Demoralization is a feeling state of dejection, hopelessness, and a sense of personal "incompetence" that may be tied to a loss of or threat to one's own goals or values. It has an existential dimension when beliefs and values about oneself are disconfirmed. Numerous sources describe high rates of dissatisfaction and burnout in…

Issues such as, over commitment, insufficient time, and lack of funding, threaten physicians' entry and sustainability in a research career pathway. Social cognitive career theory is presented as a conceptual framework to critically examine the limitations of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) efforts to promote the career development of…

Presented is the report by the Working Group on the education of managers in health services in the World Health Organization, European Region. The report is organized into the following sections: health care management and managers; key issues in health service management (public policy-making and health care management, the managerial role of…

A preceptorship program design to introduce preclinical students to primary care in both underserved and adequately served communities is described. A preliminary evaluation of the program's first year indicates that it has had an impact on the students' attitudes. (Author/MLW)

The following essential elements of programs that prepare physicians to care for at-risk children effectively are described: (1) active participation in children's care; (2) effective service programs for learning; (3) comprehensive, multidisciplinary, flexible, and intensive programs; and (4) program evaluation. The policy implications in…

Concerns about health care costs and quality are focusing increasing attention on physicians and their continuing medical education (CME). These concerns have produced several calls for "a new definition," "a new vision," "repositioning," "reinventing," and "transforming" CME. However, differences in conceptualizations and vocabularies have…