A study systematically reviewed published literature on graduate medical-education curricula in clinical epidemiology, critical appraisal, and evidence-based medicine (EBM). The 18 reports found in the search provide useful guidelines for medical educators but many suffer from incomplete descriptions and inadequate curriculum evaluations.…

Rural community-based graduate medical education programs in family practice generate highly trained physicians who typically settle and practice in rural communities. In response to federal funding cutbacks and revised accreditation requirements that threatened its program, the Colville, Washington, Mount Carmel Hospital agreed to fully fund its…

A survey of 702 fourth-year medical students at 18 diverse medical schools investigated student attitudes about residency program reputation and proportion of foreign medical graduates in a residency program as a factor in their program preference. Results suggest that a higher proportion of foreign graduates lessened the program's appeal, while…

A survey of 58 medical residents participating in a 1-2 month rural elective and 51 matched nonparticipants found that participants' interest in rural practice increased significantly after the elective. Respondents suggested means to increase rural career choice, barriers to rural practice, and ways of increasing the rural elective's influence on…

Interdisciplinary health care training is advocated by numerous government and philanthropic organizations. Educators in the health professions are increasingly offering training in interdisciplinary health care in a variety of contexts, including ambulatory settings. This paper describes a three-year program to teach skills in interdisciplinary…

Objective: Electronic medical records (EMRs) are becoming prevalent and integral tools for residents and medical students. EMRs can integrate point-of-service information delivery within the context of patient care. Though it may be an educational tool, little is known about how EMR technology is currently used for medical learners. Method: The…

Objective: "The Matrix" has been a huge commercial and critical success and has spawned a series of books and essays exploring the philosophical and religious themes in the story. Methods: The authors propose that "The Matrix" can be interpreted as an allegory for an individual's journey into spiritual and mental health, achieved by overcoming…

Objective: To investigate resident burnout in relation to work and home-related factors. Method: Maslach Burnout Inventory was mailed to residents in eight different medical specialties, with a response rate of 35%. Results: Overall, 50% of residents met burnout criteria, ranging from 75% (obstetrics/gynecology) to 27% (family medicine). The first…

This background paper, prepared by two members of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Strengthening the Geriatric Content of Medical Education, addresses the progress made in physicians' geriatric and gerontological education. The report appears in six chapters. After a brief introduction on health care reform and medical education, geriatric…

This report includes presentations and discussions by the Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) addressing issues related to the current supply of physicians in the United States and the role of international medical graduates (IMGs). The presentations focused on the following areas: the exchange visitor program and the use of waivers, the…

The construct validity of the standardized-patient (SP) examination used at Southern Illinois University (Springfield) School of Medicine was assessed by comparing 66 second-year and 70 fourth-year medical students on 5 SP cases. The results show sizable differences between the groups. The usefulness of passing rates the effect-size measures as a…

Based on an initial group of consensus statements developed at the Annenburg Center for Health Science Conference in November 1985, this resource manual for alcohol and other drug abuse education specifies minimum knowledge and skills levels for pediatric physicians. A first section details minimal knowledge and skills in alcohol and other drug…

Statistics about postgraduate training requirements in the main medical specialties in 26 European countries belonging to the World Health Organization are presented. It is noted that conventions vary widely from country to country concerning the designation of main specialties and subspecialties. These variations are apparent from the lengths of…

An actuarial model applied to the selection process of a special medical school program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine was tested. The 77 students in the study sample were admitted to the university's Fifth Pathway Program, which is designed for U.S. citizens who completed their medical school training, except for internship and…

Increasingly, the health care needs of older people are dominating the field of medicine and the health care system. The supply of physician gerontologists and geriatricians, the attention they pay to the special needs of the elderly, and the adequacy of their training are addressed in these hearings, which consider a Senate bill to improve the…