Opinions were obtained from residents, family medicine faculty, and attending physicians familiar with an established family medicine residency program regarding the tasks that family doctors should and should not perform. (LBH)

How students used computers and Internet access in the day-to-day work of the problem-based learning (PBL) classroom was studied with second year medical students working in small learning groups. Fifteen students, one from each PBL group, met as a focus group to discuss computer and Internet use. Several themes emerged from the discussions.…

This study conducted in the Netherlands examines the role of student-generated learning issues in a problem-based curriculum. The first questions was in which way students make use of the learning issues generated (as strict guidelines or as global guidelines) and does this differ between years of training? The second questions was what the…

Using techniques that combine community health services with a learning situation, Boston area medical students interviewed people within a community to determine whether existing medical facilities meet or fail to meet their health needs. (LP)

A five-year experience with process-oriented discussion groups at annual four-day, off-campus retreats attended by University of Maryland School of Medicine students, faculty, and "significant others" is reported. Questionnaires sent to participants after the retreats indicated significant satisfaction with them. (Author/MLW)

A survey of medical school deans of student affairs revealed that all provided counseling services and one-third of the respondents felt they were inadequate. Of the student representatives surveyed, most respondents said the services were underused because of poor communication, problems of initial contacts, and concern about confidentiality.…

A study of first-year medical students' evaluations of faculty shows higher ratings for teachers following set routines in class. Caring for students and facilitating learning were seen as the most important teacher qualities. Regular, intermittent criterion-based observations were preferred to a single semester rating. (MSE)

Private patients surveyed generally were favorable to resident involvement in their care. Most would allow limited responsibilities in residents: history-taking, physical examination, and visit scheduling. Most wished faculty consultation at each visit and advance knowledge of the resident's participation. (MSE)

A series of workshops demonstrating technical skills and practical procedures in internal medicine was conducted for fourth-year medical students. The workshops provided the students the chance to observe and in some situations to perform the technical procedures under supervision before beginning their residencies. (Author/MLW)

An Albany Medical College program utilizes private internists' offices as sites for resident ambulatory education. The private practitioner is perceived as an excellent teacher and role model who provides a positive effect on the long-term career goals of residents. (MLW)

Medical students at the State University of New York's Downstate Medical Center initiated and carried out a voluntary project to screen lipids (cholesterol) to identify known coronary risk factors. The incidence of coronary disease factors among these students and the response of students with high cholesterol levels are reported. (Authors/PP)

A comparison of resident and faculty teaching behaviors found that predominant overall behaviors were responding to student questions and addressing psychosocial and problem-solving issues. Residents spent more time at the bedside and saw more patients in their sessions. The roles are seen as complementary and not duplicative. (Author/MSE)

Evaluated the impact of adding a brief unit on aging to the first-year curriculum of a school of osteopathic medicine. Analyses revealed a mild but significant improvement in knowledge and attitudes with respect to the elderly. Subjective responses to the program were very positive. (Author)

A study of family medicine residents' preferences for the content areas of family medicine emphasized by those attending physicians perceived by the residents as the "best" clinical teachers is discussed. Specific teaching behaviors are identified, and a statistical analysis of the preferences of residents is provided. (Author/MLW)

Supported by this experimental study was the hypothesis that science process skills of premedical and predental students could be improved by a semester-long course modeled after the AAAS Science - A Process Approach curriculum. Recommendations are made regarding the inclusion of science process skills in college science courses. (CS)