Applicant Pool Research Articles

An Immediate but Fleeting Interest in MPH Programs After the Onset of COVID-19: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

The relationship between the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in master of public health (MPH) programs is unknown. We examined trends in MPH application rates for 31 MPH concentrations and specifically for the MPH concentration in epidemiology and differences by race and ethnicity before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We constructed a quasi-experimental design to examine trends in MPH application rates from academic years 2015-2016 through 2022-2023 by using Centralized Application Service for Schools and Programs of Public Health data. We used an interrupted time-series analysis to test whether application rates surged after the pandemic's onset (academic years 2019-2020 through 2020-2021) and whether this increase persisted during the pandemic (academic years 2020-2021 through 2022-2023). We fit models for the overall sample, a combined racially and ethnically minoritized sample, each racial and ethnic group separately, and a non-US citizen sample. The pandemic's onset correlated with an immediate increase in application rates across most samples: overall (38%) and among American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (91%), Asian (35%), Black (42%), Hispanic (60%), multiracial (30%), racially and ethnically minoritized (44%), and White (53%) samples. However, this trend was not sustained; application rate trends during the pandemic were significantly lower than prepandemic trends. Application rate trends for all MPH concentrations and the MPH in epidemiology concentration among non-US citizens were significantly higher during the pandemic than prepandemic. Our results highlight the need for innovative strategies to sustain MPH degree interest and a diverse applicant pool.

Artificial Intelligence Plays Crucial Role in Education Sector of Assam

“AI is a mirror, reflection not only our intellect, but our values and fears” Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the future of technology and revolutionizing our education system. Due to evolution of artificial intelligence, we have seen the drastic change in our educational sector throughout the globe. It indicates a positive signal for present and future generations of our country and also throughout the globe. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a crucial role in the school functioning process, streamlining and optimizing the procedure for both institutions and applicants. Through AI-driven algorithms, schools can efficiently sift through a large pool of applicants, identifying the most suitable candidates based on predefined criteria such as student’s enrollment according to their academic performance, extracurricular activities, and personal attributes. One of the most remarkable advantages of employing AI in the admission process is its ability to eliminate human bias, ensuring fairness and equal opportunities for all applicants. AI systems are programmed to assess candidates solely based on their qualifications and merit, reducing the influence of subjective factor, viz., race, gender, or socioeconomic background. We have seen the drastic changes in case of new admission in our School and College for last 3 to 4 years in the state of Assam and country as well. Moreover, AI facilitates personalized and efficient communication with applicants, providing them with updates on their application status and guiding them through the admission process. Virtual assistants powered by AI can promptly address queries from applicants, offering them the support they need. Furthermore, AI enables predictive analysis, allowing schools to forecast future trends in admission and tailor their strategies accordingly. By analyzing past admission data and trends, AI systems can provide valuable insights into the preferences and behaviors of prospective students, helping schools make informed decisions and develop targeted recruitment strategies. AI is revolutionizing the school admission process by making it more efficient, transparent, and fair. By leveraging AI technologies, schools can streamline their admission procedures, improve the candidate experience, and ultimately ensure that the most qualified and deserving students are admitted. In Assam, the education department of Government of Assam has introduced Shiksha Setu App to enhance communication between students, parents, teachers, and educational institutions. It facilitates access to various educational resources, attendance tracking of both teachers and students, exam schedules, leave for teachers, and performance reports. Its significance lies in improving transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in the whole education system of Assam, and as result contributing to better student outcomes and parental involvement.

