The effect of clinical experience on diagnosis formulation was assessed by studying physicians at different levels of training. To evaluate whether physicians' knowledge of being part of an experiment affected their formation and modification of diagnoses, physicians signed consent forms and were not informed when videotaping was done. (Author/MLW)

The University of Illinois's program to recruit and retain minority students is described and discussed, focusing on the effect of granting delays in program completion and the increase in rates of on-time and delayed graduation. (MSE)

The Association of American Medical Colleges collects data on financial aid through the Liaison Committee on Medical Education annual questionnaire from its member medical schools. A summary and analysis of 1984-85 data are provided. (MLW)

A computerized, sampling instrument is described that measures continuity and comprehensiveness of care learned by medical students at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and the clinical content of the students' experience. (Author/MLW)

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine's policies regarding the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I examination affected students' exam performance. The examination was mandatory and a passing score was needed for promotion. A new mandatory review course resulted in higher scores even when the examination was no longer required.…

Faculty members and residents at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Nebraska were surveyed to determine whether there was agreement on a core of procedural skills that all internal medicine residents should be able to perform. Nineteen procedures were indicated by 90 percent or more of the respondents. (Author/MLW)

An attempt to assess the validity of the personal interview in the selection of residents for the program in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, is reported. The data suggest that the residency interview may be of greater value to applicants than to selection committees. (Author/MLW)

The primary care pediatric residency program at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has developed a training program in rural primary care. Residents experience the many facets of rural practice and are introduced to community-oriented approaches to child health care. (Author/MLW)

Medical students identified as experiencing psychiatric disturbance were compared with a control group and with the total population of students on actual interview ratings at the time of the student's application to the school. Admissions interviews provide a time for early identification of psychiatrically at-risk students. (MLW)

A total of 120 medical schools responded to a survey about their use of written student evaluations of faculty, anonymity policy, and use of the evaluations in faculty promotion, tenure, and salary decisions. Most currently use a system of regular, anonymous evaluation by students, and its continuation is recommended. (MSE)

Many students, it is argued, view medical education as a onetime requirement for the mastery of facts. They give little thought to the application of these facts or the ethical contexts in which they are used, and they are not being educated for a lifetime of learning. (MLW)

Projected labor shortages in psychiatry have prompted studies identifying factors that influence medical students in career choice. Self-images as individuals were compared with professional images of psychiatrists using subjects from internal medicine as a control group. (Author/MLW)

A course in the early detection and outpatient management of alcoholism for medical residents is discussed. Unlike other courses on alcoholism that have emphasized changes in physicians' attitudes, this course was designed to promote changes in residents' practice behavior and to foster the development of necessary clinical skills. (MLW)

Presents a summary of data collected each year by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through the Liaison Committee on Medical Education's annual questionnaires from its member medical schools on financial assistance awarded to medical students. (MLW)

Using data from a longitudinal study of medical students at Jefferson Medical College, the authors analyzed trends in senior student interest in primary care specialties between 1971 and 1975 and selected background characteristics and performance levels of students choosing family medicine compared with those in other specialties. (Author/LBH)