Relationship between Master Gardeners’ and watershed stewards’ leadership skills, motivation toward engagement, and their age and education: COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the relationship between volunteer leadership competencies and stewardship action-taking experiences among Master Gardener (MG) and Master Watershed (MW) volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected data from 1196 Penn State Extension MG and MW respondents. The mean summative score for the volunteer stewardship action-taking experience was 2.32 (SD = .79), and volunteer leadership competencies was 3.45 (SD = .60). The results of this study showed a significant moderate association between volunteer stewardship action-taking experiences and volunteer leader competencies (r = .34, p ≤ .001). Volunteer leadership competencies can explain approximately 11 % of the variation in volunteer stewardship action-taking experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new knowledge that our research brings can significantly contribute to the practice in leadership teaching and learning of Extension organizations’ volunteers. Future leadership trainings on the enhancement of the MG and MW volunteer leaders’ stewardship action-taking capacity can help contribute to the greater good in their communities in a more confident and efficient manner. Further research should focus on identifying other factors that can affect MG and MW stewardship action-taking experiences, including the impact of the demographics and motivation.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Master Gardener (MG) Coordinator Manual, a 14-chapter resource book, was developed cooperatively with teams of VCE MGs, coordinators, and agents to enhance coordinators' skills. It includes chapters on risk management, volunteer management, the educational process, current policies, and the volunteer section of the VCE Master Gardener's Handbook. The VCE MG Coordinator Manual was the basis of four local VCE MG coordinator-training sessions in 1998. This evaluation showed that coordinators are using the manual and adapting the suggestions and samples to fit their local programs, despite the fact that more planning time is often required. Those using the manual increased their understanding of VCE goals and the role of the VCE MG and slightly increased their leadership skills. Reading the manual showed a need for information on training VCE MGs to work with agents to design and implement strong horticulture education programs for Virginia communities. Areas for improvement were identified before final publication.

Using student organization involvement to teach leadership and management skills in a dietetics education program

Advancing leadership in medical radiation sciences: Incorporating systematic leadership education in pre-registration curricula

Washington State's Master Gardener Program: 30 years of leadership in university-sponsored, volunteer-coordinated, sustainable community horticulture

BackgroundConsidering evidence on competency-based curricula and the benefits of volunteering, this study highlights innovative ideas to improve medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the motivations and perceptions of competencies developed as leadership and management skills in medical students who joined the COVID-19 Volunteering Program in a Brazilian medical school.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional, qualitative study involving medical students from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. They were invited to participate in an institutional Volunteering Program during the pandemic and filled out online application forms, including sociodemographic fields and two open-ended questions about their motivation to volunteer and perceptions of their own competencies. At the end of the program, students who were involved in management-related activities were also invited to participate in focus group interviews to track their perceptions about volunteering in this area. Data were submitted to descriptive and content analysis methods. All participants provided informed consent with electronic signatures.ResultsA total of 286 medical students subscribed to the Volunteering Program: 171 (60%) were men, 152 (53%) were enrolled in their 5th year of medical school, and 158 (55%) were 23-25 years old. One hundred and twelve (44%) students reported that they were motivated by altruistic reasons, 95 (37%) reported duty and 47 (19%) prioritized academic interests. Concerning CanMEDS competencies, 91 (36%) students’ responses matched the Scholar component, followed by 51 (20%) with Collaborator, 49 (20%) with Professional, 32 (13%) with Communicator, 17 (7%) with Leader and 11 (4%) with Health Advocate.In focus groups, students reported the importance of management and leadership skills as a curricular component, motivations to volunteer, and acquired skills from volunteering in management and leadership-related activities, thereby indicating the development of resilient attitudes.ConclusionsStudents who participated in the School of Medicine of University of Sao Paulo (FMUSP) Volunteering Program reported being motivated to help others (altruistic reasons) and to serve society as future health professionals (duty). Knowledge and work-related competencies prevailed over leadership or soft skills, emphasizing the importance of including such activities in the curriculum. Participating in management-related activities could help develop a more resilient attitude toward medical training. Volunteering programs offer students opportunities to develop competencies essential for their roles as future health professionals. Thus, we should think about including such activities in the curricular structure.

Introduction:Leadership is recognized as an essential competency across healthcare and science. The LEAD (Leadership Emerging in Academic Departments) program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) is a structured 12-month blended learning program that catalyzes personal and professional leadership skills, behaviors, and capacity.Methods:Utilizing a post-program survey design, the Leadership Program Outcome Measure (LPOM) explored self-reported impact of the LEAD program on leadership knowledge and skills in relation to personal and organizational leadership constructs. Application of leadership skills to practice was tracked via completion of a leadership-focused capstone project.Results:Over 3 cohorts, 76 participants graduated and 50 completed the LPOM survey (68% response rate). Participants self-reported an increase in leadership skills, conveyed plans to use acquired skills in current and future leadership positions, and noted improved leadership skills across the personal and organizational domains. Comparatively less change was detected at the community level. Tracking of capstone projects found that 64% of participants were able to successfully implement their project in practice.Conclusion:LEAD was successful in promoting the development of personal and organizational leadership practices. The LPOM evaluation provided a valuable lens through which to assess the individual, interpersonal, and organizational impact of a multidimensional leadership training program.

The Road to Leadership in SPN

A Review of:
 Harris-Keith, Colleen S. (2015). The Relationship Between Academic Library Department Experience and Perceptions of Leadership Skill Development Relevant to Academic Library Directorship. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(3), 246-263. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2015.03.017
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – This study sought to identify if the perception of library leadership skill and quality development is equal across departmental experience, and what are the leadership skills and qualities most commonly perceived to be used in each department.
 
 Design – Quantitative online survey instrument. 
 