Prospective healthcare students' perspectives and attitudes on pharmacy as a chosen career path

BackgroundWith the national increase in the number of colleges and schools of pharmacy as well as the decreased pharmacy school applicant pool in recent years, pharmacy school enrollment challenges are at the forefront of issues facing pharmacy programs today. Factors that can influence a candidate's likelihood to pursue pharmacy school are important to evaluate. Recent studies assessing factors that motivate potential pre-health candidates to pursue pharmacy school or other healthcare careers are limited. ObjectiveTo describe prospective candidates' perspectives and attitudes toward pharmacy as a career pathway and assess factors that motivate or deter them from pursuing pharmacy as a career and from considering a specific pharmacy school. MethodThe study was cross-sectional and used an online data collection form distributed via the Qualtrics platform from October 4, 2022 through October 12, 2022 using the social media platform Reddit. Reddit has hundreds of subcommunities known as subreddits, that allow for exchange of ideas and discussion regarding various topics. This social media platform is commonly used by pre-health students to discuss career options. The survey consisted of 28 items and two domains, demographics and prospective healthcare students' understanding of responsibilities of pharmacists and their overall perspective on pharmacy as a profession. The survey was targeted toward anyone with an intention of pursuing a health science degree or career. ResultFour hundred participants completed the survey. Participants were mainly Caucasian, male, and with a mean age of 25 years. This study assessed prospective candidates' perspectives and attitudes toward pharmacy as a career pathway, appealing and unappealing characteristics about pursuing a career in the field of pharmacy, and factors that motivate or deter candidates from pursuing pharmacy. While 68 % of the participants had heard that career choices are vast and vary in the field of pharmacy, most still had concerns about the pharmacy field being heavily saturated and lack of job opportunities after graduation. Almost 60 % of responders gained information about pharmacy programs through social media platforms. The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination pass rate, postgraduate residencies/fellowships, program duration and program reputation were among the top factors in choosing a pharmacy program. ConclusionMany survey participants had heard that there are a variety of job opportunities in the field of pharmacy, but the majority had heard that the pharmacy field is heavily saturated and that there are lack of opportunities after graduation. Most responders gained information through social media platforms. For prospective pharmacy school candidates, NAPLEX pass rate, number of graduates matched with PGY1 residencies and fellowships, and duration and reputation of the program seems to be among the most important factors in choosing a pharmacy program. Factors that prospective candidates consider when selecting a pharmacy program and the means they use to research about programs can be important considerations for pharmacy programs recruitment. Awareness of the preferences and baseline knowledge of candidates about the field of pharmacy can aid in developing targeted recruitment strategies and informing decision-making in pharmacy programs and recruitment efforts.

The data poverty trap: A moral and statistical dilemma

Key digested messageThis article explores the issue of data poverty and its impact on educational inequality with specific reference to vocational training. It highlights how a lack of comprehensive data affects support services and student outcomes, contributing to survivorship bias. In this specific case, survivorship bias arises because in-depth data is primarily collected from students who were admitted to colleges, neglecting those who were not. This selective data collection misrepresents the needs and barriers of the broader applicant pool. The article also discusses the potential and limitations of artificial intelligence in addressing these challenges, emphasising the need for context-specific data to improve enrolment and support for all students.

Filling Gaps in Practice Leadership: Succession Planning for Clinical Nurse Specialist Positions.

To create a succession plan for clinical nurse specialist positions across multiple clinical settings. Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) had multiple clinical nurse specialist position vacancies. However, standard recruitment methods and a collaboration between human resources and nursing managers to expand the applicant pool yielded few applicants. A work group was subsequently commissioned to identify innovative ways to fill the vacant clinical nurse specialist positions. Guiding principles for hiring and implementing the role were developed. During the 4-year project period (2016 through 2019), the time to fill positions decreased from 174 days to 83 days. Nurse managers and clinical nurse specialists reported an increased number of registered nurses seeking information about the profession. Twenty-eight clinical nurse specialist interns, titled clinical resource nurses, were hired, and 14 completed their graduate degree, obtained state licensure, and transitioned to clinical nurse specialist roles. Twelve clinical resource nurses were on schedule to transition to clinical nurse specialist positions, and 2 left their positions. A succession plan that used clinical nurse specialists to mentor clinical resource nurses to fill gaps in practice priorities while completing graduate education was a successful strategy to fill vacant clinical nurse specialist positions.

