Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
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The education of students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry in the seven health professions schools of the University System of West Virginia has undergone remarkable changes since 1991 to become more responsive to community needs. The changes have also enabled the schools to remain in sync with other anticipated changes in health care delivery. A primary care, community-based academic system has been developed, and students, campus-based faculty, community-based field professors, and lay community members collaborate to identify and resolve problems important to the communities located in the 42 counties designated Under-served Health Professions Service areas, and five additional rural counties. ⋯ The five-years demonstration project that began the new system started in 1991 with four rural sites. By 1996, the system had expanded greatly and consisted of 13 consortia of communities with a total of over 100 rural primary care centers plus several small rural hospitals, public health departments, and other health and social services agencies. The 1996 West Virginia legislature approved funds for the higher education budget that will support and sustain this primary care, community-based academic system.
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To assess first-year students' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and personal histories of family violence. ⋯ The students lacked knowledge but felt a need to learn more about family violence. Family violence curricula should be better integrated into medical education. These curricula should be sensitive to students' attitudes, given the reported high prevalence of personal histories of family violence among students.
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Physicians fail to identify the majority of domestic violence victims, even though they are often the first and only individuals to whom a victim may present. The present study was designed to assess primary care physicians' recognition of and attitudes toward domestic violence. ⋯ Interventions by the medical community to increase physician awareness of domestic violence and available treatment resources are necessary, and domestic-violence information should be included in formal medical curricula.
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The application process leading to certification by the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) was studied using the group of 9,491 graduates of foreign medical schools who initiated their applications in 1988. Using the ECFMG's database, these applicants' countries of citizenship, examination histories, certification status, and exchange visitor status were determined for a period of seven years and 9 months, ending in September 1995. Within that time, 45% of these applicants became ECFMG-certified, and 26% of that group entered residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. ⋯ S. citizens. The status of the 55% of the 9,491 applicants who did not obtain certification is discussed; a portion of this group of this group continues to pursue certification. Details and requirements of the ECFMG certification process are also described.
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To determine whether medical students' interpersonal and communication skills, as measured by satisfaction ratings given by standardized patients (SPs), improves or deteriorates with additional training and experience. ⋯ Contrary to the stated beliefs of some physician-educators that students' skills deteriorate during the course of training, these medical students' interpersonal and communication skills improved with additional training and experience.