ABSTRACT
This study examined the associated effects of acute test-taking anxiety on the performance of a class of second-year medical students who took Part I of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Examination. The study is a follow-up of a previous study that examined the related effects of chronic anxiety on NBME Part I performance. The purpose of this study was to observe whether there was a relationship between acute anxiety and NBME performance and, further, if there were distinguishable differences in the effects of acute and chronic test anxiety on NBME performance. The first study indicated a significant relationship between chronic anxiety and NBME performance. The results of the present study indicate a relationship between acute test anxiety and NBME performance, but not to the extent associated with chronic anxiety, thus chronic test anxiety may be a more critical factor affecting test performance on critical examinations such as the NBME. Implications concerning anxiety and test performance are discussed.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/psychology , Education, Medical/standards , Educational Measurement/standards , Students, Medical/psychology , Aptitude , HumansABSTRACT
This report describes and presents an evaluation of the undergraduate component of the Cancer Education Program at The Bowman Gray School of Medicine. New learning objectives on cancer were introduced into the second and third year of the Medical School curriculum. A twenty-five question multiple choice examination measured the accomplishment of the new objectives. Students in the class of 1985, who did not receive instruction on the new objectives as part of their formal medical education, served as a control. Students in the classes of 1986 and 1987, who respectively received partial and full exposure to the new objectives, served as experimental groups. Despite limitations in the evaluation procedure, data obtained from the study suggested the possibility of a small but meaningful increase in overall knowledge and specific gains in both students' knowledge and their perceptions of being better prepared to deal with psychosocial aspects of cancer.
Subject(s)
Curriculum , Education, Medical, Undergraduate/standards , Medical Oncology/education , Schools, Medical/standards , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Humans , Teaching/standardsABSTRACT
A pilot course on clinical teaching methods was given to 11 volunteer third-year medical residents. The course consisted of four weekly two-hour sessions designed to cover the areas in which house officers do the most teaching. Both clinical and nonclinical educators participated as faculty members in an attempt to create balance in perspective. A homogeneous group was invited to volunteer to create an atmosphere in which trust, common experience, and clinical experience could be used to maximum advantage by the faculty. A relaxed "nonclassroom" atmosphere was created that facilitated interchange. The course was uniformly well received. Though only a pilot course, the experience suggests that formal education in the field of clinical teaching is well received by house staff members.
Subject(s)
Internship and Residency , Teaching , Clinical CompetenceSubject(s)
Community Medicine/education , Education, Medical , Family Practice/education , Preceptorship , Adult , HumansABSTRACT
Two groups of students at Michigan State University participated in an exercise intended to teach them the process of peer review. Neither group of students completed the exercise beyond the initial steps. The authors discuss the concerns of the students and make suggestions for implementing a program of peer review in undergraduate medical school curricula.
