A total of 189 entering class medical students at Baylor College of Medicine were surveyed to test the hypothesis that personality traits, as measured by structured tests, are of at least equal importance to cognitive qualities in predicting medical school performance. Preliminary results supported the hypothesis. (LBH)

A clinical decision-making simulation that helps students understand the relationship between psychosocial factors and medical problem-solving is described. A group of medical students and one faculty member comprise a selection committee to agree on the order in which four patients will be selected for renal dialysis. (MLW)

A method of statistically analyzing clinical performance examinations for reliability and the application of this method in determining the reliability of two examinations of skill in administering anesthesia are described. Videotaped performances for the Spinal Anesthesia Skill Examination and the Anesthesia Setup and Machine Checkout Examination…

The use of a special cadaver is discussed that could be used during the first-year gross anatomy course to supplement the usual dissection of pelvic viscera. Pelvic anatomy is emphasized from the perineal approach as used in a typical pelvic exam. (MLW)

The development, organization, and evaluation of an ambulatory rotation, modeled on the experience with a primary care tract and introduced into a traditional medical residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital, is summarized. Skills in the evaluation and management of inpatient and outpatient problems are advocated. (Author/MLW)

Reviews of medical education programs suggest that physicians are not adequately trained in mental retardation. A study of 64 U.S. medical schools is discussed that indicates that almost half presented only minimal coverage on the topic of mental retardation and offered inadequate clinical experience. (Author/MLW)

A study on medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry completed at the McGill University teaching hospitals is presented. The findings indicated that the clinical training program influenced medical students' opinions of psychiatry, although very few would commit themselves to choosing psychiatry as their future career. (MLW)

The Ohio State program includes instructional objectives for all of the clinical clerkships, a specialized collection of learning resources to assist the students in the mastery of the clerkship objectives, mini-learning resource centers (LRC) located close to patient care areas, and an evaluation system for student assessment. (LBH)

A UCLA School of Medicine program compared the results of teaching obstectrics and pediatric neonatal medicine as a perinatal continuum with the results of the traditional separate clerkships and to assess the benefits and liabilities of the use of this integrated approach to teaching. (LBH)

A collaborative study between two medical schools to evaluate the teaching of physical examination skills to medical students, assess the effect of different instructional methods, and improve teaching programs is presented. Students at the two schools were videotaped and the videotapes were sent to a third school for independent evaluation.…

In order to improve patient care, provide better teaching in an ambulatory setting, and establish research opportunities for faculty staff, the medical clinic of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has been developed into a group practice. Benefits and difficulties are discussed. (Author/LBH)

An organizational structure was developed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for a pediatric nephrology elective. A study guide and format ensure that students have a common knowledge base--the lack of which has been a problem in electives--and allows them to participate in patient problems. (LBH)

The faculty of the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, has designed a rotation in the otolaryngology service, that is a basic clinical orientation to ear, nose and throat medicine, to fit the one-month block committed by the local family practice residency training program. The program is described and its…

The teaching of the pelvic examination is seen as having undergone a dramatic change since the introduction of trained professional patient-instructors. The results of a study using two groups, the professional patient-instructor method in one group and a control group using gynecologists and clinic patients, is presented. (MLW)

It is suggested that for many residents, stressful perceptions of the early years of the residency program may be related to feelings of not being in control of experiences. Support for this idea comes from data obtained on Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale and interviews with residents. (Author/MLW)