Medical students' perceptions of the physician's role in not allowing them to perform gynecological examinations.

Purpose: To determine how often medical students are not allowed to perform gynecological examinations during their obstetrics-gynecology clerkship, identify the barriers to participation related to physicians and patients, explore the role of the supervisory physician in not allowing medical student involvement, and explore differences between male and female students' experiences.

Method: All medical students entering their obstetrics-gynecology clerkship at a medical school in the Netherlands between May and October 2011 were invited to participate in this study's questionnaire, which asked them to report the number of gynecological examinations they were allowed and not allowed to perform during their clerkship. Eighteen questionnaire respondents participated in three focus groups.

Never forget medication as a cause: vaginal ulceration caused by nicorandil.

A patient was referred to our vulvar outpatient clinic because of a vaginal ulceration that persisted for 3 years and that had been unresponsive to any prescribed therapy. After a possible association was found with nicorandil therapy, this medication was stopped. Thereafter, the ulceration fully healed within 6 months.