Program Signaling in Emergency Medicine: The 2022-2023 Program Director Experience.

Program signaling (PS), which enables residency applicants to signal their preference for a specific program, was introduced in emergency medicine (EM) in the 2022-2023 residency application cycle. In this study we evaluated EM program directors' (PD) utilization of PS in application review and ranking. This study also explores the relationship between program characteristics and number of signals received as well as the relative importance and utilization of signals related to the number of signals received. This is an institutional review board-approved, cross-sectional study of PDs at Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited EM residency programs. We used descriptive statistics to describe the characteristics of residency programs and practices around PS. Measures of central tendency and dispersion summarized continuous variables. We used chi-square analysis or the Fisher exact test for comparisons between groups for categorical variables. Comparisons for continuous variables were made using the t-test for independent samples or analysis of variance. The response rate was 41% (n = 113/277 EM programs). Most programs participated in PS (n = 261/277 EM programs, 94.2%). Mean number of signals received was 60 (range 2-203). Signals received varied based on program characteristics including geographic location and program type, duration, environment, and longevity. Most used PS in holistic review (52.2%), but other uses varied by proportion of applications that were signaled. The importance of PS in application review (mean 2.9; 1-5 scale, 1 = not important, 5 = extremely important) and rank list preparation (2.1) was relatively low compared to other application elements such as standardized letters of evaluation (4.97 for review, 4.90 for ranking). The study provides insights into PS utilization in EM's inaugural year. We have identified patterns of signal use based on program characteristics and number of signals received that can inform signal allocation and utilization on an individual applicant and program level. A more nuanced understanding of signal use can provide valuable insight as the specialty of EM grapples with fluctuations in its applicant numbers and shifting demographics of its applicant pool.

Implications of Requiring the Physician Assistant College Admissions Test on Physician Assistant Program Applicant Pool: Lessons Learned.

To present a physician assistant (PA) program's experience and lessons learned by requiring a new standardized test as an admissions requirement. A state academic PA program changed an admission requirement by requiring the Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT) instead of the Graduate Record Examination. The admissions requirement change correlated with a 72% drop in the applicant pool. Data from previous literature present background information on standardized testing and predictors of student success. The program-specific data retrospectively evaluate changes in application numbers. Several studies have evaluated various preadmission metrics and their correlation to student success. However, the PA-CAT and its predictor of student success in the program and passing the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam still need to be evaluated. Requiring standardized testing increases the barrier to applicant PA school admissions. Despite its potential, the PA-CAT has yet to be extensively studied to predict success in matriculated PA students and should be used cautiously. The implications of using the PA-CAT as an admissions requirement are a potential decrease in the strength of applicants, the number of total applicants, and the overall decline in the quality of graduating PAs. This cautionary note is crucial for maintaining the quality and integrity of our PA programs.

Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Graduate Admissions.

Many undergraduate neuroscience trainees aspire to earn a PhD. In recent years the number, demographics, and previous experiences of PhD applicants in neuroscience has changed. This has necessitated both a reconsideration of admissions processes to ensure equity for an increasingly diverse applicant pool as well as renewed efforts to expand access to the training and research experiences required for admission to graduate programs. Here, we describe both facets of graduate school admissions by demystifying the process and providing faculty with tools and resources to help undergraduate students successfully navigate it. We discuss admissions requirements and processes at two graduate institutions, highlighting holistic approaches to evaluating students, the ever-increasing research experience expectations, and the decreasing reliance on the GRE. With a particular focus on improving equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, we discuss resources for applying to graduate school that are available for students from underrepresented populations, including summer institutes and fellowship programs and intentional relationships with minority serving institutions (MSIs) to foster bi-directional engagement between undergraduate programs at MSIs and graduate institutions. With diverse perspectives as faculty involved in undergraduate education, graduate programs, and post-baccalaureate training programs, we provide recommendations and resources for how to help all trainees - especially those from populations underrepresented in the STEM workforce - succeed in the current graduate education admissions landscape.

