The purpose of this study was to observe, classify, and record verbal teaching and learning behaviors in the resident-attending physician interaction. During a 12-month period, 125 observations of resident-attending physician interactions were re corded; the average length of the interactions was 4.27 minutes. The six most frequent resident verbal behaviors compared by postgraduate year level did not vary significantly. Only one of the six most frequent attending physician verbal behaviors varied significantly. In the average interaction of about 4 minutes, three fourths of the interaction was on patient care issues, leaving little time for teaching. There are many unanswered questions about the resident-attending physi cian interaction and its contribution to the training of a physician.