Behavioral science teaching in U.S. medical schools: a 1980 national survey

The teaching of behavioral science in medical school has become increasingly complex in the attempt to integrate biological, social, and psychological knowledge. The authors sent a survey questionnaire to determine actual and preferred organizational structures to 130 medical schools; 90 responded. The most frequent structure--46 schools (51%)--was unidepartmental. Thirty-four schools (38%) were multidepartmental, and 10 (11%) had a matrix organization. Schools with a unidepartmental structure reported a higher degree of satisfaction and more organizational advantages. Multidepartmental and matrix models offered some educational advantages at the cost of administrative efficiency. During the 1980s, funding for unidepartmental schools may prove more cost effective than funding for schools with different organizational structures.