 Setting – Master’s colleges and universities from 728 institutions in the United States of America, as classified by the Carnegie Foundation. 
 
 Subjects – 666 academic library directors. 
 
 Methods – Selected participants, representing academic library administrative leadership, were contacted by email a maximum of four times and were invited to complete an online survey instrument composed of six sections. The first three sections contained the purpose and confidentiality statements, demographic information, and data on the past five positions held by respondents prior to their current directorship. The next two sections each had 25 statements on a 5-point Likert scale, to collect data on perceived leadership skills and qualities exercised by respondents in their most recent three positions. The final section had four open-ended questions to help explain the academic library directors’ responses and provide context for the ratings in previous sections of the instrument. 
 
 Main results – A total of 296 responses were received, for a 40.66% response rate, which was representative of the institution type demographics, including private non-profit, public, and private for-profit. 
 
 The first research question asked: is the perception of library leadership skill and quality development equal across departmental experience? The data used for this question involved all library departments: Access Services, Administration, Collection Development, Digital Library Services, Information Technology, Reference and Instruction, and Technical Services. When departments were compared pairwise on composite leadership skill scores, Administration was significantly higher than another department. Results showed that perceptions of leadership quality development appeared to be equal across departments, but leadership skill development was not, and in fact, there was a significant difference between the variances of the composite scores in the population. 
 
 The second research question asked: what are the leadership skills and qualities most commonly perceived to be used in each department? Results revealed that every leadership skill score except for time management was significant, indicating a difference among library departments based on individual leadership skill scores. Respondents perceived that there was a difference in leadership skill (but not leadership quality) development opportunity by department. 
 
 Departments were also compared pairwise on offering a greater opportunity to develop leadership skills, and overall, academic library directors perceived that there were significant differences in skill development by department. Furthermore, respondents overwhelmingly indicated that Administration was where they perceived the most leadership skill development opportunities. There was no perceived difference in leadership quality development by department. As well, some departments were reported to provide targeted, department-specific leadership skills, such as resource allocation and budget management. 
 
 Conclusion – This study offers strong evidence that development of many of the leadership skills necessary for success as an academic library director only present themselves to professionals once they enter the Administration department, the library director position, or the assistant director position.

This study investigates how educational attainment shaped the motivations and experiences of Extension Master Gardeners (MGs) and Master Watershed Stewards (MWSs) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic’s disruptions provided a unique context for examining how volunteers with differing educational backgrounds engaged with Extension programming and adapted their roles. This research is part of a larger project that examined the relationships between volunteer leadership competencies and stewardship behaviors within Penn State Extension's MG and MWS programs. An online questionnaire was distributed to 3,000 volunteers, yielding 1,196 responses (39.9% response rate). Of these, 331 participants (27.7%) provided open-ended responses describing their motivations and experiences, which were analyzed in this study. A mixed-methods design integrated thematic analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, natural language processing, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results indicated that volunteers with graduate degrees frequently assumed strategic and leadership-oriented roles emphasizing virtual engagement and innovation, while those without graduate degrees focused on hands-on service, community outreach, and applied learning. Despite these variations, both groups demonstrated resilience and a strong commitment to service. Findings underscore the importance of aligning volunteer roles with educational backgrounds to enhance engagement, satisfaction, and program effectiveness. Implications for Extension programming and future research are discussed.

The North Central Consumer Horticulture Working Group developed and distributed a 14-question survey to determine the confidence of north-central U.S. extension Master Gardeners (MGs) in making integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations and their use of IPM. The online survey was completed by 3842 MGs in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. MGs indicated they personally engaged in a range of IPM practices, including prevention, monitoring, cultural, and chemical controls. However, 81% indicated a need for more training in identifying diseases, and 65% say they needed more training in identifying insects. Only 16% indicated they had received advanced pest management training within the past 5 years. These MGs had higher mean scores for confidence, as well as prevention, monitoring, and cultural control and chemical awareness/control practices than those not participating in advanced training. Years of experience as an active MG and confidence in using IPM-related garden activities were correlated positively ( r = 0.261). MGs with advanced pest management training were more confident in making IPM recommendations to other gardeners and were much more likely to use IPM practices than MG without advanced training.

Managed care has changed the nature of medical practice. The practice of pathology has also changed and is likely to undergo further modification. Additional skills in leadership and management are needed to perform optimally in the current medical marketplace. To determine whether pathologists view business and informatics skills as being important and valuable in their practices. A survey was sent electronically (via e-mail) to 2566 pathologists and pathology administrators. Two hundred sixteen survey recipients (8.4%) responded to the survey. The response rate to individual questions ranged from 86% to 99% (186 to 214 of 216 total respondents). Most who took the survey ranked communication (203/209; 97%), leadership skills (165/209; 79%), and systems thinking skills (155/209; 74%) as either "very important" or "essential." Fewer respondents were willing to offer salary premiums for marketing (108/196; 55%), business or finance (92/196; 47%), or staff leadership (95/196; 48%) skills unless the candidate had a track record of measurable achievement using these skills. Those practicing in academia as well as those making hiring decisions by themselves were more likely to value leadership and management skills. Fewer than 1% of respondents in any category considered current pathology residency training in leadership and management to be adequate. Prospective employers value leadership and management skills. Pathology residency programs must include meaningful training in pathology practice management and informatics to satisfy the demand for these skills in the modern pathology marketplace.

SP23 Regional anaesthesia training during the pandemic: before and beyond. One teaching hospital experience

Uncovering the Devaluation of Nursing Home Staff During COVID-19: Are We Fuelling the Next Health Care Crisis?

Canadian Library Human Resources Short-Term Supply and Demand Crisis Is Averted, But a Significant Long-Term Crisis Must Be Addressed