Doctoral education in nursing: an assessment of quality, 1979-1984

The growth and change in the quality of doctoral education from 1979 to 1984 was assessed using a repeated-measures design. Data were analyzed from 14 nursing doctoral programs that participated in both a 1979 and a 1984 study using Educational Testing Service Graduate Program Self-Assessment questionnaires. Findings suggest that doctoral programs experienced a significant growth and maintained a quality environment. Faculty demonstrated an increased commitment to scholarly activities as evidenced by an increase in publications, presentations, and perceptions of time spent on such projects. Students admitted in 1984 had higher entrance grade point averages than students admitted in 1979; more pursued their graduate education on a part-time basis. The evidence documents a growing scholarly maturity in nursing doctoral programs.

Dental Education and Dental Practice

This paper relates recent modes of dental practice to changes that the public and government are likely to ask the health care professions to make in the future. As usual they are asking for the best of all worlds. First, that we maintain the clinical model to the highest standards of personal dental care based and tested against the best research at our disposal, whilst we ensure there is no reduction in the high technical standards for which british dentists have a reputation. Second, that the profession is required to consider ways of providing care on the medicosocial model for the whole community at an economic level the country will afford. The broad changes in dental education have been reviewed, from the technical apprenticeship to the establishment of strong university departments in teaching hospitals. The importance of a sound biomedical foundation and of research both to education and the credibility of dental practice as a primary health care profession is stressed if the profession is to retain its position as a sister to medicine and not slide down to that of a technical ancillary.

Training needs in school health education research

The purpose of this paper is to review the history of professional preparation of health educators for the conduct of research, to present several major issues and problems related to school health education research, and to identify the characteristics of present training models. Despite the fact that health education can trace its origin to early in this century, it was not until 1953 that a formal statement on research competencies was formulated. Since that time, however, a great deal of activity has been identified. While several issues have been raised regarding research strategies and techniques used by health educators, current training models hold a great deal of promise for strengthening these efforts. The characteristics of such training models are described.

Developments in medical education in the U.S.S.R. in the last decade

The modern medical school in the Soviet Union today is undergoing many different and significant changes. The chief consideration of great importance is that today's students are the doctors of the future, and the health of the community will be in their hands.

Symposium on the teaching of psychiatry. Undergraduate medical students in Denmark

The increasing role of psychiatry in the medical curriculum in Denmark is described. The general schedule of psychiatric teaching to medical students is outlined, emphasizing some of the special features of the Danish tradition. Roughly speaking, six per cent of all curriculum time is devoted to psychiatry. Clinical psychiatry, medical psychology and human sexuality are described separately. Interesting new possibilities for psychiatry in connection with a current curriculum reform, allotting more time to clerkships, elective periods and liaison teaching are pointed out.