The physician's life-style has been documented to be one of great stress, yet minimal educational and preventive measures are directed to medical students or house officers to reduce stress during training and thereafter. Training program directors should do all they can to prevent physician impairment. (Author/MLW)

The ability of physicians to convey catastrophic information such as death or terminal illness is seen as an underdeveloped area of communication skills. A study to determine whether simulation with videotape feedback is an effective teaching technique to improve pediatric residents' skills in communication is discussed. (Author/MLW)

It is suggested that for many residents, stressful perceptions of the early years of the residency program may be related to feelings of not being in control of experiences. Support for this idea comes from data obtained on Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale and interviews with residents. (Author/MLW)

A project to improve hospital house officers' recognition of important behavioral, psychological, and social aspects involved in medical care of chronically ill ambulatory patients and an evaluation of its effectiveness are reported. The procedure involved the use of feedback from patient interviews regarding patient satisfaction, medication…

Results of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for 1980 are reported. The data include positions offered and filled by medical specialty and type of applicant. Applicant types are classified as U.S. students, North American graduates, and foreign graduates. Comparisons are made with the NRMP results for 1979. (JMD)

Residents in psychiatry undergo the process of professional socialization during which they assimilate the values and normative behavior of their professional group. The areas of this process that create problems for Black residents are outlined and alternatives to the present experience encountered in most programs are suggested. (Author/JMD)

Twenty-one members of graduate internal medicine training program were studied to determine whether feedback of simple ambulatory practice profiles would prove valuable in their training program. Results suggest that attention to style of practice during training could be extremely cost effective. (Author/LBH)

Proposes an alternative to current use of a single evaluation of medical residents to both monitor achievement of performance standards and to provide guidance concerning professional development. Suggests a dual evaluation system consisting of (1) a faculty-controlled, quality-control system for performance and (2) a resident-controlled,…

A survey of 129 pediatrics residency directors found strong agreement in support of 7 roles of the general and ambulatory-care pediatrician: ascertain and document health status and risk factors; perform intervention and technical procedures; communicate effectively; supervise patients and support personnel; demonstrate appropriate interpersonal…

This time-motion study of eight internal medicine residents found that, when the physician was the patient's primary medical manager, physician-level skills were required 50 percent of the time, whereas use of an alternative model in which a midlevel practitioner performed day-to-day patient monitoring dropped the rate to 20 percent. (Author/DB)

The University of Kentucky Medical Center has developed a preceptorship program in which a new resident physician is paired with a nurse to assist for an eight-hour shift. The program has given residents familiarity with hands-on nursing care, increased appreciation of nursing responsibilities, and fostered better communication with both nurses…

A study with two graduate medical student cohorts (n=18, n=20) supports use of a structured protocol for student credentialing that includes stringent monitoring of the entire process and formal, regular feedback to housestaff regarding progress. Students credentialed with the revised monitoring showed significant improvement in results.…

A study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine evaluated the predictive value of the rank list generated in evaluating applicants for a surgery residency. Rough rankings computed directly from ratings of applicants were found to be more predictive of first year residents' performance than faculty's final rankings…

Six personal statements of interest in a residency, each from a different type of fictitious candidate, were randomly selected for mailing to 2,478 board-certified Ohio physicians practicing in 6 specialties in which women are underrepresented and 3,586 physicians in specialties in which women are overrepresented. Physicians consistently rated…

Describes a three-year course at Ben Gurion University (Israel) to develop attitudes and skills necessary for patient-centered medicine. The course uses directed reading, open discussion, case presentations, role-playing, and Balint groups to develop skills at four levels: doctor-patient communication; family systems theory; family systems…