To assess the acceptance of peer physical examination training and the acquisition of professional attitudes as medical doctors, a questionnaire was given to 245 medical students (second, fourth, and sixth year) of Chiba University. All students recognized the value of peer physical examination training, and female students recognized the necessity of training with male examinees. Male students accepted roles of both examiner and examinee, but female students refused to be examined by male students or to be taught by male instructors. The genders of students and instructors must be considered when physical examination curricula are planned.

Many institutions have applied a tutorial system to medical education since Tokyo Women's Medical College started doing so in 1990. Chiba University School of Medicine started a clinical tutorial system in April 1997 and has continued it for 4 years. Our system has employed problem-based learning using cases, with the goal of students' acquiring self-learning and problem-solving skills. This tutorial system has been positively evaluated by both students and instructors and is likely to be useful for clinical medical education.