This paper presents and interprets examiner and participant performance data obtained from an experimental field test of the test item and case simulation libraries of the American Board of Emergency Medicine Specialty Certificate Examination. Subjects were 94 medical students, residents, and emergency physicians. (Author/LMO)

Legal liability of medical students and residents can have significant consequences for clinical faculty members, the health care facility, and the educational institution. Issues and significant court cases related to the liability of students and residents in the health care setting are examined. (Author/MLW)

A current study of major changes in the behavioral science curriculum in a family practice residency is reported. The survey instrument appears to be highly reliable for assessing graduates' perspectives on specific aspects of residency training in the behavioral sciences. (MLW)

The main objective of the general internal medicine program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, was to prepare physicians to have humanistic attitudes and skills in dealing with patients. A patient satisfaction survey was used to evaluate the program. (MLW)

Changes in beginning medical students' preferred interview responses appear attributable to a course that emphasizes communication techniques for developing patient rapport. Results indicated significant increases in students' preferences for understanding responses and decreases in preferences for evaluative responses. Changes were in the desired…

The hospital charges of three groups of patients in one hospital were compared. The results of the study indicated that teaching patients with a faculty attending physician had significantly higher hospital charges, while teaching patients with a community attending physician had charges similar to private, nonteaching patients. (Author/MLW)

A "system dynamics" model was developed by the University of Vermont's Division of Health Sciences and the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, the division's affiliated hospital, to anticipate the hospital's utilization by patients in order to plan for future medical students and house staff. The model has proven a useful planning tool…

This study is a continuation of an earlier investigation of personality and medical specialty choice. The earlier study determined that personality differences existed among family practitioners, anesthesiologists, and general surgeons. Based on this initial research, an attempt was made to answer the question of how the personality factors of…

The general internal medicine program at the University of Colorado has sought to emphasize the psychosocial aspects of care in its training. The performance of traditional track residents with general internal medicine resident performance was compared. (MLW)

The attitudes of family practice residents toward ambulatory pharmacy services were compared with pharmacy students' predictions on what the residents' attitudes would be. The residents' perceptions of pharmacist behaviors rated significantly higher than how the pharmacy students thought they would respond. (Author/MLW)

Two internal medicine residency programs at Baylor College of Medicine are discussed. The traditional program emphasizes experience in the care of acute problems within a hospital inpatient environment. The primary care residency program emphasizes training in the outpatient environment and in noninternal medicine disciplines. (MLW)

A survey found volunteer faculty members were generally satisfied with their role in medical education, despite problems involving respect and responsibility when working with academic colleagues. Recognition of and indifference to problems are discussed in relation to the erosion of the utilization and authority of volunteer faculty members.…

Sixty-eight graduating residents were interviewed about their practice choice decision-making. The process commonly follows this sequence: acknowledging and undertaking the choice task, defining personal, professional, and family issues; establishing reward priorities; determining professional presentation; inquiring about practice opportunities;…

The financing and organization of the medical care field is seen as being in an evolutionary stage. It has progressed from an era when most physicians provided services as solo practitioners and patients paid expenses out-of-pocket to group practices and expenses paid by third parties. (MLW)

A national survey of postdoctoral endodontic students on the perceived educational needs of dental faculty indicated that most endodontic students possess very little formal educational training, they perceive a strong need for it, and that they desire more training in evaluation/testing methods. (MLW)