Photographic memory, money, and liposuction: survey of medical students' wish lists.
(17/1578)
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether medical students made fewer altruistic wishes and more money oriented wishes in later years of the medical course than students in earlier years. DESIGN: Anonymous questionnaire survey. SETTING: Auckland University School of Medicine. PARTICIPANTS: 520 medical students from 6 years of the course responded to the questionnaire item "If you had three wishes what would you wish for?" MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of wishes in various categories. RESULTS: The three most popular categories of wishes were happiness (34% of students), money (32%), and altruistic wishes (31%). Rates of altruistic wishes (odds ratio=1.05, 95% confidence interval 0.94 to 1.18; P=0.36) and wishes for money (odds ratio=0.96, 0.86 to 1.08; P=0.52) did not vary over the years of the course. Female medical students were more likely than males to make altruistic wishes (36% v 26%; chi(2)=5.68, P=0. 02), intimacy wishes (25% v 18%; chi(2)=3.74, P=0.05), and happiness wishes (42% v 26%; chi(2)=18.82, P=0.0001). Men were more likely than women to make sexual wishes (5% v 0.8%; chi(2)=7.34, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that students were less altruistic and more money oriented in the later years of the medical course. (+info)
Comparison of osteopathic and allopathic medical Schools' support for primary care.
(18/1578)
OBJECTIVE: To contrast prevailing behaviors and attitudes relative to prJgiary care education and practice in osteopathic and allopathic medical schools. DESIGN: Descriptive study using confidential telephone interviews conducted in 1993-94. Analyses compared responses of osteopaths and allopaths, controlling for prJgiary care orientation. SETTING: United States academic health centers. PARTICIPANTS: National stratified probability samples of first-year and fourth-year medical students, postgraduate year 2 residents, and clinical faculty in osteopathic and allopathic medical schools, a sample of allopathic deans, and a census of deans of osteopathic schools (n = 457 osteopaths; n = 2,045 allopaths). MEASUREMENTS: Survey items assessed personal characteristics, students' reasons for entering medicine, learners' prJgiary care educational experiences, community support for prJgiary care, and attitudes toward the clinical and academic competence of prJgiary care physicians. MAIN RESULTS: PrJgiary care physicians composed a larger fraction of the faculty in osteopathic schools than in allopathic schools. Members of the osteopathic community were significantly more likely than their allopathic peers to describe themselves as socioemotionally oriented rather than technoscientifically oriented. Osteopathic learners were more likely than allopathic learners to have educational experiences in prJgiary care venues and with prJgiary care faculty, and to receive encouragement from faculty, including specialists, to enter prJgiary care. Attitudes toward the clinical and academic competence of prJgiary care physicians were consistently negative in both communities. Differences between communities were sustained after controlling for prJgiary care orientation. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with allopathic schools, the cultural practices and educational structures in osteopathic medical schools better support the production of prJgiary care physicians. However, there is a lack of alignment between attitudes and practices in the osteopathic community. (+info)
Remembrance of things past and concerns for the future.
(19/1578)
Stanley G. Schultz received the seventh annual Arthur C. Guyton Physiology Teacher of the Year Award. The following is a speech he delivered as he was presented the award at Experimental Biology '99 in Washington, DC, in April 1999. (+info)
Community-based teaching: the challenges.
(20/1578)
The amount of undergraduate medical education delivered in general practice is expanding rapidly, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. There are a number of challenges facing general practice as well as medical schools, health authorities and primary care groups, which must be met for this development to be sustainable. These include: impact on service general practice; resources; difficulties with integrating basic sciences with clinical teaching; recruitment, training and maintenance of GP tutors; quality control; impact on academic departments of primary care; and the importance of rigorous evaluation of educational initiatives. Possible solutions are discussed, such as development of university linked practices and the move toward a culture of 'evidence-based education', where all medical education is scrutinized for effectiveness. (+info)
Knowledge and attitude of medical students in Delhi on postmortem examination.
(21/1578)
A survey proforma with multiple choice questionnaire was designed and asked to be filled in by two hundred medical students belonging to 3rd and 4th year of MBBS curriculum of a University medical college in Delhi. One hundred thirty-three (66.5) students responded. A large majority of 129 (96.9%) students were aware of the major use of the postmortem examination/autopsy. All students have the knowledge that postmortem involves examination of a body in detail both externally and internally. Sixty-four (48.1%) feel that it does not cause disfigurement of the body. One hundred fifteen (86.4%) students were the view that they possess satisfactory level of knowledge on postmortems. The main source of knowledge and information on the subject is teaching during medical curriculum as informed by 76 (57.1%) students. More than 50% were willing ti permit autopsy on the self/relative. While, only 7 (5.3% students showed reluctance to watch autopsy. (+info)
Teaching medical undergraduates basic clinical skills in hospice--is it practical?
(22/1578)
AIM: Basic clinical skills teaching to medical undergraduates was a new departure for the hospice stimulated by the changing philosophies and organisation of students' training. This study was undertaken to assess the practicalities of the venture. METHOD: Questionnaires were designed for each of the three major groups of people involved, namely the students, the patients, and the hospice nurses. Involved patients completed theirs after teaching sessions, while the students and nurses were given two different questionnaires each, one at the start and another at the end of the academic year. RESULTS: All students completed both questionnaires. Overall they had acquired adequate skills to pass their end of year assessments and considered themselves more comfortable with difficult situations than may otherwise have been the case. The majority of patients had enjoyed the experience and found it personally educational and a change to hospice routines. The nurses' response rates were very poor, limiting any conclusions that could be drawn. CONCLUSION: The venture was successful, stimulating, and practical for patients and students. Its impact on the nurses remains uncertain but, by their unusual lack of opinion expression, it can be inferred tentatively that this was minimal. (+info)
Life tables as "predictors" of average longevity.
(23/1578)
Selected figures from Canadian life tables have been analysed to illustrate one potential use of routinely collected and published data. A plea is made for the inclusion of the fundamentals of demography in undergraduate medical education. (+info)
Contributions of general internal medicine teaching units: a national survey.
(24/1578)
OBJECTIVE: To identify and describe general internal medicine teaching units and their educational activities. DESIGN: A cross-sectional mailed survey of heads of general internal medicine teaching units affiliated with U.S. internal medicine training programs who responded between December 1996 and December 1997. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Responses were received from 249 (61%) of 409 eligible programs. Responding and nonresponding programs were similar in terms of university affiliation, geographic region, and size of residency program. Fifty percent of faculty received no funding from teaching units, 37% received full-time (50% or more time), and 13% received part-time (under 50% time) funding from units. Only 23% of faculty were primarily located at universities or medical schools. The majority of faculty were classified as clinicians (15% or less time spent in teaching) or clinician-educators (more than 15% time spent in teaching), and few were clinician-researchers (30% or more time spent in research). Thirty-six percent of faculty were internal medicine subspecialists. All units were involved in training internal medicine residents and medical students, and 21% trained fellows of various types. Half of the units had teaching clinics located in underserved areas, and one fourth had teaching clinics serving more than 50% managed care patients. Heads of teaching units reported that 54% of recent graduating residents chose careers in general internal medicine. CONCLUSIONS: General internal medicine teaching units surveyed contributed substantial faculty effort, much of it unfunded and located off-campus, to training medical students, residents, and fellows. A majority of their graduating residents chose generalist careers. (+info)