Falling pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination signal an emerging crisis for a growing number of pharmacy schools

AbstractThe North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) is a major assessment metric for graduates pursuing licensure and the institutions from which they graduated. Before 2014, the mean NAPLEX first‐time pass rate was roughly 95% every year. Mean pass rates have fallen dramatically since then to less than 80%, with many schools currently unable to achieve a 70% pass rate. Such a drastic decline in NAPLEX performance constitutes a crisis for many schools. Changes to the exam blueprint, administration, and scoring provide a partial explanation for the decline, but the issue of cause ultimately comes down to one simple question: What has changed over the last 10 years that is making it more difficult for graduates to pass NAPLEX on the first attempt? The effects of excessive academic expansion, beginning in 2000, cannot be overlooked. The newest schools, established after 2009, and accelerated (3‐year) programs, many of which are also new, appear to be particularly vulnerable. In 2023, 16 pharmacy schools had first‐time pass rates below 65%. Nine (56%) of those schools opened after 2009 and seven (44%) were accelerated programs. Newer schools have had to compete for a limited supply of qualified faculty, administrators, preceptors and experiential training sites, while also striving to meet enrollment targets amid a dwindling applicant pool. The ability to overcome the NAPLEX crisis depends on first establishing a more effective process of assessing NAPLEX results—one that measures the right metrics in the right way—and upholds fair, but rigorous, quality standards. Stakeholders need access to actionable information and the most relevant, useful data available. The purpose of this article is to provide evidence that the Academy is facing a legitimate crisis and offer four recommendations by which assessment and understanding of the crisis can be enhanced.

The Impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court Decision on Orthopaedic Residency Programs: A Collaborative Orthopaedic Education Research Group (COERG) Survey.

Recent changes inreproductive health care policy have now led to state-specific differences in abortion care access across the United States. Members of the medical community in particular have issued concerns regarding these new policies and their potential impact on graduate medical training. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to sample orthopaedic surgery residency programs to gauge their perceptions of the Dobbs decision and its impact on residency training. Materials and methods:A 25-item questionnaire was developed toassess the attitudes of orthopaedic surgery residency programs on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision. Our survey-based study was first endorsed by and then distributed amongst members of the Collaborative Orthopaedic Education Research Group (COERG). A total of 24 representatives from 24 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited orthopaedic surgery residency programs agreed to participate in the study. Results: Twenty-four of 24 program correspondents completed the survey (100%). Of the 15 programs (68.2%) who reported that their institution does not have a contingency plan in place, only five (33.3%) see a need for one. Eighteen programs (75.0%) agreed that the ACGME should have a policy protecting residents or significant others needing reproductive care. Ten (41.7%) respondents indicated that the Dobbs decision will impact how students rank residency programs; however, none (0%) believe it will impact their ability to attract a diverse applicant pool. Conclusion: Although some programs surveyed have a contingency plan in place, the majority believe the ACGME should develop a policy that addresses the reproductive needs of residents. Given the higher rate of pregnancy complications experienced by women training in orthopaedic surgery it is paramount to have policies that protect residents seeking reproductive care.

Exploring the Impact of Generation Status on Pharmacy Admissions: A Comparative Study of First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students

ObjectiveFirst-generation college students (FGCSs) comprise a large demographic of health professions programs. Although FGCSs in pharmacy education have been studied, robust data describing FGCSs who pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree are sparse. The objective of this study was to describe the FGCS applicant population within pharmacy education from 2017 to 2023 and compare them with continuing-generation college student (CGCS) applicants. MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using national Doctor of Pharmacy application data from the Pharmacy College Application Service between 2017 and 2023. ResultsOf the 83,446 applicants, 26% identified as an FGCS, with analysis demonstrating the breadth of differences between FGCS and CGCS. FGCSs were found to be older, more likely of minority status, and more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds. FGCSs also submitted a greater number of applications per student, were less likely to matriculate, and were more likely to be denied by at least 1 program. ConclusionImportant differences between FGCSs and CGCSs in the pharmacy school applicant pool were identified. These differences highlight the importance of studying recruitment strategies and support programs for FGCS pharmacy applicants, strategies to increase completed applications, and decrease melt in FGCSs once they are accepted into programs.

