A Problem-based Clinical Course in General Internal Medicine

General internal medicine instruction in an unsuccessful lecture-based course was replaced by a clinical problem-based 'junior clerkship'. Hospital and ambulatory-clinic instruction was centered around major common medical problems. Tutors willingly adopted a problem-based teaching approach and participated eagerly in a multi-component evaluation. Students and instructors responded favourably to questionnaires regarding the use of a problem list, the content and face validity of the course and the usefulness of the evaluations as learning experiences.