Kutane Lymphome – ein vielgestaltiges Krankheitsbild

Kutane Lymphome präsentieren sich klinisch und histologisch oftmals ungewöhnlich und stellen nicht selten eine diagnostische Herausforderung für den Dermatologen dar. In dieser Arbeit werden die vielgestaltigen Präsentationsformen der Mycosis fungoides und anderer kutaner Lymphome anhand von Fallbeispielen aus der Würzburger Spezialsprechstunde für kutane Lymphome vorgestellt und ein Überblick über die Verwechslungsmöglichkeiten mit anderen Dermatosen gegeben.

Students' perceived experience of university admission based on tests and interviews

The aim of the study was to generate an impression, from the perspective of graduating dental students, of the individualised admissions procedures, which they had undergone 5 years before. The subjects comprised 10 randomly selected students, five male and five female, from two different admission rounds. Qualitative research was used and data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The results show that even 5 years later, the students remember clearly the different steps in the selection procedure and they found the procedure relevant. In particular, the admission interviews made a lasting impression. The students consider that being interviewed by one admissions committee member at a time reduces the applicant's apprehension and allows a more personal interview. Several believe that the admissions procedure influences academic achievement or improves self-confidence: implicit in their selection by a committee of experienced professionals is affirmation that they have the potential to become good dentists. The students therefore feel encouraged to aspire to higher achievement. All students believe that motivation is an important non-cognitive attribute for success and that students selected through this mode are not only highly motivated but also well informed, with realistic expectations of the undergraduate programme and their future professional career.

Professional competence in final-year dental undergraduates: assessment of students admitted by individualised selection and through traditional modes

In 1993, a new admission system was introduced at the Dental School, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. One-third, and subsequently 60% of the students were admitted through an individualised selection system, and the remainder through traditional modes, using secondary school matriculation scores, or a university standard aptitude test. In this study, professional competence of final year undergraduates, assessed by faculty members, was related to mode of admission. The participating faculty members had tutored the students in the adult comprehensive care clinic for 1-3 semesters. 13 faculty members assessed students from 3 freshman intakes. A specially designed protocol was used, comprising 7 different criteria to be graded on a scale of 1 to 5, and one overall rating on a scale of 1 to 7. The faculty members were also asked to nominate which of the 7 criteria they considered most important for the overall rating: (A) knowledge, (B) initiative, (C) responsibility and judgement, (D) patient contact, (E) clinical skills, (F) co-operative approach and (G) commitment and motivation. Responsibility and judgement (n=11) and knowledge (n=6) were rated as the most important criteria. The evaluation of professional competence using the overall rating as a score shows a better median value (M=5.5) for the individualised group than for the traditional group (M=5.0). There was little or no difference between the 2 groups in median values for the most important 2 criteria, (C and A), but for the individualised group, the interval for the inter-quartile range (IQR) was not only higher, but also more homogeneous. It is concluded that by final year, students originally admitted by individual selection seem to be more professionally competent than classmates admitted on traditional university entrance scores.

Human sciences in the first semester of the dental undergraduate course at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

The first 9 weeks of the dental undergraduate education at the Karolinska Institutet comprises a transition course, designed to introduce students to university studies leading to professional qualifications in patient-related health sciences. 1 week has been set aside for the theme Man and Society, highlighting the importance of the human sciences for the development of behavioural skills necessary for achieving professionalism and a holistic patient concept. Some essential ethical questions are addressed: intercultural communication, empathy, professional demeanour and the development of professional competence, and group dynamics. In this context, more specific subjects are considered, such as the emergence of the multicultural society and its implications for health services, interpersonal skills and patient communication in the health and medical fields. There are several reasons for including this theme, which forms the basis for the ethical and communicative strands throughout the entire curriculum. As 30-40% of freshmen dental students are of non-Swedish origin, it is essential to include cultural awareness seminars. Another reason is that within the EU, cultural and communicative skills are recognised proficiencies for health professionals; it is also acknowledged that effective delivery of health care may be impeded by misunderstandings in communication and conflict in ethical beliefs. Group discussions are scheduled during the week in order to allow the students to discuss their own experiences related to the theme. The students are also given a written assignment in relation to one of the seminars; the report is assessed as a part of the examination. The week is concluded by a plenum discussion summarising the group discussions. To date, 4 course evaluations, with a response rate of 92.5%, show that 97.3% of the students were positive to the theme as a whole or to specific seminars held during the week, especially intercultural communication, ethics and empathy. The students also believe that the theme is of great importance for dental health professionals.

A new admission procedure to dental education at The Karolinska Institute. An initial evaluation

This study compares the performance to date of dental under-graduates selected by a new, individual admissions procedure, and those admitted by the traditional centralised system (control groups). Admission to all full-time tertiary study in Sweden was centralised and administered by special national units until 1993, following which the universities were allowed to adopt their own admission system. The Dental School at The Karolinska Institute in 1993 introduced an individualised selection system, initially for one-third and subsequently for 60% of the freshmen intake, the remaining places being reserved for students applying through the national admissions centre. The main objective of the new selection procedure is to seek out highly motivated students (less likely to drop-out) with general competence, high academic achievement, and personal attributes considered important in a health professional. An Admissions Committee (AC) comprising seven faculty members, was appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, for the new system which has been used unaltered since 1993. In the first stage applicants with the highest academic grades are selected in descending order. In the second stage, the prospective students spend a day at The Dental School writing separate assignments, which are assessed by the AC according to defined criteria. Applicants who do well in the written assessment proceed to the third stage in which each applicant is interviewed by two AC members on separate occasions. In the final selection procedure, the AC considers the combined merits of all the interviewed applicants. Analysis of the first three intakes discloses few or no drop-outs among AC-selected undergraduates. In three major integrated examinations, designed to disclose not only factual knowledge but also comprehension and maturity and as such reflect clinical conditions, their performance is as good as or better than the control groups.

The Baltic dental programme at the Faculty of Dentistry of The Karolinska Institute: first evaluation

In 1992, The Faculty of Dentistry of The Karolinska Institute (KI) introduced a dental undergraduate programme specifically for Baltic students. Initiative for this programme came from both the Ministries of Health in Estonia and Latvia and a Member's Bill in the Swedish Committee for Foreign Affairs. The first 10 students were admitted in January 1992, and in 1994, a further 8 students were accepted. The main objective is to train Baltic students according to the Scandinavian model of dental education, in order to facilitate a positive development in dentistry in these countries. Candidates for the programme, dental students in Latvia or Estonia who had completed several preclinical years, were interviewed and tested in their home countries by a Swedish Admissions Committee. The curriculum comprises 7 semesters at the School of Dentistry, and includes complementary courses in basic science, preventive dentistry, and theoretical and practical courses in all fields of clinical dentistry. The students work with increasing independence, treating patients with a great variety of oral diseases and from different age groups. A course in Informatics is central and forms a base for a research-based assignment in collaboration with the respective home universities. The Baltic Programme is the first time KI has designed and implemented a specially tailored dental undergraduate curriculum in English for a selected group of foreign undergraduates. The students have proved to be ambitious and industrious, with very high academic standards. Their results in the written examinations were equal to or better than those of the home students. Of the 9 students who to date have completed the course, all are working as dentists in their respective countries and 6 are associated with their university.