Areas Of Competence Research Articles

Medical Residency Milestones: Competencies in Informatics, Library, and Evidence-Based Practice

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sets standards known as Milestones and monitors the progress of medical residents as they advance toward medical practice in their specialties. Health sciences librarians need to train medical residents in certain competency areas to help reach the Milestone standards. This project analyzed the Milestones related to informatics, library, and evidence-based practice (EBP) skills to identify core and optional library-related curricular elements that can be integrated into different medical specialty residencies. The authors collected key competency documents from ACGME and from those specialties representing 2% or more of the residencies in the United States. Then, they compared and contrasted those Milestones related to informatics, library, and EBP competency skills. Most relevant Milestones were categorized under the fifth broad ACGME competency area of “Practice Based Learning and Improvement.” The Milestones followed developmental patterns, reflecting residents’ increased sophistication in meeting these competencies as they advanced in their specialties. The curriculum was designed to meet the residents’ learning needs at each progressive Milestone.

Implementation of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale in the Republic of Croatia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale in Croatia in order to use it as a valid and reliable instrument for assessing nurses’ competence. Methodological study. Content and construct validity as well as internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted. The six-factor structure of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale in the Republic of Croatia was confirmed by CFA. The six-factor model showed a satisfactory fit to the data (RMSEA = 0.085, CFI = 0.84). All factor loadings were significant at p < 0.05. Cronbach’s alpha for each scale ranged from 0.76 to 0.92. The psychometric properties of the Nurse Professional Competence Scale in the Republic of Croatia show that the scale is a reliable and valid measurement tool and as such can be used in research to assess the quality of professional competencies of nurses. The Scale consists of 35 items distributed in six competence areas.

American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD) 2021 Summer CORD Conference: Top 10 Abstracts

In a continuing collaboration between the American Orthopaedic Association's (AOA) Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD) and the JBJS, the following 10 abstracts highlight the scientific research presented at AOA's virtual annual national meeting held in June 2021. These abstracts embody CORD's purpose and mission:“The American Orthopaedic Association's Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors (CORD) program strives to recognize best practices in orthopaedic residency education and fellowship education based on Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-defined essential knowledge and skills in each of the residency education competency areas. CORD provides a forum for academic orthopaedic leaders to exchange ideas, discuss solutions to challenges, and find ways to teach residents in orthopaedic programs effectively.”We hope this education-related research will inspire further inquiry to advance the development of future orthopaedic surgeons.

Defining and utilizing individualized learning objectives to achieve learning priorities for global health leaders.

IntroductionLearning objectives (LOs) are a common tool used to define learning goals and guide curricula. As the field of global health has expanded, more rigorous and tailored approaches to effectively teach the next generation of the workforce are needed. The STAR project developed and utilized individualized LOs as the basis for on-the-job learning plans for senior global health leaders from low- and middle-income countries and from the US.MethodsWe analyzed basic demographic information and LOs from 36 STAR fellows. Descriptive statistics provided an overview of the STAR fellows, competency areas and planned outputs of their LOs. We utilized qualitative thematic analysis to further explore the LOs themselves.ResultsSTAR fellows were based in the US and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The majority had over 10 years of experience and at least one advanced degree. Fellows commonly worked on LOs related to capacity strengthening, communications, and development practice. Capacity strengthening LOs focused on mentorship, decision-making, and technical skills such as data analysis. Communications LOs focused on language skills, dissemination of information, and writing. Development practice LOs included gaining understanding of key stakeholders in global health and building effective partnerships and teams.DiscussionOur experience developing tailored LOs provided deeper understanding of diverse learning needs of global health leaders. While not representative of all global health learners, we captured priorities of senior US- and LMIC-based leaders and identified common themes for learning. Despite the labor required to tailor curricula in this way, more global health education programs can benefit by integrating similar processes.

Implementation of a unique mass casualty and emergency preparedness longitudinal learning experience for postgraduate year 2 pharmacy residents

