Teaching and learning in medicine
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Review
What is the impact of commercial test preparation courses on medical examination performance?
Commercial test preparation courses are part of the fabric of U.S. medical education. They are also big business with 2,000 sales for 1 firm listed at nearly $250 million. This article systematically reviews and evaluates research published in peer-reviewed journals and in the "grey literature" that addresses the impact of commercial test preparation courses on standardized, undergraduate medical examinations. ⋯ The articles and unpublished reports reveal that current research lacks control and rigor; the incremental validity of the commercial courses on medical examination performance, if any, is extremely small; and evidence in support of the courses is weak or nonexistent; almost no details are given about the form and conduct of the commercial test preparation courses; studies are confined to courses in preparation for the Medical College Admission Test, the former National Board of Medical Examiners Part 1, and the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1, not tests of clinical science; and that cost-benefit analyses of the test preparation courses have not been done. It is concluded that the utility and value of commercial test preparation courses in medicine have not been demonstrated, and that evaluation apprehension in the medical profession and aggressive marketing practices are most likely responsible for commercial course prosperity.
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The factors medical students use to choose emergency medicine (EM) as a career path have not been well studied. The role of a 3rd year clerkship in EM in a student's choice of EM residency is not known. ⋯ This study did not demonstrate a correlation of a 3rd year rotation in EM with the number of students applying or matching in EM.
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We evaluated whether the faculty development program, the Teaching Skills Improvement Program, met medical educators' needs at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey. In a 1997 needs assessment survey, large proportions of 178 medical educators assessed their knowledge of educational issues and teaching skills as good or excellent. Nonetheless, 86% of the respondents stated they would like to participate in a future training program focused on the content indicated in the survey. ⋯ Six months to a year later, large proportions of the participants reported using many of the training techniques in their teaching program.