Teaching medical students about continuity of patient care.

This article reports on medical schools' longitudinal primary care ambulatory programs and five themes identified by educators as to why it is important for students to experience continuity of patient care. It briefly describes methods used to expose students to this concept, which is so basic to primary care practice.

Education in end-of-life care: bridging disciplinary and institutional boundaries.

This paper describes the development of an interdisciplinary, interinstitutional seminar in palliative care for South Dakota students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, chaplaincy, and social work. Student outcomes from six seminars conducted during 2001-2004 are reported, and recommendations for future educational efforts are outlined.

The audition elective and its relation to success in the National Resident Matching Program.

BACKGROUND: Many medical students take audition electives in an effort to improve their chances of being selected by a residency program. PURPOSE: The study was to determine if audition electives improved student success in the National Resident Matching Program. METHOD: A questionnaire was mailed to graduates of the University of South Dakota School of Medicine from 1977 (the charter graduating class) through 1997. Comparisons were done between students who took audition electives and those who did not. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square or Fisher Exact tests for smaller groups. RESULTS: The data show no statistically significant difference in first-choice matching for the total group (p = .35), primary care (p = .44), or nonprimary care subgroups (p = .38). Sample size is inadequate for sufficient analysis of individual specialties. CONCLUSIONS: The limited time available to provide students with a broad education and the disadvantages of taking audition electives should be considered when advising students about 4th-year schedules.