This study assesses the utility of Maslach's concept of burnout for family practice physicians. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) subscale correlations for the 67 residents in this sample are compared with Maslach's normative sample. The residents scored in the moderate to high range on the MBI subscales. MBI interscale correlations were similar to the pattern reported by Maslach. Significant correlations between job satisfaction and five of the six MBI subscales suggest that the construct of burnout has considerable psychological import for these physicians. The validity of the emotional exhaustion subscale is demonstrated by significant correlations with self‐assessed burnout, job satisfaction, and faculty assessments of resident burnout. Independent observers were most sensitive to residents' emotional exhaustion and less likely to assess accurately the less visible aspects of burnout related to depersonalization and lack of achievement, which suggests the usefulness of multiple measures for assessing the burnout phenomenon.

This study investigated the effects of an educational program in geriatrics on the attitudes of a group of third-year medical students. A survey designed to measure attitudes toward geriatric patient care, aging, and older people was administered to all students before and after their participation in a 25-hour geriatrics education component of a Family Practice Clerkship. Results showed the students' attitudes were significantly improved following the geriatrics training program. Prior training in geriatrics and their specialty preference were also found to have an impact on attitude. The implications of the study for medical education and research are discussed.

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Characteristics of future physicians and psychiatrists that are conductive to superior professional competency are possibly comparable to attributes that facilitate the learning of psychotherapy skills. For supervisors and supervisees, this article considers the usefulness of a list of ideal supervisee characteristics developed from a sampling of supervisor responses. Characteristics important in negotiating professional development stages are also discussed.

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