Voicing the uncomfortable: How can we talk about race?

A network of Stop Smoking Services has been set up within the National Health Service (NHS) in England. The services deliver a combination of behavioural support and medication. It is important to establish the degree of variability in quit rates attributable to differences between individual practitioners, to gauge the scope for improvement by training and professional support. The aim of the present analysis was to examine how far short-term quit rates depend on the practitioner delivering the intervention after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Observational study using routinely collected data. Thirty-one NHS Stop Smoking Services in England. Data from 46,237 one-to-one treatment episodes (supported quit attempts) delivered by specialist practitioners. Three-level logistic regression models were fitted for carbon monoxide (CO)-validated short-term (4-week) quit rates. Models adjusted for age, gender, exemption from prescription charges, medication and intervention setting for each treatment episode, number of clients for each practitioner and economic deprivation at the level of the Stop Smoking Service. Secondary analyses included (i) the heaviness-of-smoking index (HSI) as predictor and (ii) 4-week quit rates whether or not confirmed by CO. Differences between individual specialist practitioners explained 7.6% of the variance in CO-verified quit rates after adjusting for client demographics, intervention characteristics and practitioner and service variables (P < 0.001). HSI had little impact on this figure; in quits not necessarily validated by CO, practitioners explained less variance. Individual stop smoking practitioners appear to differ to a significant degree in effectiveness. It is important to examine what underlies these differences in order to improve selection, training and professional development.

Introducing the Gastroenterologist-accountable Professionalism in Practice (G-APP) Pathway: Bridging the G-APP-Replacing MOC With a Model for Lifelong Learning and Accountability

Professional development is an important issue for every teacher. The recent trends in education favour teacher-centred, participant initiated and managed, school-based teacher development programmes, for example action research, lesson study, communities of practice, etc. Although there is no doubt that such initiatives offer ample learning opportunities for practitioners, it is important that higher level school or institutional development strategies be also considered, besides teachers’ individual learning agendas. This paper argues that it is possible to merge the needs of both individual practitioners and schools through a reflective, school-based developmental programme which is organised and supported by the school administration for the benefit of all involved. Being conceptual, the paper outlines a model for such a professional development course and discusses the principles it should be based on, its knowledge base, including possible content areas, skills, and learning processes. This paper may initiate professional discussion and further our knowledge of teacher development. Keywords: Developmental strategies, individual practitioner, school administration, teacher-centred, teacher professional developmentCite as: Kiss, T. (2016). School-based teacher learning: A reflective approach. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(2), 50-62.

CHAPTER 7 - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development for those pursuing a career in creative industries is typically driven by individual practitioners, given most areas (e.g. photography, design, film) do not require membership with a regulatory organisation or evidence of continuing skills development. For those based regionally, opportunities for professional development are also less available than for those in capital cities. This paper reports on the findings of a survey (N = 151) and follow-up interviews (N = 29) with current creative industries practitioners in the regional city of Townsville in northern Australia, in relation to professional development opportunities and issues faced as a result of being located a substantial distance from the nearest capital city. The findings reveal a range of key challenges for regional practitioners due to distance and access to specialists in the field, yet at the same time a number of opportunities for those who display human agency and who are agentic learners.

Clinical reflective practice

To address paucity in both general knowledge and about service provision, a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program on ethnic minority victims/survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) was developed and evaluated over six months in Australia using mixed-methods (T1 n=112, T2 n=44). This paper reports the findings in relation to working with interpreters. It was found that many practitioners are unable to use only trained interpreters due to resource and organisational policy constraints; there is desire and intention among service organisations to provide such training to interpreters but low funding limits this; pre- and de-briefing were comparatively more common but still inconsistent due to specific client needs, the individual practitioner, and whether organisational policies expect these practices; and the four examined practices were higher among ethnic minority practitioners and in organisations specialised for ethnic minorities. Overall, there was insufficient evidence the program was effective in improving these four practices; likely reflecting a combination of sector-wide resource constraints and insufficient coverage of working well with interpreters within the program’s full content. The results still contribute plentiful ideas for future research. Importantly, the updated online version of the CPD program responded by developing a dedicated module to this critical practice area.

