An article was published in the December 1985 issue of this journal that used LISREL to investigate the relationship between family medicine residents' moral reasoning and their clinical performance (Sheehan). The data from that study are reanalyzed to illustrate the importance of considering alternative structural equation models in evaluation…

The effectiveness of using nonmedical personnel to evaluate medical students' performance on medical history-taking and physical examination was studied at Mercer University School of Medicine. Advantages in using nonphysician observers were that they were more available, economical, and attentive. (MLW)

A study comparing the residency training performances of students who had had academic difficulty and a control group of students with no significant academic difficulties concluded that institutional decisions concerning academically troubled students should be based on individual situations. (MSE)

The performance of graduates of an accelerated six-year combined B.S.-M.D. degree program was compared with that of graduates following the regular curriculum at the Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Cumulative medical school grade-point averages, Federation Licensing Examination scores, and failure rates for the two groups were compared.…

Differences between physicians and medical students in their recall of information from clinical problems were investigated. The focus of the study was on the recognition and recall of critical cues within cases as a function of problem difficulty and the organization of clinical information. (Author/MLW)

Data from a study of students in an applicant pool invited for interview by New York Medical College suggest there may be differences in attitudes and personal qualities among different categories of undergraduate majors that may have implications for the doctor-patient relationship. (MLW)

Unexpected absences from work among residents cause scheduling difficulties and stress among residents. University of Rochester internal medicine and pediatric residents recorded the days they had been absent from work and provided their opinions regarding the stress these absences caused and the effectiveness for the sick-call system. (Author/MLW)

A two-week elective to introduce medical students to primary care internal medicine was developed and evaluated. Course time is divided between conference sessions and office experience. Evaluations by students consisted of a questionnaire of conference topics, the student's ability to carry out course objectives, and the preceptor's teaching…

The perceptions of medical students and faculty mentors, called docents, regarding the docents' role was examined. Activities were rated on the basis of how often they would be carried out ideally by a docent and on the basis of how often they were actually carried out. (Author/MLW)

A comprehensive program evaluation designed to encourage active participation by the faculty, residents, and staff members involved in a residency program in primary care pediatrics is described. The evaluation was based on an approach in which continual review of instructional objectives and learning experiences ensured continual monitoring of…

There has been an increase in teaching aimed at improving the physician-patient relationship in conjunction with teaching the medical interview. Unconscious, unrecognized responses of a trainee to a patient may explain failure of the trainee to use newly acquired knowledge on interviewing. (Author/MLW)

A four-session training component linking a pediatric residency program with a school- and home-based early handicap intervention program was found to be effective in introducing residents to issues concerning intervention with handicapped infants. (MSE)

Issues concerning the care of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) that need to be addressed in the medical literature include the need for education of medical trainees about AIDS and the question of whether medical students should be subjected to the same risks as licensed medical personnel. (MSE)

Students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York taking a required clinical clerkship in geriatrics were surveyed before and after the clerkship on their knowledge of geriatrics, attitudes toward the elderly, and evaluation of the rotation. (Author/MLW)

A study of cancer screening by internal medicine residents in an inner-city clinic revealed that screening was more frequent for male patients, and breast examinations and Pap smears were performed on less than a third of female patients, suggesting a need for more intensive early-detection education of residents. (MSE)