A longitudinal study of 175 students entering the University of Maryland Medical School in 1982 found initial specialty preference a poor predictor of later specialty choice, and intolerance of ambiguity was not significantly associated with either initial medical specialty preferences or choices at graduation despite dramatic specialty changes…

A national survey investigated current programs directed toward gay and lesbian medical students and to identify their perceptions, needs, and wishes. Results show support services are limited, and those existing vary in class size, institutional affiliation, and geographic region. Homosexuality is taught in a circumscribed way in most medical…

Administered Suicide Opinion Questionnaire to 100 medical students from Japan and 100 medical students from the United States (80 percent males, 20 percent females). Found significant differences on Right to Die, Normality, and Aggression scales between Japanese and U.S. students, and significant gender differences on Religion and Impulsivity…

In prospective study of 1,046 male medical students, those who later committed suicide (n=13) showed heightened sensitivity in stressful situations as assessed by Habits of Nervous Tension Questionnaire. Revealed two items as strongest suicide predictors: irritability and urinary frequency. No other risk factors for suicide emerged from family…

Examined effect of experimental program in gerontology and geriatrics on third-year medical students. Experimental students (n=45) participated in four group sessions emphasizing psychological, sociodemographic, and physiological aspects of aging and interpersonal communication skills. Participants developed more positive attitudes and…

Argues to use invitational approach in medical education. Compares elements of Problem-based Learning with invitational philosophy, thereby offering another arena for this emerging theory of practice. Concludes that Problem-based Learning is an ally of invitational approaches and is an offspring of the thinking that also created International…

Performed generalizability analyses of expert ratings and computer-produced scores for a computer-delivered performance assessment of physicians' patient management skills. The two automated scoring systems produced scores for the 200 medical students that were approximately as generalizable as those produced by the four expert raters. (SLD)

Presents an ethnographic study into whether or not reading and writing about literature helps medical students communicate more effectively in the physician-patient encounter. Demonstrates that although medical students were embedded in the discourse of medicine, reflective writing enabled them to conceive medicine as an interpretive, personal,…

Using the Defining Issues Test, the moral reasoning of 95 Texas A&M University medical students was measured at the beginning of their first semester, after a required first-semester medical ethics course, and after their fourth year. Results show significantly increased moral reasoning at the second and third test administrations, with women…

Examines whether the individual personality characteristic of power motivation increases during medical school. Recorded interviews with a diverse group of medical students at two points in time were coded for power motivation. Results showed that white students' power motivation decreased, whereas minority students' levels remained the same,…

Describes a student-centered, open evaluation system used in the University of Sydney's problem-based medical program. Describes how quantitative and qualitative student feedback is collected for individuals, groups, and years, and how the feedback is managed to effectively support improvement in course quality. (EV)

To determine personal and clinical exercise-related attitudes and behaviors of freshmen U.S. medical students, we surveyed 1,906 entering freshman medical students (response rate=87%; average age=24 years) in 17 U.S. medical schools. Students reported a median of 45 min/day of exercise, 80 min/week each of mild and moderate exercise, and 100…

Oddi's 24-item Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI) is an instrument that has been used frequently to measure self-directed learning. Although three previous studies have assessed OCLI's underlying dimensions, the conflicting results of those studies prompted this further investigation that used a series of factor analyses of the 250 responses…

Objective: To evaluate how well a group of recently trained pediatric chief residents could label anatomic structures on two different photographs of female prepubertal genitalia. Additionally, the study sought to explore aspects of pediatric training in sexual abuse and clinical practice issues surrounding the routine genital examination. Method:…

Investigates the predictive value of written longitudinal tests (progress tests), block-related written tests, and OSCEs in relation to peer-rated competence of medical students. (Author/SOE)