In the University of South Dakota's medical school clerkship program, students may choose one of three ambulatory-care settings. In one, the curriculum is problem based and student centered to enhance student interest in primary care. The new program has been successful and well received and is being further developed. (MSE)

A discussion of whether the pharmaceutical externship/clerkship experience fulfills all or part of the required internship distinguishes between the two program types, looks at what has been learned from the externship/clerkship, and outlines what still is needed if the externship/clerkship is to be accepted by pharmacy boards as fulfilling…

Drawing from survey data (n=138 medical schools in the United States and Canada), a study analyzed medical schools' systems for evaluating student progress in clinical experiences. The 4-stage model used by most schools, common and unique characteristics, and 17 symptoms of system errors, signaling a need for system review, are outlined.…

A popular required family medicine clerkship at Jefferson Medical College (Pennsylvania) suggests that ambulatory care can be taught as a core component of the clinical curriculum. Success requires strong institutional support, structured curriculum, adequate patients, dedicated faculty, sufficient training sites, an appropriate evaluation…

The process used by the University of British Columbia to establish and improve an undergraduate hospital dentistry program is chronicled. The program's initial structure and objectives, use of student input for program improvement, and the success of the approach in developing an effective program are discussed. (MSE)

Current changes observed in medical education include alterations in program intensity, length, and cost; a greater selection of teaching methods; clinical experience sites; institutional goals and objectives; student evaluation techniques; and teaching sites. Students are being challenged increasingly to become self-directed problem solvers.…

This paper offers documents from and descriptions of a collaborative project in clinical placements of student nurses in nursing homes as part of a nursing education program. The original project participants were the College of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts/Boston (UMass/Boston); the division of Nursing at the University of…