title: Resident acquisition of knowledge during a noontime conference series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Noontime conferences are widely used in family practice residencies. This study determined the effectiveness of noontime conferences for increasing residents' knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty residents were tested monthly over 6 months and then cumulatively on the content of noontime conferences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Monthly test scores of attendees versus nonattendees were compared using a two-sample, two-tail t test. Results revealed the mean score of attendees for short-term knowledge to be 12.1 points higher than nonattendees. There was no correlation, however, between conference attendance and long-term knowledge retention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate a lack of correlation between noontime conference attendance and long-term cumulative test scores. The results question the value of noontime conferences as a teaching method.
authors.affiliation: JFK Family Practice Residency Program, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Edison, NJ 08818, USA. apicciano@solarishs.org
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picciano
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ballan
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Birnberg
authors.forename: Maryann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jacks
authors.forename: Euton
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laing
mesh_terms: D004521:Educational Measurement; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D019359:Knowledge; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*