills of medical students is described. Patient instructors are nonphysicians who are taught to function in the roles of patient, teacher, and evaluator. (Author/MLW)

Students were taught pelvic examination methods either by use of an inanimate model or use of the model and examination of volunteer gynecological teaching associates (GTAs). Students in the latter group were superior in communication and manual skills, and scored better on recognizing deviant pelvic anatomy. (MSE)