Resident & Student Focus

Stock photo showing stressed-out medical student

Medical Students' Empathy Plunges in Third Year, Says Study

FP Describes Program Changes That Combat This Decline

(11/04/2009) -- A study published in a recent issue of Academic Medicine found that medical students' feelings of empathy erode sharply during their third year of medical school -- just as they are shifting from largely didactic learning activities toward hands-on patient-care. And although students who eventually choose family medicine and other primary care specialties start higher on the empathy scale and dip less steeply, they, too, become more cynical, said the study. More

ACGME Launches First Peer-Reviewed Journal Dedicated to GME

New Quarterly Is Soliciting Manuscripts

(10/27/2009) -- The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME, has launched the first peer-reviewed journal devoted solely to the education of medical residents and fellows and the settings in which that education occurs. More

STFM Develops Inaugural National Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum

(10/23/2009) -- The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, or STFM, has developed the first national Family Medicine Clerkship Curriculum, which describes common conditions family physicians manage and that third-year medical students can master. More

LCME Invites Comments on Proposed Changes to Accreditation Standards

(10/26/2009) -- The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, or LCME, will hold a hearing for public comment on proposed changes to medical education program accreditation standards ED-11 and ED-15 during the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, Nov. 6-11 in Boston. Interested stakeholders also may comment by mail or e-mail. More

AAFP, AAMC Have Resources to Help Students, Residents, New Physicians Handle Debt

(10/23/2009) -- Students who are considering a career in medicine, as well as those already facing repayment of their medical school loans, now have a new source for information on applying to medical school and managing their debt in these difficult economic times -- courtesy of the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC. More

Resident Fatigue, Distress Can Lead to Medical Errors, Says Study

Program Directors Can Manage These Issues Locally, Says AAFP Leader

(10/20/2009) -- A Mayo Clinic study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, says that residents who experienced high levels of either fatigue or distress -- or both -- were more likely to report a medical error. The study reinforces the importance of managing residents' sleep needs and maintaining their feelings of well-being to minimize fatigue and maximize patient safety, according to AAFP Board Chair Ted Epperly, M.D., of Boise, Idaho, who also is program director and CEO of Family Medicine Residency of Idaho. More

Survey Results: Medical Students View EHRs as 'Priority' in Future Work Lives

(09/30/2009) -- Nine out of 10 medical students declare that an electronic health record, or EHR, system will be a key part of their future medical practices. That finding, which is from survey data released by San Mateo, Calif.-based Epocrates Inc., puts students squarely in the same camp as many family physicians, who already have a fully implemented EHR system in their practice or are in the process of implementing one. More

U.S. Medical School Graduates Entering Family Medicine Residencies Share Certain Characteristics, Says Report

(09/09/2009) -- U.S. medical school seniors who successfully matched into family medicine residency programs during the 2009 National Resident Matching Program, or NRMP, main residency Match displayed some common characteristics, says a new report prepared by the NRMP and the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC. More