A study is described that identified a set of measureable skills, evaluated the effects of a simulated patient program on students' observed interview skills, and tested the ability of trained simulators to evaluate interview skills by comparing simulator ratings and faculty ratings of the same interviews. (MLW)

The effect of personal belongings on perceptions of the elderly in institutions was tested through color slides in two groups of medical students. The elderly person surrounded by personal belongings was perceived in a less negative way than the same person in bare surroundings. (Author)

The specialty choice of Black citizens in residence as of September 1977 is compared with the choice pattern of all physicians certified by specialty boards as of December 1977. Results indicate that the choice patterns of Blacks are almost identical to those of all board certified physicians with the implication that the choices of Blacks are…

National data on 74,265 physicians from seven graduation cohorts (1970-1976) reveal that the increasing proportion of women in medical school has resulted in a trend toward more similar career patterns for men and women in several important areas, including specialty choice and duration of graduate medical education. (Author/JMD)

Research literature dealing with physicians' attitudes toward alcoholism, reasons for their feelings, and attempts to change them through teaching is reviewed. It is suggested that, due to the limited time in the medical school curriculum, emphasis should be on physician attitudes. A Yale-VA Medical Center course on alcoholism is described.…

A survey of student characteristics and attitudes toward nonspecialist general practice was undertaken in order to supply an input into the teaching strategies of the Department of Community Health at the University of Melbourne. The results include an indication that students interested in general practice need stronger training in the importance…

To determine the effectiveness of teaching interpersonal skills in medical school, interview behaviors of 46 general internal medicine interns and residents from 24 schools were evaluated. Measures of interview skills included three independent videotape ratings of actual patient interviews. Telephone and mail interview forms assessed training…

A total of 482 third- and fourth-year medical students were rated over four-week periods, by multiple raters, house officers, and attending faculty, on 15 behavior rating scales. The data were factor analyzed, revealing two consistently appearing factors: interpersonal skills and problem solving. (Author/GDC)

Questionnaires, returned by nurses and clinical year medical students at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center and Portland Veterans Administration hospitals, were examined to clarify how well traditional teaching strategy is meeting medical students' need to acquire competency in clinical ward skills. A need for increased and systematic…

All medical students at the Shackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, who participated in a six-week psychiatric clerkship met once a week in "experimental groups." The results indicate the group was the most significant personal and learning experience of the clerkship, improving interpersonal communication, empathy and sensitivity.…

This study of the role of medical school admissions committees as it relates to the mental health of applicants focuses on the composition of the committees and policies for applicants with former mental health problems. The impact of federal legislation regarding the handicapped on admissions procedures is discussed. (Author/JMD)

At the University of Miami Department of Family Medicine, resident peer review committees have sole responsibility for the peer review process and share responsibility with faculty committees for evaluation, discipline, promotion, certification, and dismissal of interns and residents. The review process and methods are discussed. (JMD)

A simulated Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was administered to 39 premedical students two weeks prior to the new MCAT. High correlations between simulated and active test scores were obtained in the biology, chemistry, physics, science problems, reading, and quantitative areas. (MH)

The results of a retrospective study of the psychiatry residency classes entering the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine between 1970 and 1975 show no significant difference in performance evaluations between residents in the graded and pass/fail groups. The two cohorts received almost identical overall grades. (JMD)

An investigation to examine the value of a support group technique designed to assist medical students during their clerkships in psychiatry is reported. The Planned Change Model of Personal Growth was tested to determine its effect on the students' attitude toward themselves. (JMD)