Factors associated with performance in an internal medicine clerkship.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the relationship between demographic and educational variables and student performance on an internal medicine (IM) clerkship in order to target areas for educational intervention and potential early remediation. This study examined data associated with third-year medical student performance (N = 505) during the IM clerkship at Baylor Scott & White, Temple/Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine from 2005 to 2011. Multiple regression analysis (N = 341) showed that a model containing the following variables was significantly associated with scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject exam, accounting for 46.

How to interpret surveys in medical research: a practical approach.

Surveys are being used increasingly in health-care research to answer questions that may be difficult to answer using other methods. While surveys depend on data that may be influenced by self-report bias, they can be powerful tools as physicians seek to enhance the quality of care delivered or the health care systems they work in. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with a basic framework for understanding survey research, with a goal of creating well-informed consumers.

An alternative practice model: residents transform continuity clinic and become systems thinkers.

Background: A changing health care environment has created a need for physicians trained in health system improvement. Residency programs have struggled to teach and assess practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practice competencies, particularly within ambulatory settings.

Intervention: We describe a resident-created and resident-led quality and practice-improvement council in an internal medicine continuity clinic.

Enhancing competency in professionalism: targeting resident advance directive education.

Background: Education about advance directives typically is incorporated into medical school curricula and is not commonly offered in residency. Residents' experiences with advance directives are generally random, nonstandardized, and difficult to assess. In 2008, an advance directive curriculum was developed by the Scott & White/Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine (S&W/Texas A&M) internal medicine residency program and the hospital's legal department.