A longitudinal meta-analysis of range restriction estimates and general mental ability validity coefficients: Better addressing overcorrection amid decline effects.

Psychometric corrections can be crucial for obtaining valid operational results, but concerns are rising about potential overcorrections for general mental ability (GMA) validity coefficients. Our two-part study identifies a source of overprediction: using national norms rather than recent local applicant pool variance for range restriction corrections. Study 1 demonstrates increasing homogeneity in Wonderlic occupational applicant pool variance across four data time waves, suggesting they are no longer interchangeable with the general working population, a divergence attributable to a rise in education. Study 2 employs the Morris meta-analytic approach to gauge the impact of using national norms over occupational ones in range restriction. An analysis of 649 GMA validity coefficients from four time waves of General Aptitude Test Battery and Wonderlic data shows a radical drop in corrected and uncorrected correlations, indicating that historical corrected GMA validity coefficients differ from contemporary ones by up to 16-fold (i.e., an R² of 42.3% vs. 2.6%), and range restriction corrections are now minimal in about 75% of cases. This drop in correlations appears due to the filtering effects of increased education, both due to the demands of the knowledge economy and credentialism, where organizations are using college or university degrees as a proxy for GMA. Credentialism is an incredibly inefficient form of GMA assessment, suggesting an urgent societal need to incorporate selection fundamentals more broadly. Altogether, these results indicate that labor market dynamics have a deeper impact on personnel selection than typically appreciated, meaning that many of our estimates have and will eventually age out. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Analysis of the microsurgery fellowship match: 2019-2022 update.

A recent analysis of microsurgery fellowship match data published in 2019 demonstrated increased competition for available positions. With growing opportunities in the field, the authors hypothesize that the landscape for both applicants and programs has become more competitive. The aim of this study is to compare two periods of match data to inform residents and programs in microsurgery. Microsurgery fellowship match data was obtained from the San Francisco Match with approval by the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery for the years 2014-2022. Data were stratified into the categories of 2016-2018 and 2019-2022. Parameters assessed included: program and position fill rates, match rates, and in-service examination percentiles. Data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square tests and unpaired t-tests. The median number of participating programs and positions increased to 29 and 47 in 2019-2022, compared with 23 and 40 in 2016-2018. This coincided with a decrease in the number of applicants per position (1.3 [52-40] vs. 1.1 [50-47], p = .45). There was a significant increase in the match rate between groups (67.8% vs. 80.2%, p = .007). Recently, 2022 saw the lowest position fill rate on record, at 75.4% (40 of 53 positions filled), down from 85.3% (35 of 41) in 2018 (p = .35) and 95.6% (43 of 45) in 2019 (p = .006). Mean in-service examination percentiles for successfully matched applicants did not differ between (2016-2018) and (2019-2022) applicants. Recent years have seen a rise in the number of microsurgery fellowship training programs with a decline in the number of applicants. Accordingly, there has been an increased match rate for prospective applicants. Despite this, a pool of unmatched applicants and unfilled positions with training opportunities still remain. The reasons for which are likely multifactorial.