Background and purposeThe American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) critical care pharmacy residency program offers an elective competency area, E3: Mass Casualty. Similar elective competencies are also available for PGY2 emergency medicine and postgraduate year 1/2 pharmacotherapy programs. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacist proficiency in the management of disasters is even more urgent. However, few residency programs require or include a specific learning experience to achieve this competency. This article provides examples of opportunities that residency programs can implement to offer an Emergency Preparedness/Mass Casualty (EP/MC) learning experience. Educational activity and settingA longitudinal EP/MC learning experience was integrated into a PGY2 critical care program. FindingsA longitudinal EP/MC learning experience within the PGY2 critical care, emergency medicine, and pharmacotherapy residency program curricula is achievable and promotes resident development. Learning experience components included topic discussions, participation on local and state-level emergency preparedness (EP) committees, completion of certification programs, projects, and participation on statewide emergency response teams. SummaryImplementation of a longitudinal EP/MC learning experience formalizes topics and activities that support achievement of the ASHP elective competency area of Mass Casualty for PGY2 residency programs. EP/MC goals and objectives should be a requirement for critical care, emergency medicine, pharmacotherapy, and health-system pharmacy administration and leadership PGY2 programs. By formalizing training, pharmacists can be better prepared for EP and more integrated into multidisciplinary disaster response teams.

Pengaruh Keaktifan Organisasi Terhadap Prestasi Akademik Mahasiswa Fakultas Kedokteran

Background: The activeness of students in organizations is considered as one of the things that influences the learning achievement of students. Participating in organizations can also make students have experience and practice management. Medical students are required to master seven areas of competence including noble professionalism, insight and personal development, effective communication, information management, scientific foundation of medical science, clinical skills and management of health problems. These competencies can be achieved through academic learning or intra and extracurricular activities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the level of organizational activeness with a cumulative achievement index (CAI) for students of the medical faculty of Unissula Semarang.
 Methods: Analytic observational research with pre-posttest design. A total of 111 students of the medical faculty of Unissula Semarang class of 2016 were the subject of this study. Organizational activity was assessed by a questionnaire containing 12 questions about the quantity of organization. The CAI value of semester 2 and 6 and its difference were used. The effect of organizational activity on CAI was analyzed by the Wilcoxon and Kruskal Wallis tests.
 Results: The GPA value for semester 6 was significantly higher than in semester 2 for all of the organizational activities level includes low, medium and high categories (p <0.05). However, the increase in the value of the CAI was not related to the organizational activity level (p> 0.05).
 Conclusion: The level of activeness in organizing has no effect on the CAI of students of the medical faculty of Unissula Semarang.

KOMPETENSI MANAJERIAL KEPALA MADRASAH DALAM KINERJA TENAGA KEPENDIDIKAN DI MADRASAH

Based on the results of the 2012 madrasah principal competency test, it shows that the competence of madrasah principals in Indonesia is 70% out of 250 thousand with test scores below 75. This indicates that madrasah principals in Indonesia are incompetent or weak in the areas of managerial and supervisory competence. This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the relationship between the managerial competence of the madrasah principal and the performance of the education staff in Madrasah Negeri in Bandung Regency. This study used a quantitative approach, and distributed questionnaires to 59 education staff respondents in Madrasah Negeri in Bandung Regency with a sample consisting of the entire population. The researcher then used a Likert scale model as primary data which was distributed by coming directly to the madrasa and some others by going through the google form. The data analysis technique used is validity test, reliability test, partial analysis, normality test, linearity test, correlation test, regression test and coefficient of determination test. Based on the results of the analysis showed that there was a relationship between the managerial competence of the madrasah principal and the performance of the education staff in State Madrasahs in Bandung Regency. The results showed that the correlation coefficient value was 0.466, this value was included in the correlation category 0.40 – 0.59 (medium), while the significance value was 0.000 <0.05. Thus it can be concluded that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. This shows that there is a positive and significant relationship between managerial competence and the performance of education staff in State Madrasahs throughout Bandung Regency.

Personal Financial Management and Entrepreneurial Competencies among Selected Public School Teachers in Cebu City Division

Public school teachers are role models who mold students into better citizens, and teachers are regarded as the epitome of education and career success. Delivering financial education will be the pinnacle of absurdity if teachers do not practice personal financial management. This study investigated public school teachers' knowledge and practice of personal financial management and entrepreneurial competencies. The study employed the descriptive-correlational method, administered to 229 selected teachers in the Cebu City Division. The main instrument, which consists of three components, was adopted and modified. The data were collected, arranged, tabulated, and interpreted using a statistical technique like weighted mean and Pearson r Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The study revealed that public school teachers were moderately knowledgeable and practiced personal financial management. Also, they moderately manifested all the entrepreneurial competencies identified in the study. Using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient, the level of knowledge and practice of personal financial management are significantly correlated. As a result, it was concluded that public school teachers need to enhance their knowledge and practice of personal financial management, especially knowledge and practice of investing, and the other areas of entrepreneurial competencies uncovered as weak. Subsequently, the principal researcher crafted a comprehensive action plan to help public school teachers enrich their knowledge and practice of personal financial management and entrepreneurial competencies, scaffolding their financial resilience and gently nudging them to entrepreneurial ventures.

