Achievement of non-cognitive goals of undergraduate medical education: perceptions of medical students, residents, faculty and other health professionals.

Background: Professionalism is increasingly emphasised in medical education. Non-cognitive goals, including values, attitudes and skills, remain challenging to define and measure. The purpose of this study was to better understand these goals and their achievement in the MD programme.

Ten-year experience with mission-based budgeting in the faculty of medicine of Dalhousie University.

The Faculty of Medicine of Dalhousie University (the Faculty) has applied a mission-based approach to the allocation of the academic budget since 1993. Over the ensuing decade, large shifts in budgets to academic departments have been effected, and two goals that required special emphasis-the successful implementation of a tutorial-based undergraduate medical curriculum and an increase in research activity-have been achieved. This has occurred despite significant reductions in the overall academic budget over the ten-year period.

Complementary and alternative medicine: an integrated approach required.

Methods of verification of the efficacy and safety of health interventions must be congruent with the underlying health beliefs. It is therefore inappropriate to require scientific validation of health interventions that are not based on science. On the other hand, there is no justification for different standards of validation of health products from alternative sources that are used by the public in a manner similar to prescription and over-the-counter drugs.