The Impact of Graduate Record Exam Threshold Scores in Disqualifying Underrepresented Ethnic-Racial Minority Applicants for Admission to a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

A growing number of graduate-level health professions education programs in the United States are discontinuing the use of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in their admissions requirements amidst concerns that its use puts Underrepresented Racial Minority (URRM) applicants at a disadvantage. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzes the association between ethnic-racial selection and the reasons for disqualification among applicants to a public Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program that used a minimum grade point average (GPA), and Analytic Writing and Quantitative Reasoning GRE minimum threshold scores to qualify applicants. There is evidence across the health professions literature that both GRE scores and GPA are associated with success on licensure examinations and academic performance. However, these variables also tend to disadvantage URRM applicants in gaining admissions to postgraduate health care fields, including physical therapy. All applicants (N = 4,797) to a single DPT program from a 9-year period were included. Racial and ethnic self-selections, GRE scores, and prerequisite GPA were coded for each applicant and classified for meeting qualifying criteria. The URRM applicants were disqualified based on GRE scores alone (P < .001) and in combination of GRE and GPA at a statistically significantly (P < .001) higher rate than Overrepresented Racial Group (ORRG) applicants, although the associations were negligible or weak. Compared with ORRG applicants, URRM applicants were at a statistically significant disadvantage because of the GRE threshold scores requirement. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that use of GRE minimum threshold scores disproportionately reduced URRM applicants in the qualified applicant pool. This investigation can be used as a model to inform holistic admission decisions regarding the use of academic variables to achieve the diversity and success goals of the program.

Virtual Urology Residency Interviews in the Post-Pandemic Era.

Urology programs are considering maintaining the virtual format for residency interviews after COVID-19. This article explores the benefits and possible risks of this decision, as well as ways the application process can be improved. Virtual interviews save students and programs time and money, attracting a more diverse pool of applicants. Most applicants believe that faculty interviews are well replicated virtually; however, it is difficult to represent the culture of the program and city. Program directors are concerned about adequate evaluation of applicants virtually. There is also concern of over-application by candidates and inequities surrounding away rotations. Virtual interviews have become mandated in Urology over the last several years, with some notable benefits. Ongoing analysis of the advantages, and potential threats, of this policy is essential to developing an equitable and functional interview process for students and programs alike, in the post-pandemic era.

Application of Bubble Sort Optimization in New Student Admission Selection Using Brute Force Algorithm

This study investigates the application of a Brute Force algorithm optimized with Bubble Sort for new student admission selection. The Brute Force algorithm, while guaranteeing accurate results, suffers from exponential time complexity with increasing data size, posing a challenge for large applicant pools. To address this limitation, this research integrates Bubble Sort optimization to reduce the execution time complexity of the Brute Force algorithm. This study goes beyond solving the student admission selection problem; it explores optimizing the Brute Force algorithm by leveraging the simplicity and efficiency of Bubble Sort. This approach aims to determine the extent to which the Brute Force algorithm can be optimized for student selection, particularly regarding execution time complexity. The integration of Bubble Sort is hypothesized to significantly improve the performance of the Brute Force algorithm by reordering data before processing, thereby minimizing unnecessary comparisons. This paper presents a comparative analysis of execution times between the traditional Brute Force approach and the optimized version. Preliminary results indicate a substantial improvement in efficiency, suggesting that this hybrid approach could be a valuable solution for similar combinatorial problems with time complexity constraints. Further research could explore the applicability of this optimized algorithm in other domains where time complexity is a critical factor.

Wayfinding in an indigenous initial teacher education mathematics programme

In this paper we discuss ongoing challenges for Māori-medium initial teacher education in addressing conceptual, linguistic and pedagogical tensions that impact on developing mathematics education programmes. These include the small pool of applicants with the necessary linguistic and cultural knowledge required to teach in Māori-medium settings. Māori-medium schooling has the dual goals of providing a learning environment where Māori ways of knowing and being are taken for granted and students have access to international notions of academic success. However, many Māori-medium initial teaching education applicants have learnt mathematics in English and have had varying levels of access to Māori practices that could be taught alongside mathematics. To address these challenges, we utilise the cultural symmetry model to guide the design and delivery of Māori-medium initial teacher education tasks using wayfinding. Thereby illuminating Māori practices and school mathematics curriculum simultaneously.

