A University of North Carolina study using focus groups of dentists and patients found dentist-patient interactions play an important role in treatment decision-making, and are predicated on non-clinical factors, including dentists' intuition and judgment and patient impressions of dentists' examination styles, personalities, and interpersonal…

The problem of dental student indebtedness is examined, including trends and patterns in cost of dental education, the relationship between tuition and level of indebtedness, and effects of student debt on enrollment and attrition. Strategies for use by students and institutions to reduce student indebtedness are offered, and the role of…

Describes a study that investigated the use of computer conferencing systems in a masters-level professional health care program. Previous research is reviewed; message content (i.e., socio-emotional activity versus task activity) is discussed; and the model development of the discipline is used to compare course content. (Contains 42 references.)…

A study of 13,168 graduating medical students explored the relationship between self-reported experiences of verbal abuse during medical school and confidence in their clinical skills. Relationship between abuse and lower confidence levels was significant for all demographic groups and for high and low levels of assuredness. School policies must…

At a recent American Association of University Professors conference, professors and researchers discussed the growing influence of corporations on academic research in medicine, including increased medical school reliance on corporate funding, requirements for research confidentiality, the potential for conflict of interest in research, and the…

A two-year community pharmacy clinical experience using self-directed learning modules is described and evaluated. The modules were designed to stimulate interest in community pharmacy, motivate learning by demonstrating applicability of didactic work to contemporary practice, develop communication and psychosocial skills, and promote…

A New England College of Optometry (Massachusetts) faculty development program for clinical preceptors provides a forum for administration and clinical faculty to address problems in clinical education and to increase communication between affiliated faculty, program coordinators, and students. The on-site conferences have demonstrated significant…

Examines various methods for assessing dental students' learning in a problem-based curriculum, including objective structured clinical examination; clinical proficiency testing; triple jump evaluation (identifying facts, developing hypotheses, establishing learning needs to further evaluate the problem, solving the learning needs, presenting…

Survey data (1993-94) from 264 fourth-year medical students and 500 clinical faculty members at 59 medical schools found that schools that have primary care missions and have historically produced more generalists transmit higher levels of encouragement to their students about primary care. However, even at schools with strong primary care…

A survey of 72 pharmacy schools investigated methods of evaluating teaching, including use of student evaluations for both undergraduate and clinical teaching, peer evaluation, evaluation instruments, and use of the information for tenure/promotion decisions, faculty development activities, and determination of merit salary increases. Results are…

Funded by the Generalist Physician Initiative, the Medical College of Georgia has implemented a longitudinal experience in clinical ethics spanning the four-year undergraduate curriculum. Curriculum structure and content are outlined, and course themes and student activities during the four years are described. Early evaluation findings and plans…

Research indicates that health disparities may be reduced by increasing the number of ethnic minorities working in health occupations. Establishing health career pathway programs for immigrant and ethnic minority students is one way to address this problem. One such program, Cross-Cultural Education in Public Health (CCEPH), was developed,…

This career academy course sequence guide is designed to give teachers a quick overview of the course sequences of well-known career academy and career pathway programs from across the country. The guide presents a variety of sample course sequences for the following academy themes: (1) arts and communication; (2) business and finance; (3)…

The issues of language, literacy, and numeracy (LL&N) in Aboriginal health worker (AHW) training in Australia were explored to determine how these issues interrelate, overlap, and influence the types of literacy practices required in indigenous contexts. Data were collected through two workshops and formal and informal discussions with a…

This packet of materials for a class on medical terminology consists of a collection of stories with highlighted vocabulary, teacher's guide, and student's guide. The materials teach medical terms in a series of stories about a woman named Mary Consola. Each story begins with a list of word parts that will be learned; after the story, new word…