A pilot program based in a freestanding ambulatory surgery center at the Chicago Medical School Department of Surgery is described, its curriculum outlined, and the daily activities of the residents and medical students are detailed. A brief history of ambulatory surgery is given. (Author/MLW)

Describes expansion of a system at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, which evaluates professional behaviors of its third- and fourth-year students, to first- and second-year students in order to catch earlier deficiencies in professionalism. Discusses the system, lessons learned, and future plans to expand the system…

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)

A Clinical Experience Worksheet (CEW) system developed for recording and monitoring overall clinical experience in the psychiatric residency program at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) is described. Methods for using the monthly hand-tallied form are discussed along with its advantages for individual and program evaluation. (JT)

The structure and the development of an internal medicine clerkship designed to promote proficiency in the process of clinical reasoning is described. A "student ward" offers a structured environment where the emphasis is on in-depth clinical exposure and the acquisition of clinical knowledge. (Author/MLW)

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine served as one of the cooperating pilot schools in the Association of American Medical Colleges Clinical Evaluation Program. The completion of self-study materials helped the faculty to provide descriptions of the structure of the clerkships and of the evaluation system. (MLW)

The University of Hawaii developed an assessment and testing program for qualifying internal medicine residents in basic procedural skills: an observation period, a multiple-choice examination, and a slide-identification examination. The mean scores of both examinations were analyzed to assess whether curriculum changes were effective. (Author/MLW)

The Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Clinical Evaluation Program, initiated in 1979, is described. Efforts toward improvement of evaluation focused on three tasks: definition of educational objectives, specification of criteria for determining when those objectives are met, and development of methods for assessing individual…

A new medicine clerkship curriculum started in 1981 at Dartmouth Medical School to ensure high quality teaching independent of teaching by members of the house staff and by attending physicians is described. Improved residency performance ratings of the medical school graduates have been the result. (MLW)

A study of the preceived acquisition of clinical skills by second-year medical students in six required clerkships is reported. The students completed self-assessments of their clinical skills when taking the family medicine clerkship. The principal contributions of the family medicine clerkship were in the management of common problems.…

A long-range plan to evaluate medical students' physical examination skills was undertaken at the Ingham Family Medical Clinic at Michigan State University. The development of the psychomotor skills evaluation model to evaluate the skill of blood pressure measurement, tests of the model's reliability, and the use of the model are described. (JMD)

This guide compiles information reported by medical schools on their efforts to help students develop a sound code of professional ethics. The introduction opens with background information on an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 1992 survey of medical schools and on why it is imperative that schools assist medical students' ethical…

The Wayne State University (Michigan) medical school program of videotaping resident interviews with patients and reviewing them with faculty is described and evaluated. Topics discussed include the program's structure and process, recurrent themes in the review sessions, residents' perspectives on the process, potential barriers to a successful…

Data collected as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study of residency programs for training in primary medicine and pediatrics are analyzed. The seven residencies supported by the federal government and the nine residencies supported by the Foundation are compared. A brief description of the programs as they existed in 1978 are…

A University of New Mexico medical school program to evaluate students having difficulty with noncognitive professional traits (responsibility, reliability, maturity, self-assessment, communication, honesty, integrity, respect for patients and peers) has identified 10 students with difficulties and provided interventions and remediation over a…