Impact of using an online standardised data collection system in private physiotherapy practices in the UK: practitioners’ views

Content &amp; FocusIn this editorial, we voice the unspoken and illuminate the subtle expressions of ‘race’ discrimination, in an effort to amend and repair our relationship with ‘race’ within a profession we are immensely proud of and that which forms a part of our identities. As individual practitioners, we desire a shift in our continued professional development and a true recognition of the visible but hidden phenomenon of ‘race’. We long for legitimacy and a lifelong ideal where, although issues may exist, we are able to experience, dissect, learn, and disseminate knowledge. We want counselling psychology to actively partake in the dialogue around race; and be a driving force to carry through advocacy for our clients and for ourselves.

Although not often applied, the autoethnographic method lends itself for use in professional development practices. The literature contains a few examples in which autoethnography is used for this purpose, but with the focus solely on the relationship between mentee and mentor that creates the space for professional development to occur. In the current study, I explored, through a reflective account, the possibilities for using analytic autoethnography for professional development by drawing on the theory of transformative learning. Although there are some drawbacks in using autoethnography, the method may be a valuable addition to current professional development tools if used by the individual practitioner.

The Professional Development Portfolio Process: Setting Goals for Credentialing

University of Arizona College of Medicine: Tucson and Phoenix

Reflective practice in practice

Strategy for continuing education and professional development for hospital doctors and dentists, SCOPME’s third report, helps us to understand the essential elements that contribute to physician motivation for lifelong learning and its relationship with practice. It is a milestone document, which will influence our way of thinking about continuing professional development (CPD) and facilitate the establishment of new directions for national programmes of CPD around the world. Three programmes of work undertaken by SCOPME’s steering group form the basis of the report: 1. An examination of the current expenditure on CME and CPD was undertaken and reported to the Secretary of State in 1997. The results confirm the extreme variation that exists in the ways that expenditure for CPD/CME is recorded; the availability of funds; and the ways that the roles and responsibilities for the funding of CME and CPD are assumed. 2. A workshop was held in December 1997, entitled CME and CPD for hospital doctors: expectations and responsibilities. Its objective was to resolve the perceived conflicts between the provision of medical and dental services and the needs of professionals to enhance their personal career objectives, while at the same time enhancing the quality of care for their patients. The workshop participants recommended some major directional changes that needed to be in place for the widespread acceptance of CME and CPD: CPD they recommended, as a process encompassing CME, should be the responsibility of the individual practitioner. It should be organized and funded locally at the NHS trust level. While the Royal Colleges and other national organizations have an important contribution to make in setting standards for the content and process, they are also well positioned to spearhead the needed cultural change in how practitioner’s view lifelong learning. One important recommendation of the workshop, that practitioners’ motivation to promote their personal career goals should be viewed as a catalyst for enhancement of quality of care, is consistent with the findings in learning organizations in industry. 1 Essentially, consideration must be given to ways in which independent learning and collective knowledge building may be enhanced within daily practice. This argument is supported by the findings of the SCOPME steering group’s third programme of work, which is described below. 3. A study was undertaken by Soundings Research under the auspices of SCOPME’s steering group to determine the ways in which career grade doctors and dentists in three NHS trusts in England choose, carry out and evaluate CPD and CME activities. The findings, published in a report, Giving credit where credit is due, will form the centrepiece of this review since they provide insight into some important changes in how we view CPD, CME and workplace learning and their relationship to the provision of quality care to patients.

The goal of this article is to explore a Flemish intervention designed to support teacher educators’ professional development in general, and teacher educators’ role as researchers in particular. First, the article briefly describes how teacher educators’ professional development in Flanders (Belgium) is currently organised, and elaborates on the relevance of practitioner research to support teacher educators’ professional development (conceptualised as the development of a researcherly disposition). Then the results of an explorative qualitative study are presented. In particular, 16 institution-based Flemish teacher educators participated in a six-month intervention on practitioner research specifically designed to support their professional development. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to advance insight into the impact of the intervention. The findings suggest positive changes in teacher educators’ practice and professional development; and show the potential of individual practitioner research to the broader knowledge base on teacher education