Description of a program at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in neurosciences to aid students in diagnosing patients with neuromuscular problems. (PG)

Because of the difficulty in instructing students in pediatric physical examination and because of the previously proven usefulness of simulators in medical education, Indiana University School of Medicine has developed a family of infant simulators for use in their pediatric education program. Four models are discribed. (LBH)

Hospital ethics committees are unknown entities. The composition of the group, the tasks and cases they address, their jurisdiction and legal status, and the group dynamics that evolve within them play a major role in resolving ethical disputes. A role-playing exercise was devised that simulates an ethics committee. (MLW)

The use of a six-day multiple-simulation exercise in the military disaster medical services training program of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is described. It is the second part of a clerkship that includes a classroom/laboratory phase using a disaster problem-solving board game. (MSE)

A gross anatomy program was evaluated that shortened the dissection time on the extremities by having half the class dissect either the upper or lower extremity and then study the opposite extremity already dissected by other classmates. Analysis of covariance showed that the program efficiently utilized laboratory time. (MLW)

An exercise was devised at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, to facilitate medical students' ability to discuss death and dying with cancer patients. Students begin with a written situation to problem-solve and then move into pairs and groups to reach a consensus and discuss the problem. A videotaped simulation is also used. (JMD)

A UCLA-San Fernando Valley Medical Program for training residents and interns in interpersonal skills is reported and evaluated. Using a modification of interpersonal process recall (IPR), the teaching technique uses both a structured course format and ongoing videotaping and reviewing of house officer-patient interactions with a faculty member.…

A national survey to determine the extent and characteristics of interpersonal skill (IPS) teaching in medical schools is reported. Eighty percent of IPS programs are less than five years old, are taught by psychiatrists and psychologists, and teach process, information-gathering, and psychological intervention. (LBH)

The use of efficient organization of knowledge and of problem-solving strategies to enhance medical students' clinical problem-solving skills were assessed. Information for the experimental group emphasized disease groupings, symptom-disease associations, and clinical problem-solving heuristics. The experimental group acquired higher ratio of…

The journal club is seen as one of the most frequently used instructional methods in postgraduate medical education. The purpose is to evoke interest in scientific research and promote critical reading skills while updating knowledge in specific content areas.(MLW)

The primary objective of a training program based within an internal medicine department at the University of Texas Medical Branch was to increase the interviewing skills of medicine residents, especially regarding the psychosocial aspects of patients. The program, evaluation methods, and results are described. (JMD)

Students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine participated in an exercise in community-oriented primary care. They learned basic principles of health risk analysis and community-oriented care and then designed hypothetical, comprehensive health care services for medical students by using knowledge of health risks specific to their…

A report on teaching in the clinical component of physician's assistant (PA) training programs is presented, based on information obtained through the authors' involvement in a PA faculty development project, and surveys of program directors and faculty. Topics include teacher qualifications, teaching methods and resources, and instructional…