Are physicians educable? Teaching medical students about school health

Third-year medical students on their pediatric rotation at the University of New Mexico (UNM) are assigned to spend two mornings with school nurses at the students' choice of schools. Each student is given a list of goals and questions relating to those goals to guide his/her experience. Following the two sessions, each student answers a questionnaire testing understanding of aspects of the school nurse's work and interrelationships between school nurses and physicians. Of the first 67 students responding to the questionnaire, 66 found the program valuable and worthy of continuation. The medical students' understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the nurses whose work they observed appeared excellent. Two-thirds of the students perceive poor communication with physicians as a major frustration for the nurses. Their appreciation of this need, plus their ability to recognize the many capabilities of school nurses, should result in better interaction between the two professions.