Post-Graduation Experiences of Sub-Saharan African Graduates in the U.S.: Challenges and Opportunities

This study aims to explore and examine why some African graduates decide to remain in the United States after completing their studies, when they stand a good chance to secure better job opportunities when returning to their home countries because of quality education in the US. The experience of African graduates after deciding to remain in the US is also examined in this study. This is a qualitative study using an exploratory approach, through a snowball sampling method. In order to achieve its objectives, interviews were conducted through the use of social media platforms with 15 graduates from Kenya and Nigeria living in the US. The findings have that shown quality education in the US as well as its economic and political stability were the pull factors for graduates to remain in the US after completing their studies. The findings have also shown that while graduates stand a better chance to access good employment opportunities when they return home, they expressed concerns about high levels of nepotism, corruption in the employment process, and lack of infrastructure. Examining the experience of graduates after deciding to remain in the US, loneliness, lack of social support and perceived racism were among some of the experiences of African graduates in the US.

Strategic planning for the health workforce-particularly in emerging middle-income countries like Georgia-is essential for maintaining an effective healthcare system. Medical residency training is crucial for developing a well-rounded healthcare workforce equipped with the competencies needed to deliver high-quality care and maintain a balance of specialties. Understanding the enrollment process and experiences of medical graduates in residency programs can help identify areas for improvement. These insights can inform interventions to develop a physician workforce that aligns with population needs and remains responsive to the evolving healthcare system. We aimed to explore the experiences of medical graduates navigating Georgia's residency enrollment process, as well as residents' postgraduate training experiences, to identify key areas for improvement. Additionally, we examined attitudes towards enrolling in residency programs abroad to better understand the potential impact on the ongoing phenomenon of "brain drain." This study employed a qualitative research design based on individual interviews, conducted via Zoom. We explored the experiences and perceptions of residency enrollment among a purposefully selected sample of 10 participants using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified six overarching themes. Participants described the placement exam as being of suboptimal quality and reported challenges in navigating the enrollment process, often accompanied by emotional stress. Working in residency without a salary was considered unfair and posed an economic burden. The absence of structured mentorship further contributed to dissatisfaction, prompting several participants to consider alternative career paths or pursue residency opportunities abroad. Georgia's medical residency enrollment process requires greater transparency and reduced burdens on aspiring professionals to attract the most qualified candidates. Policy reforms and strategic initiatives should promote socioeconomically equitable access to residency programs and address concerns related to "brain drain," ultimately supporting the development of a sustainable healthcare workforce.

Background: Major host countries of international students such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the US have introduced post-study work rights as a strategic policy to both enhance their destination attraction and support international students' post-graduation work experiences. While this policy is generally welcomed by both host institutions and international students, little is known about the support mechanism for the growing cohort of international student graduates who stay in their countries of study on temporary graduate visas, especially in relation to major concerns such as post-graduation work, visa application, and migration pathways. Objective: This article fills an important gap in the existing literature. It aims to assess the role of universities in supporting their international alumni on temporary visas. Research Design: It is derived from a study that includes 50 interviews with university staff, agents, and international graduates. It uses positioning theory as a conceptual framework. Results: The findings of the study raise concerns about the scope of university advice. It reports loopholes which legitimize the practices of migration agents to the conditions that enable them to exercise their exclusive rights in providing work-migration nexus advice to international students and graduates, making this cohort vulnerable to exploitation of unethical agents. The study provides the evidence base to develop recommendations for related stakeholders in improving the post-graduation experiences of international student graduates who remain in the host countries on temporary visas.

