At the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, we developed a voluntary senior-mentor program, the Senior Teacher Educator Partnership (STEP), for first- and second-year medical students. Using qualitative research methods, we examined the impact of STEP on medical students' attitudes and then assessed the congruence of what is learned…

The first edition of this handbook provided descriptions of the existing offices for women in medicine at 6 medical schools and examples of the programs in place at about 50 additional schools. The goals of both the first and second editions are the same: to give support and ideas to Women Liaison Officers (WLOs). The second edition, however, goes…

The level of confidence in pass/fail decisions obtained with computer adaptive tests (CATs) was compared to decisions based on paper-and-pencil tests. Subjects included 645 medical technology students from 238 educational programs across the country. The tests used in this study constituted part of the subjects' review for the certification…

This guide compiles information reported by medical schools on their efforts to help students develop a sound code of professional ethics. The introduction opens with background information on an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 1992 survey of medical schools and on why it is imperative that schools assist medical students' ethical…

In problem-based learning, an instrument is needed to measure students' actual learning activities. Mapping the domain of learning activities undertaken by students and improving problems is especially important in a problem-based curriculum because students choose their own learning objectives. Such an instrument, the Topic Evaluation…

The ways in which a rating scale developed for problem-based medical curricula provides information that is useful in the area of curriculum reform were demonstrated in a study involving 95 first-year medical students at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada). The rating scale, based on the theory of problem-based learning of W. H.…

The design and evaluation of a rating scale for program evaluation in problem-based medical curricula are described. The design process was guided by a theory of how students learn in problem-based learning as modeled by W. H. Gijselaers and H. G. Schmidt (1988). The rating scale was used in an evaluation of a new problem-based, community-oriented…

This paper presents results of a study examining the relationship between the American Board of Surgery's In-Training Examination and its Qualifying Examination. 1982 Test scores on both examinations of 764 candidates in their fifth year of training as Chief Residents were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and standard errors were…

When test questions are not intended to measure language skills, it is important to know if language is an extraneous characteristic that affects item performance. This study investigates whether certain stylistic changes in the way items are presented affect item performance on examinations for a health profession. The subjects were medical…

Sixteen Family Practice faculty members completed ratings on 59 senior medical students after a 6-week primary care clerkship. Each student was rated by seven to ten faculty members and the chief residents who worked with them, resulting in a total of 353 ratings. The rating scale covered: (1) attainment of learning objectives; (2) progress during…

This paper describes an analysis of facilitation of a student-centered problem-based learning group. The focus of this analysis was to understand the goals and strategies of an expert facilitator in support of collaborative learning. This was accomplished through interaction analysis using video data and stimulated recall to examine two PBL group…

The present state of the law is reviewed regarding the "employees" status of graduate and teaching assistants, research fellows, interns, residents, and clinical fellows at various colleges, universities, medical schools, and teaching hospitals. Treatment of these groups as "student" and/or "employees" requires consideration of the unique…

Expenses that health professions students incurred, sources of income to meet those expenditures, and indebtedness incurred by the students during the 1976-77 school year were studied. A questionnaire, which is appended, was mailed to a sample of students registered in schools of dentistry, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry,…

The Eastern Virginia Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program provides the organization and funding for implementing substantial linkages among the Eastern Virginia Medical School, affiliated institutions, and health-care professions; and establishing a center in the adjacent geographic services areas. The Bureau of Health Manpower contract…

A longitudinal study has been conducted on 1960 graduates of a stratified sample of 28 medical schools to provide information on physician characteristics as they relate to career decisions. This 1976 followup study, with a response rate of 73 percent, provides information on the practices of 1,850 respondents. Of approximately 900 items of…