Assessment of matriculating medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards professionalism.

Background: Students' perceptions of traditional attributes of professionalism are important for understanding their professional development needs, and determining appropriate curricular initiatives and assessment methods.

Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes towards professionalism of three classes of matriculating students at two institutions.

Methods: Subjects completed four instruments: a multiple-choice test and a clinical scenario instrument assessed knowledge; and a semantic differential scale and Likert-format statement instrument assessed attitudes.

Regionalized perinatal education.

Despite changes in the organization and financing of healthcare delivery, and dramatic increases in the number and distribution of perinatal facilities and professionals over the past three decades, there remains a continuing need for effective and efficient regionalized perinatal outreach education programmes. Both the organizers and the participants should be multidisciplinary and include both inpatient and outpatient providers. Content should be restricted to issues relevant to participants' practice, and include topics ranging from preconception to postpartum and early infant care.

Ability of the objective structured clinical examination to differentiate surgical residents, medical students, and physician assistant students.

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been used extensively to evaluate the clinical abilities of medical students and residents. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the standard OSCE would differentiate performance of subjects with different levels and/or types of training.

Methods: We conducted a blinded OSCE, during which we simultaneously evaluated surgical residents from all 5 years of the general surgery training program, third-year medical students, and second-year physician assistant students.

Offices of research in medical education: accomplishments and added value contributions.

Purpose: Offices of research in medical education have been in existence since the 1st one was begun by Hale Hamm at Case Western Reserve in 1958. There are now 61 medical schools in North America that have a formal office of medical education (OME) and are part of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education (SDRME). The purpose of this study was to report how SDRME and OMEs have contributed to the research in medical education (RIME) efforts.

Comparison of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination with the performance of third-year medical students in surgery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as an evaluation technique by comparing medical student performance on the OSCE with traditional forms of evaluation.

Subjects And Methods: We analyzed the performance of 129 third-year medical students in the 1997-1998 academic year on clinical evaluations, oral examinations, and NBME subject examinations, and on OSCE, which was not included in the final grade.

Results: The OSCE showed high correlation with the final grades received for the clerkship.