Sustainable Development Competences of Engineering Students in Light of the Industry 5.0 Concept

In 2021, the European Commission set out the direction of changes in the field of European enterprise activities by establishing the principles of Industry 5.0. One of the indicated directions was the implementation of sustainable development principles in European industry. The aim of this article is to examine the level and nature of competences in the field of sustainable development among students at two Lublin universities: the Lublin University of Technology and the University of Life Sciences in Lublin. This is to enable the assessment of students’ preparation for the implementation of sustainable development principles in their future professional activities. The research sought to determine the relationship between the type of university and the competences of students, through the self-assessment of competences. The conceptualization and operationalization of competences in the field of sustainable development was based on the de Haan and Cebrian models, respectively. The tool used was the author’s own questionnaire based on the self-assessment of 25 statements, grouped into five areas of competence: knowledge, action, values and ethics, emotions and systems thinking. The results of the study confirmed differences between students in the areas of knowledge and activity. However, a relationship between the type of university and self-esteem in areas related to systemic thinking, emotions, and ethics and values was not found. Various self-assessment patterns (clusters) were observed in individual areas among the respondents. Differences in the assessment of the statements indicated the existence of factors that influenced responses. The results of the study confirmed the usefulness of the tool in identifying competency gaps of students based on which the tool can be recommended for use in the design of study programs.

Public Library Digital Competency Mapping 2019: A Survey on Digital Skills of Library Professionals With Different Qualifications

Social science researchers rarely can repeat a representative empirical study on an essentially identical sample in a relatively short time; to confirm the validity or, on the contrary, the invalidity of initial results. In the framework of the EFOP-3.3.3-VEKOP-16-2016-00001 “Museum and Library Development for All” grant scheme in Hungary, the flagship project “My Library,” implemented under the auspices of the Szabó Ervin Library in Budapest, allowed for two surveys to be conducted 2 years apart to assess the digital competence status of library professionals working in public libraries. This study seeks to answer the question of the impact of different educational levels on digital competence levels. Furthermore, it asks whether the results of the 2019 survey confirm the finding from 2017 that a higher education librarian degree, the librarian diploma, has a strong competence-increasing effect on each of the digital competence areas. Both studies are representative of the Hungarian public library sector. In the 2017 survey, 1,786 library professionals from different municipal libraries participated and in the 2019 survey, 1,868. As a result of the survey, an extremely rich data set is available, which allows for an accurate understanding of the digital skills of library professionals and the identification of areas for improvement or even the organization of targeted professional training.

Medical students’ opinions on career planning course: evaluations of the relationship between course and faculty attributes and student characteristics

Abstract Objectives The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Human Resources Office has stated that a Career Planning Course (CPC) should be implemented in higher education curricula by 2020. An institutional CPC consisting of 10-online sessions was designed and implemented in at Ege University Faculty of Medicine (EUFM) curriculum. This study reports the design, implementation, and evaluation of this new CPC at EUFM. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was used in this study. An online questionnaire (n=253) focusing mainly on Kirkpatrick-model Level 1 was administered to gather students’ feedback on CPC as well as perceptions regarding the concept of “Career Planning”. Percentage distributions were used for categorical variables and mean ± standard deviation calculations were used for numerical variables. Student’s t-test was used to compare students’ characteristics with career planning and important factors, and Pearson correlation test was used to evaluate competency areas with the mean scores of important factors in career planning. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. Results The perception of the term “career planning” revealed 12 themes of which “life” was the most common (140/245; 57.1%), followed by “professional life” (102/245; 41.6%). Participants’ total satisfaction rate was found 65.6% (Mean=39.36 ± 14.88) for the course. Students were most satisfied with the goals and content appropriateness (7.77 ± 3.08). The stimulating and motivating attribute of the CPC was the least satisfactory item. Conclusions An evaluation report, based on students’ feedback, was shared with the faculty members involved in education via an interactive web page. The survey not only benefitted course educators but also helped students to reflect on the course content. CPC can help students to address their strengths and weaknesses and hopefully to take supportive initiatives at the beginning of their career.

