A system of patient handling was devised at the University of Virginia. All unscheduled primary care patients as well as walk-in patients making their third visit were seen in the Attending Clinic to assure a proper disposition. Data on this system and its usefulness in maintaining continuity are presented. (Editor/LBH)

Data are provided on wives' influence on medical students' decisions about their choice of medical speciality, organization of practice (solo or group), and geographical location of practice. Interviews and questionnaires provided the information from a group of wives of Medical College of Ohio medical students. (LBH)

At the George Washington University School of Medicine a 52-hour course in emergency care was adapted for first-year medical students from an 81-hour program for training emergency medical technicians. (Author/LBH)

Students in undergraduate surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston participated in a comparison study of bedside teaching and small group seminars. No special advantage for bedside teaching could be documented when two very similar groups of students were evaluated. (LBH)

Presents rationale and a systematic procedure for the construction, implementation, and analysis of student feedback data which will provide both valid and reliable information about specific areas of the educational process that are controllable by instructors. Information can be combined with other factors and used for continuous improvement of…

A study of physicians who had graduated from or had matriculated without graduating from dental school prior to entering a medical school focused on reasons for career choices, medical school admissions process, academic perfromance in both schools, medical specialty, and attitudes toward dentistry and medicine. (Editor/JT)

Maintains that medical students should learn more about psychology. Briefly describes why medical students have not learned more about psychology, discusses the aspects of psychology most relevant to the needs of medical students, and suggests teaching formats to accomplish this goal. (JR)

Five interweaving themes are discussed: the meaning of graduate education; who should control specialization; the role of residents in filling hospital needs; whether graduate medical education is a university responsibility; and how far the distribution of residencies should match perceived manpower needs. (LBH)

Seventy-one psychiatric resident-supervisory dyads were studied in terms of Schutz's interpersonal theory of compatibility, and personality changes were measured with Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Scale. Predictions relating compatibility to satisfaction with the dyad and competence ratings were not confirmed.…

Students were evaluated in five categories: fund of knowledge, medical skills, problem-solving, professional standards, and reliability. The results indicate that the students performed equally well in most areas, and little difference in clinical performance could be demonstrated between the groups. (Editor/LBH)

There is an acute need to revise premedical advising to better meet the needs of students. Medical schools should share the responsibility and initiative in creating a system whereby career choices are made by positive actions on the part of students rather than by trial and error or default. (Author/LBH)

The skills of interns in obtaining body fluids for analysis were observed after six months of a categorical internal medicine program. The results suggest that training in the proper technique in lumbar puncture in medical schools is inadequate. Recommendations for improvement are offered. (LBH)

An inexpensive videotape testing system has been developed at the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Medical TV-Cinematography at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The development and validation of a test using this system to assess observational skills important for accurate physical diagnosis are described. (LBH)

A survey of residents at five training hospitals concerning the variables affecting physicians' practice behavior in treating alcoholism supported the view that alcohol-related training and experience would influence practice behavior more than attitudes or knowledge. (MSE)

From 1978 through 1982, pretests and posttests of second-year medical students' attitudes toward substance abuse and its treatment showed that positive attitude change could be achieved during a substance-abuse course. However, course scheduling in competition with demanding basic science course hampered development of positive attitudes. (MSE)