Objective To describe the current methods used by English medical schools to identify prospective medical students for admission to the five year degree course. Design Review study including documentary analysis and interviews with admissions tutors. Setting All schools (n = 22) participating in the national expansion of medical schools programme in England. Results Though there is some commonality across schools with regard to the criteria used to select future students (academic ability coupled with a "well rounded" personality demonstrated by motivation for medicine, extracurricular interests, and experience of team working and leadership skills) the processes used vary substantially. Some schools do not interview; some shortlist for interview only on predicted academic performance while those that shortlist on a wider range of non-academic criteria use various techniques and tools to do so. Some schools use information presented in the candidate's personal statement and referee's report while others ignore this because of concerns over bias. A few schools seek additional information from supplementary questionnaires filled in by the candidates. Once students are shortlisted, interviews vary in terms of length, panel composition, structure, content, and scoring methods. Conclusion The stated criteria for admission to medical school show commonality. Universities differ greatly, however, in how they apply these criteria and in the methods used to select students. Different approaches to admissions should be developed and tested.

This paper considers how educational interventions should be evaluated for their effectiveness. Five levels of effectiveness are clarified and illustrated: outcomes, behaviour, learning, reaction and participation. These levels are then discussed, within the context of research evidence for education within the medical profession. Methodological and practical research conclusions are then drawn. From an analysis of over 300 abstracts the evidence shows that only limited research on healthcare outcomes has been undertaken, and there is considerable ambiguity over what constitutes an effectiveness measure. The benefits of a consistent set of terms are then considered. Finally, five key messages are distilled from the discussion and summarized.

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Purpose: Although the importance of genetics education for health care professionals is increasingly recognized worldwide, little is known about the needs and views of nongenetics postgraduate medical trainees. Methods: Data on the views of 143 learners from four specialties (family practice, neurology, cardiology, and dermatology) in two regions in England (West Midlands and South Western) were collected using focus groups, questionnaires, and interviews. Results: Low levels of genetics training were reported by both trainee family practitioners and trainee hospital consultant specialists. Responses to attitude statements indicate that the majority of trainee family practitioners believed genetics was important but thought that they were underprepared in this area. Focus groups with specialty trainees revealed general consensus that there was not enough formal postgraduate genetics training, although some cardiologists disagreed and trainees in all three specialties thought that the existing curriculum was overcrowded. Trainees stressed the importance of tailoring genetics education to be directly relevant to their daily practice. Trainee family practitioners prioritized topics related to the identification and referral of patients, and the subsequent implication of results. In contrast, specialty trainees prioritized topics related to the genetics and management of particular diseases. Conclusion: There is still work to be done before trainees in nongenetics specialties recognize how genetics can be relevant to their practice. Involvement of specialty trainers in the development and delivery of genetics education may help to address this issue. Genet Med 2006:8(2):109-115.

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In this paper, the role of property development in city revitalization is considered. Case study material is used to analyze the changing organizational nature of property development, especially the interrelationships between property developers and the traditional purveyors of urban policy: Local authorities. It is shown how the property industry is dependent on the development of organizational capacities with public authorities in a manner not anticipated by the rhetoric of central government, a rhetoric which has pushed the property-led approach as an alternative to development by, and through, the public sector. In contrast to this view, illustrative material is presented which indicates how property-led development is highly dependent on the public sector. Also illustrated is how the process of property-led regeneration has the capacity to undermine a range of local, community, interests in areas affected by redevelopment schemes, a situation which has been exacerbated by the prioritization of the shorter-term development goals of the property industry. In conclusion, it is noted that property-led approaches to regeneration, although a necessary component of urban revitalization, are neither a sufficient nor an adequate response to the multiple tasks involved in the revitalization of cities.