Prevalence of forensic cases at the langsa regional general hospital in 2019-2020 as a basis for considering cooperation in the forensic specialist doctor education program

Background. Forensic medicine is a branch of medical specialties that utilizes medical science to assist law enforcement and solve legal problems. Forensic and medicolegal education has 7 (seven) competency areas that must be met and graduates of forensic and medicolegal specialist doctors are expected to be able to diagnose and manage forensic medical cases according to individual, team or institutional authority. Clinical abilities in this competency standard can be improved through continuous education and training in order to absorb the development of medical science and technology. This ability can be fulfilled by exposure to patient cases in quite a large and varied number, helping students to improve clinical abilities in order to achieve the expected competenciesm. Aims. This research was conducted to see the prevalence of forensic cases at Langsa Regional General Hospital in 2019-2020. Method. This study was a descriptive with cross sectional design. The study sample was all forensic cases at Langsa Regional General Hospital in January 2019–December 2020 that had met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data collection technique is total sampling. The type of data used in this study is secondary data obtained from the results of Visum et Repertum.

Reduced Sexual Desire in Young Norwegian Women: A Mixed-Methods Study

Sexuality has become an area of social competence in which individuals strive to be recognized as sexually competent performers. However, a large proportion of young women experience reduced sexual desire. In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied. Using data from a questionnaire, the aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of, and the factors associated with, lack of sexual interest and desire among young women in Norway. Further, with the help of in-depth interviews, we investigated how young women with reduced sexual desire experience living with their desire problems and what they experience as the cause of their problems. The sample in the quantitative study consisted of 505 Norwegian women between the ages of 18 and 29 years. ANOVA was employed to explore differences in scores on psychological factors and relational factors, as well as between participants who experienced a lack of sexual interest and desire, and those who did not. The results indicate a high prevalence of lack of sexual interest and desire among women (37.1%), while low appearance satisfaction and low relationship satisfaction were central predictors of lack of sexual interest and desire. The sample in the qualitative study consisted of ten Norwegian women with reduced sexual desire between the ages of 18 and 29 years. Through thematic analysis, four themes emerged as experiences of living with reduced sexual desire: (1) physical and mental health, (2) being a young woman in today’s society, (3) relational factors, (4) negative experiences, personal expectations toward sexuality, and sexual trauma.

Peer Counseling in a Community Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth

Abstract BodyUaccompanied migrant youth represent an at-risk population given the complexity of negotiating adolescence in a new culture, isolated from family and friends, without a secure base and subject to discrimination. In addition, many unaccompanied migrant youth have been subject to considerable trauma prior to, during, and post migration. In Spain, as in many countries, the residential, care, and mental health services are not adapted to the specific and complex needs of this population, and to that end complex not only are the youth not well served but providers are increasingly frustrated. The figure of the community health agent has been widely recognized as one that can function as an effective bridge between systems/institutions and marginalized and vulnerable populations. In this presentation we will describe an ongoing project that trains unaccompanied migrant youth who show promise in their cultural adaptation in the areas of cultural competence, mental health care and substance abuse to function as community health agents (or peer counselors) consistent with models of cultural consultation.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Examining Institutional Arrangements toward Coordinated Regional Ocean Governance and Blue Economy Policy Development in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

Members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) exhibit strong economic, social and cultural connection with and dependence on the marine and coastal environment. Efforts to encourage the sustainable use and protection of the ocean and its resources should therefore be an area of interest and competence for the regional group which seeks to engender cooperation in matters of economic and social development. This paper examines the regionally relevant institutional arrangements that frame and execute ocean development and governance within CARICOM. It finds that while some important sectors, such as fisheries and tourism, have specific organizations established geared toward regional coordination in management of those activities, others, including offshore oil and gas, marine scientific research, and port and shipping development, lack similar arrangements. Additionally, the CARICOM group lags in adopting a holistic, ecosystem approach to ocean management with siloed approaches dominating and few formal mechanisms for intersectoral coordination existing. This paper advocates for and proposes means toward increased integration at a regional level for the management and continued governance of the marine space, its associated resources and activities. It also seeks to encourage the participatory development of a regional blue economy policy framework and strategy which would outline, among other things, CARICOM’s ocean vision and development priorities.

"ai4health" - Development and Conception of a Learning Programme in Higher and Continuing Education on the Fundamentals, Applications and Perspectives of AI in Healthcare.

AI applications play an increasingly important role in all areas of healthcare. Therefore, a basic understanding of AI technology for health professionals seems necessary. However, to date there is no learning programme in Germany that includes technological basics, applications, and perspectives of AI in healthcare for interdisciplinary health professions. The ai4health project investigates which basic knowledge and competences health professionals need to acquire for an informed handling of AI applications in healthcare, and what the appropriate didactic approach is. Through the qualitative research by interviews and a workshop, six relevant areas of competences were identified. The two most important areas are ELSA and relevant AI applications. Explainability was also highlighted as an important point. The implementation of the topics in a blended learning course for interdisciplinary health professionals and educators in the healthcare sector is now planned.

