Educational alternatives to the lecture format in medicine should be considered. The case study is seen as one of the best teaching tools available to medical educators and is especially useful for teaching laboratory medicine. The use of case studies in a pathology department is described. (MLW)

Student characteristics needed for professional literature reading were compared in first- and fourth-year students. Fourth-year students read more, valued reviews over original research, valued journals' reputations more, but were less willing to admit uncertainty. Medical education's emphasis on specific answers rather than analysis is faulted.…

Use and validity of externally-produced comprehensive examinations as instruments for promotion and as mechanisms for evaluating curriculum is discussed. Pros and cons of this single route to licensure and effects on student ethics are discussed. A national test bank is proposed as an alternative. (Author/MSE)

The perceived problems of medical students were compared with those of students in the other health sciences colleges at the same institution. The medical students were found to have the same spectrum of perceived problems but complained of these problems significantly more intensely on 35 items. (Author/MLW)

Two major Washington, DC medical training facilities conducted a project to train residents in clinical teaching skills. Residents receiving training were comparatively more confident as teachers, received more positive feedback on their teaching, and were judged by faculty, students, and peers as more effective. (Author/MSE)

Evaluation of the impact of medical students on patient satisfaction, as expressed by patients' parents, and on visit length in a hospital-based pediatrics clinic showed that students' visits are longer but yield somewhat more parent satisfaction. This suggests parent willingness to accept time costs associated with teaching in the program.…

A study of factors affecting specialty choice before residency shows clerkship and role models to be most beneficial. Student experiences in the first three years of medical school were most detrimental, although most students select specialties in the third and fourth years. Implications for medical school policy are discussed. (MSE)

An analysis of data from the National Study of Internal Medicine Manpower and the National Resident Matching Program is presented. The degree of congruence of the data is determined and the potential of answering questions about why and when certain career choices are made is discussed. (MLW)

Problems created by noninternal medicine residents rotating on internal medicine services, development of a curriculum which would adequately prepare residents for practice, and recruitment of more competent house officers are discussed. Strategies for improving teaching in the ambulatory environment are suggested. (MLW)

Eighty-four third- and fourth-year medical students participated in three clerkship groups: one with no formal attention paid to interviewing skills, one using readings, and one using observations, videotaped interviewing, and readings with formal feedback. The last method caused most improvement in interviewing skills. (MSE)

Little striking difference was found between students choosing psychiatry as a first career choice and those choosing it second or third. Results imply recruiting students in the last two groups for psychiatry specialization may be difficult, based on their attitudes about scientific advancement and social status in the profession. (MSE)

The extent to which laboratory investigation by interns and residents could be considered "excessive" on general medical floors at a teaching hospital is assessed. The ordering of tests by attending physicians was compared with that of residents at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal, Canada. (MLW)

Two methods of assessing medical students' problem-solving skills were compared in actual use: a modified essay question and a structured oral examination based on it. The reliability and validity of each were found to be similar. (MSE)

A group of students entered a special family practice curriculum track, and later selected residencies in family practice at a higher rate than classmates who expressed interest in the program but were not selected to participate, and than freshmen not preferring family practice. Most seniors also changed their freshman specialty preferences. (MSE)

A survey to determine medical student perceptions of an honor code and the attitudes of medical students toward personal adherence to the provisions of an honor code at the University of Alabama School of Medicine is presented. Support was compromised by the reluctance of students to report suspected violations. (MLW)