Advances made, and not made, in the education of health professionals in the decades since establishment of the World Health Organization are reviewed. A period of more structured work is now recommended, including more objective definition of goals, real program development, and strategic planning with installation of systems. (MSE)

A recent Ontario law concerning regulation and coordination of allied health professions has focused attention even more sharply on quality of dental education, and makes development of standards of practice more urgent. Dental educators can assist by researching health care needs, synthesizing information, and helping to write guidelines. (MSE)

Georgia piloted an externship program for dental hygienists that paired selected local dentists with senior dental hygiene students who had passed the national board examination and taken one state board examination. Dentists became mentors, and students learned about professional practice and were enthusiastic participants. (MSE)

In response to declining dental hygiene education enrollments, the only dental school in Virginia plans to increase recruitment and expand use of existing programs. Strategies include hiring a statewide recruitment officer, establishing a forgivable loan program, increasing program capacity, and starting new programs when funding is available.…

Discusses the need for education in research ethics, and outlines a course developed for the College of Optometry of the State University of New York. The ten-hour seminar course is required for graduate students. The course outline covers the objectives, processes, basic content, methods of student assessment, and instructional materials. (MSE)

Discusses some current theories of learning motivation and describes how they may relate to the education of physicians, noting frequent disparities between medical schools' stated goals for learners and what is actually taught or rewarded by faculty. While motivation is multifaceted, there are strategies that may be used to strengthen students'…

Describes a New Britain General Hospital (Connecticut) program that uses mid-level practitioners, including physician assistants (PAs), to augment diminished staffs of residents in surgical residencies. Topics discussed include program structure, efforts to reduce the potential for PA/resident conflict, protection of residency program integrity,…

A study systematically reviewed published literature on graduate medical-education curricula in clinical epidemiology, critical appraisal, and evidence-based medicine (EBM). The 18 reports found in the search provide useful guidelines for medical educators but many suffer from incomplete descriptions and inadequate curriculum evaluations.…

Over 18 months, Medical College of Wisconsin students identified what they had learned during their clerkships in each of seven learning settings; the 3,030 outcomes were divided into 48 categories, and the ten most-frequent learning outcomes are reported. No significant differences by time of year or rural vs. urban clerkships were found.…

Adult postsecondary students (n=322) completed the Gregorc Style Indicator. The concrete sequential style predominated; 43% had dominance in two styles; there were slight differences among the program areas of business, health occupations, and trade and industrial education. (SK)

Examines arguments made by Kenneth Ludmerer in "Time To Heal: American Medical Education from the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care," who charges that medical educators have failed to address basic social, organizational, and financial problems. Calls for deep transformation of the ethos, social system, and organization of medical…

A statement of the Council for Optometric Education (COE) defines and characterizes educational outcomes, outcomes assessment, and outcomes data, and explains the reasons for outcomes assessment, its relationship to curricular design, and its function in accreditation of optometry programs. Stated COE standards and expectations of optometry…

Compares exam scores in a pharmacy calculations course of 55 students in a traditional lecture format and 55 in computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Scores were similar before separation into groups and after six weeks of instruction by either method. The CAI program was easy to use and well received by students, and this group spent less time…

Defines service learning and its core concepts, and how it differs from traditional education in the health professions, discussing how such programs can benefit students, faculty, communities, higher education institutions, as well as relationships among all these groups. Recommended resources for integrating service learning into the medical…

A study, using Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, of 256 dental students in four classes found introverted students performed better on the National Dental Board Examinations but had progressively lower class rank over four years and experienced more major academic difficulties. Judging and sensing students had higher rank than perceiving and intuitive…