Sophomores and juniors in a medical school who habitually did or did not attend lectures were compared on several academic achievement measures. Attendees performed significantly better on grade point averages and board examinations, but these are found to be inexact predictors of performance as physicians. (MSE)

The potential usefulenss of the current National Board of Medical Examiners basic science examination as a measure of student knowledge of information in oncology and neoplasia is discussed. (MLW)

A study to examine the assumption that absenteeism affects student performance is described. Strict attendance records were kept for a course in dental materials at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. All of the tests indicate a significant negative correlation between grades and absenteeism. (MLW)

Developed a method to estimate the cutscore precisions for empirical standard-setting methods by using resampling. Illustrated the method with two actual datasets consisting of 86 Dutch medical residents and 155 Canadian medical students taking objective structured clinical examinations. Results show the applicability of the method. (SLD)

The study measured the anxiety of 262 medical students at the University of Barcelona (Spain) during examinations on two subjects. Findings showed a positive correlation between importance attributed to the examination and anxiety and a negative correlation between importance attributed to the examination and the importance attributed to chance in…

An approach is presented to simultaneously optimize decision rules for combinations of elementary decisions through a framework derived from Bayesian decision theory. The developed linear utility model for selection-mastery decisions was applied to a sample of 43 first year medical students to illustrate the procedure. (SLD)

Most first- and fourth-year medical students in one school were unable to solve a written problem case, suggesting that medical education has failed to teach the skills of formulating overall hypotheses and subhypotheses before choosing treatment options. (Author/MSE)

Reliability and accuracy of peer ratings by 32, 28, 33 general surgery residents over 3 years were examined. Peer ratings were found highly reliable, with high level of test-retest reliability replicated across three years. Halo effects appear to pose greatest threat to rater accuracy, though chief residents tended to exhibit less halo effect than…

Offers a rationale for participation by medical students in carefully designed, socially responsible activities. Outlines a process for developing a medical school curriculum to teach social responsibility and identifies questions that should be addressed concerning the curriculum's philosophy, structure, and function. (DB)

A focus group and questionnaire gathered information on differences in the attitudes and beliefs of older medical students compared to younger students. Older students mentioned increased home responsibilities relative to peers, lack of perceived respect by attendings and residents, and use of different learning strategies; more older students…

Asserts that North American medical education favors an explicit commitment to traditional values of doctoring--empathy, compassion, and altruism--but a tacit commitment to behaviors grounded in an ethic of detachment, self-interest, and objectivity. Explores differing ways (conflation, deflation, and maintaining of values) that students respond…

Describes the successful encouragement of student research provided by the Office of Student Research Opportunities (OSRO) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The OSRO advises students, identifies faculty who want to mentor students, sponsors the Distinction in Research program, organizes an annual research day, helps fund summer and full-time…

Describes how Meharry Medical College, a 125-year-old historically Black medical school, was on the brink of closing down, but that through new leadership and partnerships, the school is financially healthy, and its students' board scores are the highest in the school's history. (EV)

Describes a program of the financial aid office at Harvard University Medical School (Massachusetts) that helps students with debt management and personal financial planning through presentations to seniors by professionals in insurance and financial planning and by offering two individual consultations with a physician financial planning…

Introduces this theme issue dealing with women's health and medical education and discusses the distinction between sex, as biologically based differences, and gender, qualities that are culturally shaped. The current plurality of efforts in women's health provide a new organizational framework for medicine and changes in medical education. (SLD)