Medical students interviewed a simulated patient who presented one of five main complaints, and the interview was videotaped. Postintervention interviews conducted by students in two groups that used the self-instruction videotape received significantly higher ratings than those in the control group. (Author/MLW)

An accelerated B.S.-M.D. program called the Honors Program in Medicine (HPM) at the University of Miami is described. HPM and traditional program students were surveyed about accelerated medical education. Both HPM and traditional students were satisfied with their own preparation for medical school. (Author/MLW)

A study to determine whether affective skills could be taught to residents in a family practice center without placing arduous constraints on their schedules is described. Residents at the University of Louisville Department of Family Practice were videotaped during a regular patient visit and then scheduled for review sessions. (MLW)

The use of efficient organization of knowledge and of problem-solving strategies to enhance medical students' clinical problem-solving skills were assessed. Information for the experimental group emphasized disease groupings, symptom-disease associations, and clinical problem-solving heuristics. The experimental group acquired higher ratio of…

A survey of community hospital residents' understanding of and attitude toward the psychiatry curriculum in a family practice residency program found generally negative attitudes and low levels of completion of the required program competencies, despite generally favorable attitudes and completion rates in other disciplines. (MSE)

Construct validity was investigated for three tests of clinical competence in medicine: National Board of Medical Examiners examination (NBME), California Psychological Inventory (CPI), and Resident Evaluation Form (REF). Scores from 166 residents were analyzed. Results suggested low construct validity for CPI and REF scales, and moderate…

A course in communication skills for medical students at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is described. Three issues are examined: the effectiveness of behavioral scientists and physicians as course instructors, the value of videotaped role-playing exercises, and the value of trained actors and medical students as simulated patients.…

Many undergraduate medical curricula have been criticized for not adequately preparing graduates to be independent problem-solvers able to analyze clinical and published evidence. A program in the critical appraisal of medical literature at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine is described. (MLW)

Two separate reliability studies were conducted on an observational instrument derived from previous qualitative research and designed for collecting data on teaching behaviors during attending rounds. The reliability estimates from both studies were quite high, indicating that the instrument shows promise for use in both research and evaluation…

The Resident Evaluation Form (REF) was developed to assess resident physicians' clinical performance. This research sought to empirically evaluate the intuitively derived REF scales representing areas of clinical performance: interpersonal ability, cognitive ability, clinical skills, and professional attributes. Analysis yielded cognitive…

In a survey of a national, stratified random sample of graduate medical educational program directors regarding the way they selected their residents, the interview was found to be the most important selection variable. The results indicate that the recent increase in competition for residency positions has increased the importance of academic…

A study is reported that examined whether the status of preceptors was related to the rating of their teaching ability in a history-taking course by first-year medical students and whether the students' performances were affected by preceptor status. (MLW)

A study of the influence of a psychiatrist accompanying pediatric residents in daily rounds on residents' attention to psychosocial issues in patient care showed no change in notes taken in the psychiatrist's presence, but the presence of notes did vary with follow-up plans, consultations ordered, and admission and discharge diagnoses. (MSE)

Experience on the traditional internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, and psychiatry clerkships was compared with the experience on a family medicine clerkship. The family medicine clerkship offered the most experience with circulatory, respiratory, digestive, neurological, musculoskeletal, and skin problems and with…

Describes a course titled Analytic Medicine which is intended to provide the opportunity and the necessary skills, through a problem-oriented approach, for medical students to learn to reason scientifically and to utilize analytic processes, including computers, in making clinical decisions. (Author/MLW)