Medical students' (N=18) were interviewed as part of the evaluation of an innovative Longitudinal Introduction of Clinical Medicine program. Three themes emerged: the importance of experiences with patients; the differences in the effect of patient contact in the first versus the second year; and the educational structure that makes patient…

Follow-up, using logistic regression analysis, of 371 underrepresented minority students who completed an intensive, nine-week pre-admission program prior to acceptance into medical school found performance in the program predicted whether participants would: (1) apply to medical school, (2) get accepted, and (3) graduate. Implications for…

Describes a three-year course at Ben Gurion University (Israel) to develop attitudes and skills necessary for patient-centered medicine. The course uses directed reading, open discussion, case presentations, role-playing, and Balint groups to develop skills at four levels: doctor-patient communication; family systems theory; family systems…

Examines the relations among self-consciousness, attribution of responsibility, and differentiation of emotions by interviewing 30 Israeli medical students. Finds that in terms of student-patient interactions, students high in public self-consciousness made more internal attributions while students high in private self-consciousness made more…

A study assessed borrowing patterns of 3,495 indebted medical students at Thomas Jefferson University (Pennsylvania) in relation to changes in cost of education, parents' income, availability of grant funding, legislative changes to loan eligibility criteria, and average interest rates on federal unsubsidized loans. Results show students borrow…

A study of 406 Brown University (Rhode Island) medical students found slightly over half had undergraduate majors in science or mathematics, a third majored in the humanities or social sciences, and a tenth had double majors or independent concentrations. No statistically significant difference was found between medical school performances of the…

A study of 1,792 rural hospitals with fewer than 200 beds found an increase of 100-200 admissions per resident--more for smaller hospitals and fewer for larger hospitals. Because increased admissions improve the financial health and continued operation of rural hospitals, this study confirms the importance of education-based strategies in ensuring…

Results of the fall 1993 administration of part two of the Medical Council of Canada's Evaluating Examination for 744 candidates provided evidence of the consistency of the pass/fail and cutting score definitions for the objective- structured clinical examination stations used across examiners. These results support the validity of this…

This article discusses the characteristics of the medical students and physicians who have been diagnosed as having learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorders and suggests appropriate accommodations that should be made by medical schools and testing agencies. The organization Medical H.E.L.P. (Higher Education for Learning Problems)…

Analysis of 400 dreams reported by medical students and house staff at a major academic medical center examined development of the two components of humanistic medicine: empathy and humanistic attitudes. Suggests that "critical episodes" of medical education produce emotional and psychological defenses in young physicians that affect their ability…

Examined data on the pool of applicants to U.S. medical schools from 1974-1999 for changes in size and demographics and to identify factors that may be associated with such changes. Found that increases in the proportions of women and Asian/Pacific Islander applicants were the driving force in the expansion of the applicant pool. (EV)

This three-part article begins with a brief presentation of a framework that describes different approaches to conduct and report research on expert knowledge. The framework contrasts "direct vs. indirect" approaches and provides examples of each. Second, the article gives a detailed description of the methods and results of three…

This article presents findings from an empirical study on the relations between the variables comprising learning mechanisms in small collaborative groups. Variables comprising the central learning mechanisms component were "task related interactions," "knowledge elaborations," and "subjective estimation of knowledge acquisition." Student related…

Recent work has emphasised the relevance of evolutionary processes to medical thinking and practice. However, medical curricular revisions, in reducing basic science content, have often excluded evolution. This study establishes the extent of inclusion of evolution in UK medical courses, reports on the level of medical student rejection of…

Objectives: To examine gender differences in attitudes towards nutrition therapy within first- and fourth-year medical students. Methods: Participants (n=128) completed a computer self-administered questionnaire assessing attitudes towards nutrition therapy. Results: Analysis of covariance revealed that females report significantly more positive…