There are some issues concerning the domains of “attitude” and “habit” which are indispensable for medical students, such as motivation for problem-based learning and acquiring skills for smooth communication with medical staff and patients. In addition, some well-known limitations exist in medical education in these domains. Kochi Medical School has introduced an admissions-office (attitude-evaluation) system for enrollment selection to assess the abilities that applicants have acquired through experiences since birth. Although this system has a very short history, a follow-up survey 1 year after admission strongly suggests that this type of entrance examination system based on attitude evaluation is effective.

To evaluate medical education at Kochi Medical School, a questionnaire survey was performed to assess the ability of residents who had graduated from Kochi Medical School.This project was managed by the Associate-Professor's Society of Kochi Medical School.1) Two preceptors (an internist and a surgeon) at each of 148 postgraduate clinical training hospitals other than Kochi Medical School Hospital were asked to answer a questionnaire concerning the objective or relative assessment of residents who had graduated from Kochi Medical School.
2) Of the 108 questionnaires received from preceptors, 93 were considered to include effective assessments of residents who had graduated from Kochi Medical School.
3) Twenty-one preceptors noted a deficiency of knowledge concerning community medicine.In addition, more than 15% of preceptors noted insufficient skills in performing laboratory examinations and making diagnoses with X-ray fi lms.In contrast, most preceptors were satisfied with skills in interviewing and performing physical examinations.
4) Most preceptors judged residents who had graduated from Kochi Medical School to be superior to those who had graduated from other schools, whereas 8 preceptors thought that our graduates were inferior at acquiring medical knowledge or skills.
5) Most preceptors encouraged residents from Kochi Medical School to be positive.