Students enrolled in a behavioral science course at Washington State University were given the option of completing the behavior change project by functioning as the manager for a weight control patient. The weight control project is described and evaluation measures are discussed. (MLW)

Colorado's area health education program, the SEARCH program, designed to alleviate the maldistribution of health manpower, is described. It recruits new professionals to underserved areas through student/resident rotations and retains those professionals already there by providing accessible continuing education. (Author/MLW)

The utility of general or select response formats for evaluating certain types of clinical competence is studied. Consideration of the suitability of an examination format to fulfill its intended purpose and the appropriateness of the questions included is recommended when designing an examination. (Author/AL)

An ecosystem approach to the management of dysfunctional stress in a medical education setting is described. Students described the major stressors as information-input overload, shortage of time, inadequate feedback regarding performance, and poor quality of interpersonal relationships. Appropriate interventions were designed. (Author/MLW)

Medical and dental students were administered two short confidence-scored tests on cellular and molecular biology. Increases in test reliability and predictive validity were found when test scores were adjusted for realism, but were not statistically significant. (Author/MH)

The Horowitz case is consistent with the general reluctance of courts to sustain constitutional challenges to decisions by educators in academic matters. Precedent is heavily weighted in favor of the academic community and should be overcome in future challenges. (Journal availability: Willamette University College of Law, Salem, OR 97301, $5.00…

The use of modified essay questions (MEQs), developed at the University of Newcastle to assess clinical problem-solving, is reported. Reliability estimates as high as 0.91 were reported. The validity of assessment by MEQ was based on one model of medical problem-solving and another of cognitive skill taxonomies. (Author/MLW)

The details of a shared-schedule residency program in the Department of Pediatrics of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston are reviewed. Problems encountered are presented along with suggestions for their alleviation and the benefits of the job-sharing are discussed. Guidelines for planning such a program are offered. (Author/JMD)

The relationships between predictors of performance and subsequent measures of clinical performance in medical school were examined for two classes at Southern Illinois University of Medicine. Canonical redundancy analysis was used to evaluate the association between six academic and three biographical preselection characteristics and four…

The objectives, instruction, and evaluation in health professions course were studied by an evaluation approach to determine the degree of congruence among the three components. During the three years studied there were shifts in course content emphasis and yearly variations in the content tested. (Author/MLW)

A methodology used in the areas of anatomy terminology, behavioral science concepts, and applied mathematics both to identify students with deficiencies and to provide remediation is described. The methodology involves empirical identification of what students need to know, the use of specially constructed criterion-referenced tests, and…

In order to identify medical students with potential academic weaknesses in specific areas, traditional admissions criteria and cognitive style were correlated with levels of performance in two preclinical courses. Data were gathered from the 1978 freshman class at the Medical College of Georgia. (Author/MLW)

A training program on teaching skills for resident physicians in the East Tennessee State University College of Medicine is discussed. The microteaching method was utilized for practicing instructional techniques. Significant gains in teaching performance and in attitude toward participating in a teaching skills program were demonstrated.…

The purpose of the study reported was to determine to what extent attitudes changed over time while medical students were enrolled in a quality assurance program that incorporated clinical experience and the use of medical audits. The analysis suggests that student attitudes did change over time and became less favorable toward quality assurance.…

The participation of American Indians in the United States medical education system is reported. Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges are analyzed for trends over the last decade, and prospects for the near future are considered. Indications are that participation has been low and will continue to lag unless steps are taken. (JMD)