A total of 73 studies on the teaching of medical interviewing have been reviewed and the conclusions and implications for teaching and research are summarized. Topics include student improvement, student feedback, instructional design, interview skills, technological assistance, and patient satisfaction. (JMD)

This paper describes a course in English as a second language developed primarily for medical students. The format and methods could be adapted, however, to any program concerned with teaching students to function in a profession involving a great deal of oral communication. (Author/CFM)

Provides a description and preliminary evaluation of the CyberDoc program at the MCP-Hanhemann School of Medicine of the Allegheny University of the Health Sciences (Pennsylvania). The program allows faculty to track students' progress at off-site clerkships and allowed students to access a variety of databases, electronic mail, and other…

Four Native American first-year medical school students from Montana discuss their career choice and their goals for establishing medical practices in Native American communities. A regional program has enabled the students to take their first year of classes at Montana State University-Bozeman and to complete their studies at the University of…

A study investigated the curriculum's influence on 341 medical students' perceptions of learning environment, as measured by the Medical School Learning Environment Survey, in two public medical schools with similar problem-based learning (PBL) and conventional lecture-based learning (LBL) tracks, over three years. Results indicate PBL students'…

A survey of 185 members of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People in Medicine group, at 92 schools found that students with access to community or school support groups were significantly more likely to disclose their sexual orientation and to know faculty with whom to discuss related issues. Racial differences were found, but no gender…

A number of Appalachian initiatives aim to recruit rural doctors. West Virginia's three medical schools require all students to spend time working in rural clinics, where they develop an understanding of and connections to rural communities. In two rural Tennessee counties, East Tennessee State University maintains teaching medical practices…

To investigate whether problem-based learning leads to conceptual change, the cognitive and metacognitive processes of a group of medical students were studied during the problem analysis phase, and their verbal communication and thinking processes were analyzed. Stimulated recall of the thinking process during the discussion detected a conceptual…

Four major concepts of cognitive theory (the importance of context, students' need for transferable knowledge, importance of balancing depth and breadth of knowledge, and the role of prior knowledge in problem solving) are examined, and possible implications of each concept for the curriculum and teaching of ambulatory health care are explored.…

The use of microcomputers with programmable database software and document scanners has given the medical education community the necessary technology to manage and operate a patient-encounter log system. A clinical encounter and reporting system at the University of Arizona is described. (MLW)

A study of medical students' and internal medicine course directors' perceptions of the value of medical case write-ups and the faculty evaluations of those write-ups found broad agreement on the exercise's value but major concerns about variability of criteria and standards of write-up evaluation. (MSE)

The grade-point averages, Medical College Admission Test scores, and Student Progress Committee ratings of 75 minority students who had attended a preparatory program at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine were analyzed to determine how these variables related to the retention and progress of these students in medical school.…

Specialty choices of highest-ranking medical students, who are likely to obtain specialties of choice, were examined for evidence that control of work hours is becoming an important factor. Data from three schools indicates choice of controllable-lifestyle specialties increased significantly in the last 6-10 years. (Author/MSE)

A study investigated graduate medical students' perceptions of the effectiveness of financial incentives in recruitment to primary care residencies. Results indicated that a wide range of incentives is available, the trend is growing, and students find such incentives effective. Concern is voiced about diversion of funds needed for improvement of…

A study of 110 first-year University of Virginia medical students taking a required course in medical ethics found that the curriculum had little effect on student attitudes toward certain ethical questions or on their factual knowledge regarding particular ethical and legal issues. (Author/MSE)