Physicians (N=9) serving internships in family medicine participated in a counselor education program, which consisted of ten weekly meetings. The purpose of the sessions was to provide some orientation to personality dynamics and counseling theory and application. Outcomes and implications are reported. (Author)

Results from a sample of 160 medical and 79 law students revealed that medical students know less about sex and hold less tolerant views towards others' sexual behavior. Evidence of a double standard was not found, but the data reinforce the need for medical sex education to equip doctors with both knowledge and a tolerant attitude. (Author/LBH)

This empirical study tested the effects of a systematically-designed training program to help medical students develop empathetic responses to patients and to attend not just to disease symptoms. Results indicate the success of the program. (Editor/LBH)

Preliminary AAMC data indicate that the slight decreases in the size of the applicant pool observed for the last two years will continue for 1977-1978. Statistics on total applications, women and minority applicants, and mean MCAT scores are reported. (Author/LBH)

Medical students' attitudes towards concepts in sexuality before and after a five-day sexuality course were tested at the University of Miami School of Medicine and evaluated with Osgood's Semantic Differential. Concepts rated were "my sexuality,""masturbation,""homosexuality," and "my role in understanding…

Reasons for choosing dentistry as a profession were analyzed among first-year dental students at the University of Toronto. An extrinsic motivation, financial reward, was found to be the most widespread, but other widely-chosen motivations were intrinsic, including working with people, stimulating work, and being autonomous. (LBH)

A total of 350 medical students completed a questionnaire dealing with various aspects of a career in medicine, including specialty preference and choice decisions. Difference between specialty preference and choice were found for the total group as well as for male and female comparisons. Factors contributing to the differences are discussed.…

Nonphysician women instructors from a women's health center taught the pelvic examination to second-year Harvard Medical School students. Demonstrating the procedure and acting as subjects, they also showed how patients can be offered explanations of the procedure and their own health during the examination. (Author/LBH)

Three consecutive classes (213 students) entering the medical school under a flexible-time three-year curriculum could opt for extending their program by a year or more. Of the 30 percent who so opted, a majority did due to a desire for a better personal or academic "life-style" rather than for specific academic reasons. (Author/LBH)

A followup study of predictions made based on psychiatric tests and psychological interviews of medical students in the 1940s found that neither the interviews nor the tests predicted the participants' mental or physical health or their occupational or marital adjustment as of 1982. (MSE)

A survey of medical students at the University of California-Irvine, California College of Medicine regarding their views on the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the problem of fraud and abuse in these programs is reported. Explanations for fraud and abuse focused on physicians' attitudes and motivations. (Author/MLW)

A family medicine preceptorship program is outlined and students' reactions to it are discussed. The reactions of the preceptors to the program components and to the student participants are described. (MLW)

The passing standards of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) were empirically evaluated by analyzing the distributions of examination scores received by 1,994 graduates of one medical school in relation to the clinical competence ratings given them by their first-year residency directors. Results indicate no need for changes in the…

Good communication skills are necessary to conduct an effective interview and to establish a therapeutic alliance between the physician and patient. A reliable performance-based instrument for measuring a broad range of interview skills was developed and used to evaluate the effect of an interviewing course. (MLW)

Two clerkship formats were compared--one stressing intensive student responsibility for patient care and the other stressing traditional student participation. The students preferred a clerkship that gave them more responsibility. (MLW)