Retraction to: Tourism management in financial crisis and industry 4.0 effects: Managers traits for technology adoption in reshaping, and reinventing human management systems

BACKGROUND: The literature paid diminutive attention to quantifying the relationship between tourism, industry 4.0, technology adoption, and managers’ personality traits. This study represents recruitment managers’ reactions to adopting social media recruiting technology in securitizing an appropriate candidate amongst a pool of applicants and how technology affects financial crisis. OBJECTIVE: We explored the understanding of how managers’ personality influence adoption and acceptance of social media networking websites. It caters to technology outcomes for organizations adopting faster technologies and designing their working environment under the protocols of industry 4.0. Such innovative organizations need to develop managers’ personality traits to produce smart employees, clients, and other users who can help bridge this gap between intelligent people and smart products offered by advanced applications of IT for tourism. METHODS: We processed 406 managers’ data for analysis. RESULTS: Managers’ personality traits, except agreeableness, significantly impact the intention to adopt the technology. Technology acceptance fulfills technology outcomes, adding to the theoretical and practical body of knowledge. CONCLUSION: Dependency on technology adoption and utilization in the tourism sector is based on the willingness and innovativeness of the recruiters. The outcomes of technology acceptance in the recruitment processes; are minimized cost, reduced time, and quality recruits.

Utilizing stem cell-secreted molecules as a versatile toolbox for skin regenerative medicine

Stem cells are recognized as an important target and tool in regenerative engineering. In this study, we explored the feasibility of engineering amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cell-secreted molecules (afMSC-SMs) as a versatile bioactive material for skin regenerative medicine applications in a time- and cost-efficient and straightforward manner. afMSC-SMs, obtained in powder form through ethanol precipitation, effectively contributed to preserving the self-renewal capacity and differentiation potential of primary human keratinocytes (pKCs) in a xeno-free environment, offering a potential alternative to traditional culture methods for their long-term in vitro expansion, and allowed them to reconstitute a fully stratified epithelium sheet on human dermal fibroblasts. Furthermore, we demonstrated the flexibility of afMSC-SMs in wound healing and hair regrowth through injectable hydrogel and nanogel-mediated transdermal delivery systems, respectively, expanding the pool of regenerative applications. This cell-free approach may offer several potential advantages, including streamlined manufacturing processes, scalability, controlled formulation, longer shelf lives, and mitigation of risks associated with living cell transplantation. Accordingly, afMSC-SMs could serve as a promising therapeutic toolbox for advancing cell-free regenerative medicine, simplifying their broad applicability in various clinical settings.

An evaluation of burn fellowship program websites' presence and content.

Fellowship program websites pertaining to various subspecialties have been evaluated according to the amount and type of content they communicate to prospective applicants. This study aimed to evaluate what information specifically burn fellowship programs communicate through their websites and to what extent, if at all. Ten of the 30 unique burn fellowship programs, American Burn Association (ABA)-verified or otherwise, identified through the ABA website did not have official websites which could be readily located at time of data collection. Thus, twenty burn fellowship program websites were included in analysis. Burn fellowship program websites were assessed according to 23 criteria relating to recruitment, education, and social life. On average, each website contained an average of 8.5 ± 2.6 criteria (range, 2 - 13), with all of them listing a program contact email/phone, and 95% containing a program description. Only 35% of programs listed the faculty, and a single program advertised alumni job placement. Neither total number of fellows, total number of clinical faculty, nor Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation status were significantly associated with amount or type of content. Geographic region was associated with a significant difference in amount of education-related content. Fellowship program websites are important to prospective applicants when comparing programs and deciding where to apply. These results show where burn fellowship programs can increase the amount of publicly-available information that applicants tend to find helpful in order to hopefully both diversify and tailor their applicant pool to those whose goals align with the programs'.