This study investigates the experiences of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates in rural ecology with work-based education (WBE), commonly known as work-integrated learning (WIL). The study was conducted at two campuses of Umfolozi TVET colleges in northern KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on post-graduation experiences. The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) qualification, introduced in January 2007, was the focal point, offered at Levels 2, 3, and 4 of the National Qualifications Framework, equivalent to Grades 10, 11, and 12. NCV graduates were selected as participants to explore their encounters with work-integrated learning during employment. Employing a qualitative case study design, the study utilized purposive sampling to identify six participants. Findings revealed systemic challenges faced by NCV graduates, particularly concerning the alignment of the curriculum with the needs of TVET students from rural areas. Additionally, it was noted that college management appeared unaware of the severity of the challenges encountered by students in securing in-service training opportunities. These findings underscore the need for educational institutions and policymakers to address curriculum alignment issues and enhance support mechanisms for TVET students, particularly those from rural backgrounds, to ensure the effectiveness of work-integrated learning initiatives.

SUMMARY Career paths are often shaped by chance factors. The author describes some of those factors that led him first to the field of psychology, then to the field of community psychology, and finally to a career bridging community psychology and public policy. Although chance factors influenced the author's career path, the author describes those elements of his graduate and postgraduate experience which prepared him to become a non-traditional policy-oriented community psychologist, as well as some of the characteristics needed to work effectively in policy settings.

Education is often thought of as the great equalizer that is capable of offsetting societal inequities. Elite universities are characterized by the most selective admissions criteria, and attendance at these universities often provides access to the social capital necessary to pursue prestigious and rewarding careers. Black students attending elite universities report experiencing racism while on campus. Moreover, racism negatively impacts Black students’ well-being. Despite the importance of these issues, scholars have devoted limited attention to the postgraduate work experiences of Black graduates of elite universities. The purpose of this study was to understand the ways in which experiences of racism at work impact the well-being and work-fulfillment of Black graduates at elite universities and to examine potential factors that may protect against racism. We invited Black graduates of elite universities ( N = 1,010) to complete measures that assessed racial micro aggressions, racial identity, well-being, and work-fulfillment outcomes. Results revealed that particular experiences of racism at work (microinvalidations) negatively impact well-being and that Internalization racial identity attitudes are positively related to well-being and work-fulfillment. The implications of the findings for theory development, future research, counseling practice, and public/organizational policy are discussed.

This study examined the post-graduation labor market experiences of recent college graduates for evidence of age-related barriers to employment. Older graduates were considerably less likely than younger graduates to seek new jobs following graduation, but, among those who did, the two age groups showed little difference in their job-seeking behaviors or their susceptibilities to unemployment. Despite these similarities, older graduates, on average, had fewer post-graduation job interviews and fewer job offers than younger graduates. The relationship between age and number of job interviews disappeared after controlling for the effects of other variables, but the relationship between age and number of job offers remained. Nonetheless, older graduates appear to have been employed in better jobs one year after graduation. Their higher average salaries were not explained by sociodemographic, educational, or employment-related variables. Thus, findings are generally inconsistent with the view that older graduates face age-related barriers to employment.

Unexpected, unwanted complications co-incident with the use of hypnosis can occur even to mental health professionals and in advanced hypnosis training. This article reports three such incidents, which occurred in the practice of a trained, licensed mental health professional, and university faculty member. Suggestions are provided for preventive practice, which may have reduced the risk of untoward aftereffects.

The 1980s brought about sweeping and far-reaching structural changes in many African countries, which greatly affected the higher education sector. Though, the task of training the professional and political elite had been achieved in the previ- ous decades, early reforms now faced new challenges. Concerns were raised that, without substantial new reforms, there may be a mismatch between higher educa- tion and the labor market, leading to massive unemployment among graduates, a tedious transition process from higher education to the labour market, and the un- deremployment of highly skilled laborers in low-skill jobs. This article uses survey data, conducted in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda to exam- ine the basis of such concerns. The 1980s brought about sweeping and far-reaching structural changes in many African countries, which greatly affected the higher education sector. Though, the task of training the professional and political elite had been achieved in the previ- ous decades, early reforms now faced new challenges. Concerns were raised that, without substantial new reforms, there may be a mismatch between higher educa- tion and the labor market, leading to massive unemployment among graduates, a tedious transition process from higher education to the labour market, and the un- deremployment of highly skilled laborers in low-skill jobs. This article uses survey data, conducted in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda to exam- ine the basis of such concerns.

