A weekly, hour-long seminar held for medical residents in a county hospital helped house staff members in making psychiatric diagnoses, understanding how psychiatric difficulties are part of medical problems, learning the use of psychtropic drugs, being able to provide support and continuing of care, and developing communication skills. (LBH)

Personality traits of women students in medicine, pharmacy, medical technology, physical therapy, dietetics, and occupational therapy were examined. Medical students were found to be guided more by thinking than feelings; pharmacy students prefer well-planned, routine work; occupational therapy students, changing situations and flexibility.…

The audit of medical care in primary care practices has proven to be a valuable tool for teaching the essentials of efficient health care delivery to medical students at the University of Vermont. Practice standards and methods are continually revised based on the audit of the providers of care and the curriculum is updated based on student…

A pilot summer project under the auspices of the Protective Services Resource Institute has been developed at New Jersey-Rutgers Medical School in which medical students work alongside professional social workers with families in which abuse and neglect are potential or actual problems. (LBH)

A competency-based training model is presented which specifies competencies, achievement methods, and evaluation procedures for a clerkship in mental retardation. Focus is on developing practical skills and a positive orientation toward developmental problems. Evaluative measures for 12 students showed positive knowledge and attitude changes.…

A study to assess the value of the dean's letter of recommendation as a predictor of internship performance compared information in dean's letters with the evaluation made by clinical staff during internship and found no significant correlation between the two. (JT)

In the behavioral science course for medical students at the University of Adelaide, students observe behavior in different treatment settings and then write an essay applying behavioral science concepts to what they have observed. Student reaction has been positive and the program is successful in providing students with an unbiased view of…

Results of the Patient Encounter Project are reported, which documented all clinical experiences of 36 medical students for seven months in the Rural Physician Associate Program and compared these experiences with those of a control group of 26 third-year students in the regular curriculum at the University of Minnesota.

The use of survey results as an aid in making decisions about curriculum development is described. Compared are responses from a group of graduating medical students with the responses from a group of community physicians regarding agreement of opinion concerning primary care practice. (Author/LBH)

Income levels for all U.S. families, for families with third- and fourth-year college students, and for families with actual applicants and acceptees to medical school are examined. The data show that medical schools do accept slightly smaller percentages of low income students and larger percentages of high income students than are represented in…

A study of the correlation between certification test results and ratings of clinical competence for graduate medical students in internal medicine during a six-year period found strong correlations on both individual and general indicators of competence. (MSE)

An ambulatory medicine program for university hospital clinic residents was found to be effective in improving students' knowledge, enhancing attitudes toward the clinic, and improving performance of influenza vaccinations. No adverse program effects were found. (MSE)

A study of first-year and second-year medical students found that risk for eating disorders was greater for female students, risk for drug abuse was unrelated to gender, and psychosocial impairment and depression were associated with risk for either eating disorders or substance abuse. (MSE)

Women and men medical students' (N=192) intended commitments to profession and family were explored at three times during their training. Over time all students' intended hours in profession increased and hours in family decreased. Global-level measures suggested change in division of domestic labor among women and men, but specific-level measures…

A study at the Licenciate in Medicine in Spain showed the best predictors of first-year medical school grades to be science course grades, the overall admission test score, and the test score average. Implications for admissions and counseling are discussed. (Author/MSE)