Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:320-324
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
The bent twig: psychiatry and medical education
H Klein and E Mumford
The authors note that an increase in psychiatry's involvement in the
selection and education of medical school students, which historically has
been limited and problematic, would benefit both the discipline and the
profession in general. There is evidence indicating the need to pay
attention to personal attributes in medical education, particularly in
light of the incidence of problems in physicians (e.g., addiction,
alcoholism, and suicide) that fall within psychiatry's area of expertise.
Active participation by psychiatry in medical education might also help
combat the cynicism that seems to develop during training and might
contribute to consideration of ethical issues and to the fostering of
emotional maturity.
