Based primarily on questionnaire responses from 423 hospitals in the United States, this study dealt with noncredit correspondence courses designed to upgrade hospital personnel job skills and raise job performance and/or job level. It inquired into uses of correspondence as noted in the literature; awareness and use of the method in hospitals; hospital policies on educational programs for employees; advantages and disadvantages of correspondence study as perceived by hospital administrators; preferred training methods for various levels of personnel; areas of departmental training need, and the interest in meeting these needs by correspondence study; specific course evaluations by course completers, dropouts, supervisors, and experts; and expert opinions on the use and effectiveness of various types of correspondence study. It was recommended that a central agency focus its attention on documentation, research and experimentation, course improvement, and other facets of correspondence education for hospital personnel. (The document includes 34 tables, 28 references, and a list of information sources.) (ly)