JIAMSE Article Review

(RE-POST from December 2007)

Dear IAMSE Member,
Happy Holidays!

You might remember that about 6 weeks ago Dani McBeth (Publication Committee Chair) sent you an e-mail highlighting a couple of interesting pieces in the most recent JIAMSE issue. Well this month I decided to go to the Archives and pick a couple of articles from there. If you enjoy them you might let your colleagues know that they can also access the JIAMSE archives since no User ID or Password is required. Here’s the hyperlink - jiamse.org.

I have picked an article entitled “Analysis on the Effects of Block Testing in the Medical Preclinical curriculum” by Uldis Streips et al in Volume 16 issue 2. This is a very nicely designed study from 2 schools evaluating the usefulness of consolidating testing in the preclinical curriculum. They used USMLE pass rates and absolute scores as quantitative outcome monitors and student and faculty satisfaction as qualitative outcomes. This shows how relatively “modest” changes in curricular design can make a big impact on student success. Aren’t we all looking for those kind of ideas!

Here’s a quick update to the “The Medical Educator’s Resource Guide” by John Cotter. I checked if the hyperlinks John gave were still good. I found that 2 of the 5 listed sites are still active and available to all comers – One is the Neuroscience Resource page from the University of Wisconsin and the other is the JayDoc HistoWeb page from the University of Kansas. Both are GREAT pages and wonderful resources. Check them out. The reviews given in John’s article were written by students and so they give you a student’s perspective of the pages.

Happy reading!

I hope all have a happy holiday season and wonderful New Year!

Kitty McMahon
IAMSE Publication Committee member