NANO-MOOCs to train university professors in digital competences

Rapid changes in technology force Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to generate policies and permanent digital adaptations in their exercise of forming professionals through university professors. HEIs -in their permanent desire to qualify teaching faculty and graduate high-level professionals-develop continuous training events to strengthen and update techno-pedagogical skills that allow giving concrete responses to the needs of a globalized society during a human-educational crisis that arises from the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims at analyzing whether nano-MOOCs improve digital teaching competences in university professors since in the scientific literature, this topic does not show with certainty the effectiveness of these types of courses in teacher training. By conducting a quantitative descriptive-inferential, comparative quasi-experimental research (pre-test and post-test) and with a sample made up of 297 faculty members from Universidad Técnica del Norte (UTN, Ibarra-Ecuador) belonging to the five academic units that compose it, it was identified that the teaching staff has limitations in two of the areas of competence that are articulated by INTEF Common Framework: creation of digital content and security; nevertheless, they did show optimal skills in the areas of information and information literacy, communication and collaboration, and problem solving. The findings also determined that online training based on a nano-MOOC format becomes a successful alternative for university faculty training, 83.84% of the participants under study improved their level of digital competence. These results show that an efficient customizable training can be achieved in less time and adjusted to the needs and characteristics of the professors. The criteria of various authors in this field are ratified with this research, it is, therefore, relevant to evaluate the level of digital competence of teachers and, based on that, be able to plan a personalized training program.

Competencies of Graduates – An Industry Expectation

Abstract Changes in the environment of industry may affect the expectations related to the competencies of the employees. Changes to the education system and curricula may be required. The main purpose of this research paper was to analyze the expectations of the industries related to competencies of graduates of engineering programs. The paper presents preliminary research. The survey was conducted at twenty-eight companies within the area of technical university in Poland. Based on the survey, data was collected related to the level of preparation of engineering graduates as well as the industry expectations related to the preparation of engineering graduates. This was done for the purpose of determining the gap between industry expectations and the level of preparation of the engineering graduates. Enterprises expect a wide range of competences from engineering graduates. The most important areas of competence included soft competences and practical knowledge and skills. The biggest gap between industry expectation and graduate’s preparation are the soft skills. Recommendations were suggested which would be incorporated in the engineering curriculum for the purpose of continuous quality improvement.

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF LATVIAN SUPERVISORS’ DIGITAL COMPETENCE

The importance of digital competence (Dc) is significantly increasing as global digital transformation continue rapidly to develop and digital solutions are extensively integrating into all areas. As a result, Dc is included as one of eight core competences for lifelong learning. The present study aimed to find out the self-assessment of the importance (an assessment of how significant and necessary a certain value is) and attainability (an assessment of how attainable a certain value is) of Latvian supervisors’ Dc. Digital competence self-assessment questionary is theoretically based on a major European Union research project, DigComp 2.1 and identifies the key components of Dc in 5 areas, namely, information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety and problem solving. 56 respondents participated in the online survey during October 2021. The importance and attainability indicators of Dc statements were evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale. The study indicated rather high importance of Dc (3 of 51 statements were evaluated as very important, 43 as rather important and 5 as moderately important). The indicators of the attainability of Dc varied from rather unattainable to rather attainable (26 of 51 statements were evaluated as rather attainable, 21 as average attainable and 4 as rather unattainable). Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated statistically significant differences in 34 out of 51 statements of Dc that was evaluated higher in importance than attainability. The study results show high level of supervisors’ awareness of the digital competence importance. The obtained attainability results allowed to highlight the need for the further digital competence improvement for the supervisors, especially at such digital competence areas as safety and problem solving.

Students` Activities in the Digital Environment

This paper aims to highlight the key role of the information and communication technologies (ICT) in the activities of Bulgarian students, and to establish the mastery of their digital literacy skills. In its empirical part, the study turns to some areas of digital competence of students such as application of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The survey was conducted among 100 students during 2014 – 2015 by the method of direct individual survey through pre-designed questionnaire comprising of 40 questions. The data of the survey were analyzed using statistical methods – frequency, mean value and confidence level – 95%. The importance of the current research is not only in a theoretical, but also in a practical-application plane, aiming to highlight the crucial role of the digital literacy for students to adapt to the dynamic labour market and the need of outlining a d igital library as a significant mediator in the university educational environment.