This study of 142 early interventionists examined self-competence in working with families, value placed on family roles, and concern about family-centered practices, and explored their relationship with experience, discipline, and job category. Nurses and social workers scored higher than educators and other health care professionals in several…

The results of recent restructuring of Australia's higher education system, particularly through university mergers with other institutions, are examined. Analysis of the La Trobe University-Lincoln Institute of the Health Sciences merger focuses on goals and academic rationale, the first three years, and likely future trends. (Author/MSE)

Thomas Jefferson University (Pennsylvania) has two dental professional hygiene education programs, one a prelicensure, entry-level clinical education program and the other a postcertificate or baccalaureate degree completion program. Recruitment strategies include prerequisite restructuring and part-time programs, and retention efforts begin with…

Six trends affecting dental hygiene practice are discussed: demographic changes; disease pattern changes; higher societal expectations; financing and delivery system changes; technological advancement; and regulatory and legislative trends. It is argued that, though the trends reflect positively on dental hygiene, practitioners need to increase…

Presents proceedings of the American Association of Dental Schools' International Women's Leadership Conference. Addresses, panel presentations, and general-sessions topics included leadership training and promotion for women in dental education, women's health issues and research, the glass ceiling, infrastructures for research and training,…

A study at one institution found significant correlations between students' scores on the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners test and academic achievement data. Results indicate that it is not always course subject matter that influences the relationship between course grade and board scores, but may instead be the ability to assimilate…

At Illinois College of Optometry a peer-review committee evaluates the exams of both basic science and clinical courses to provide an objective means of evaluating a faculty member's teaching ability. Five aspects of the exam (content, construction, statistical analysis, adjusted questions, instructor's rationale) are evaluated to determine the…

A response to Kenneth Ludmerer's "Time To Heal: American Medical Education from the Turn of the Century to the Era of Managed Care" examines changes already occurring in American medical education in both preclinical and clinical curricula. Concludes that, while Ludmerer's arguments are warranted, there is evidence of a commitment to change in the…

Evaluates effectiveness of a clerkship curriculum that teaches core family-practice competencies by focusing on the process of care in a generalist practice. Organizing framework consists of five prototypic visits and their encounter tasks: new problem, checkup, chronic illness, psychosocial problem, and behavioral change. Results indicate…

Describes a tool for use by clinical medical preceptors for making brief (5 to 10 minute) focused observations of students and record them in specific, nonjudgmental language, even if feedback does not occur immediately. The teaching-observations sheets can be reduced to three-by-five-inch or other convenient format, are flexible, and help the…

Rapid changes in the health care industry have forced physicians and nurses into specialized graduate programs in business administration. At the same time, business administration students are attracted to the programs by job prospects for knowledgeable graduates. For business schools competing for the best students, such a program can set the…

The proceedings of the American Association of Dental Schools, which report on activities for 1997-98, are presented in their entirety. Included are the president's annual report, keynote addresses, proceedings of the 1998 house of delegates, statements of accreditation principles and new dentist competencies, and related information about…

An undergraduate pharmacy class in drug therapy was taught using a problem-solving approach and standardized case studies, with teacher feedback provided on case presentations using specific performance criteria. It was found that the teaching approach was successful in develop students' ability to apply pharmacotherapeutics in creation of patient…

Discusses issues associated with implementation of a new problem-based dental curriculum at the University of Queensland (Australia), focusing on costs and challenges of implementation based on a 1996 survey of staff involved. The origins and rationale of the new curriculum are examined, and both direct and indirect costs are explored, with…

Survey of 571 second-year residents investigated personal observations of unethical/unprofessional conduct during their first postgraduate year. Behaviors observed included falsification of patient records by others (reported by 44.5%), patient mistreatment (73.5%), others taking credit for their work (46.7%), colleagues working in an impaired…