Background and objective: The NCLEX pass rate is considered the primary indicator of program quality. Much literature exists regarding pre-graduation efforts aimed at aiding students to prepare for the NCLEX-RN exam, while there is little available on post-graduation efforts. This project was conducted to identify the post-graduation experiences of successful NCLEX-RN test takers as they prepared to complete the exam.Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study utilizing a phenomenological framework to determine the lived experience of new graduates preparing to complete the NCLEX-RN exam.Results: Four main themes were identified as relevant to post graduation experiences including: (a) Finding Motivation, (b) Study Tactics, (c) Taking a Break, and (d) The Testing Experience. Additionally, few of the participants took it for granted that they were going to pass the exam, they reported wishing they had spent more time preparing, and with regard to studying, several described wishing they had started earlier.Conclusions: It will be beneficial for faculty to discuss potential strategies for success to utilize after graduation, including expectations of testing day, setting a realistic timetable to test, overcoming lack of motivation to preparation for the exam, and careful scheduling of coaching and study sessions.

Business is a top choice of study for international students in countries such as the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada; however, knowledge about the post-graduation experiences of international business school graduates varies across hosting countries and is somewhat limited. Few business schools in the U.S. survey alumni to determine how their learning experiences have impacted their professional success. Fewer still have explored the role of English language proficiency for these graduates. This study collected data from online surveys to examine the on-campus and post-graduation experiences of international alumni to determine factors that impacted their academic and professional success, with an emphasis on English language development. Findings identified five themes—achievement-oriented, long-term commitment, involvement, sense of belonging, and experiential learning. Although participant success was largely due to their own grit, schools of business and their professors could do more to contribute to this success, particularly in the areas of curriculum and pedagogy.

Another lost tribe: Quantifying the experience of international medical graduates applying for a national training number (NTN) in the United Kingdom with a cross-sectional study

Reports of three organizations’ members about doctor of nursing practice project experiences and outcomes

This study explores the educational and post-graduation experiences of graduates of a master’s program with a focus on environmental journalism. The study uses the framework of knowledge-based journalism to qualitatively examine how the competencies of journalistic skills, general and content-specific knowledge, learning communication theory, and developing journalistic values allowed graduates to develop a niche in their professional careers. Results show respondents placed disproportionate emphasis on the importance of journalistic skills and were ambivalent about the value of theory courses. The responses suggest scholars’ idealistic conception of knowledge-based journalism is problematic when applied to the changing realities of journalism and the media industry in the U.S.

This paper is a report of a study to measure the psychometric properties of the Postgraduate Experience Questionnaire when used to evaluate the research experience of graduates who had completed Master's in Nursing programmes. Evidence of standards and outcomes of Master's in Nursing programmes is lacking, despite their continuing growth worldwide. The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire was introduced to evaluate the research experience of graduates. The instrument is a multidimensional measure of graduate students' experiences of research and research supervision. Six constructs that comprise the research experience of graduates are measured: the supervision process, academic climate, goals and expectations, infrastructure, skill development and the dissertation examination process. A cross-sectional postal survey of graduates from coursework Master's in Nursing programmes in Ireland was undertaken in 2006. The response rate was 71%. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used to test construct validity, while internal consistency measures were used to test reliability. Factor analysis identified a six-factor solution, as hypothesized by the instrument's developers. According to oblique rotation and confirmatory factor analysis, the majority of scales that comprise the instrument were relatively robust. Internal consistency measures identified that the six scales were reliable. The construct validity of Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire when psychometrically evaluated with coursework master's graduates differed slightly from the factor structure reported in the literature for the original scale. However, overall, adequate estimates of reliability and validity were found when the instrument was used to evaluate the research experience of graduates who complete a supervised dissertation as part of their degree.