Bridge Program Research Articles

‘First and foremost, we are teachers, not refugees’: Requalification measures for internationally trained teachers affected by forced migration

This article looks deeper into the educational careers and barriers faced by internationally trained teachers with refugee backgrounds. Highly skilled teachers experience among others formal barriers due to the two-subject regime in Austria. This study analyses the barriers and measures that disable or enable the re-qualification of internationally trained teachers who wish to continue their profession in Austria. Guided by a participatory approach laid out by Von Unger in 2014, this study taps into the needs of teaching professionals with refugee backgrounds and led to the development and implementation of a course. The course was compiled to provide educational knowledge as well as pedagogical training. Even though the completed subject of internationally trained teachers was recognised (apart from courses concerning didactics), the fulfilment of regular teacher training in Austria is seen as a conditio sine qua non. Hence, teachers with a different formal-educational background, irrespective of professional expertise, are seen as lacking education and/or skills. Considering that there is no worldwide consensus regarding the content and structure of teacher education, the implication of a lack of skills as well as the need for bridging programmes will be critically discussed from the participants’ perspectives. This article offers insight into the transcultural implications of professionalism.

Experiences of nurses educated outside the European Union of a Swedish bridging program and the program\u2019s role in their integration into the nursing profession: a qualitative interview study

BackgroundCountries all over the world are experiencing a shortage of registered nurses (RNs). Therefore, some countries, including Sweden, have tried to solve this by recruiting internationally educated nurses (IENs). Countries offer bridging programs as educational support to qualify IENs for nursing work in the destination country. However, there is little research on IENs’ experiences of bridging programs in European countries and how these programs facilitate their integration into the world of work and their new society. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of nurses, originally educated outside the EU (European Union)/EES, of the Swedish bridging program and of the program’s role in facilitating their integration into the nursing profession in Sweden.MethodsA qualitative descriptive design was used to explore the topic based on 11 informants’ perspectives and experiences. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants at one university in Sweden. Data were collected by individual interviews using a semi- structured interview guide during the year 2019 and were analysed using an interpretative thematic approach.ResultsTwo main themes emerged from the analysis: 1) Return to nursing, and 2) The bridging program as a tool for transition to nursing in Sweden. The first theme includes conditions and experiences such as personal motivation and determination, and support from others that the participants described as important in order to achieve the goal of re-establishing themselves as registered nurses in Sweden. Furthermore, the second theme describes the participants’ experiences of the bridging program as mostly positive because it led to new learning and achievements that were valuable for the transition to nursing in Sweden; however, the participants also emphasised the challenges of their transition into the nursing profession, which were related to instances of misrecognition of their professional competence and the uncertain outcome of the program.ConclusionsThis study found that the bridging program facilitated integration into the nursing profession for nurses educated outside the EU/EES, especially knowledge gained in clinical-based training. Thus, it is important to recognise and value the IENs’ experience and previous knowledge and training when developing the bridging program’s curriculum.

Relearning Self, Recentering Comunidad, and Reidentifying within Academia: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Summer Bridge Programs for Incoming Latinx Undergraduate Students

Relearning Self, Recentering Comunidad, and Reidentifying within Academia: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Summer Bridge Programs for Incoming Latinx Undergraduate Students

Selecting the Appropriate Method of Training Family Physicians in Iran to Achieve EMRO-Declared Perspective by 2030.

Background:To achieve universal health coverage (UHC), the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) reported that the standard requirement for family physicians by 2030 is three family physicians per 10,000 people. The purpose of this study was to select the appropriate method of training family physicians in Iran to achieve this goal.Methods:The present qualitative study was conducted in conjunction with the method of agreement, during three sessions of focus group discussion (FGD) with 13 key persons at the national level to answer two research questions on choosing the most appropriate method of training family physicians and the criteria for this selection. After analyzing the data by content analysis method, a table was designed including family physicians’ training methods and selection criteria and evaluated by participants in a 10-point spectrum. Then, the scores were summed and the mean was calculated for each method.Results:The participants cited four methods, as well as 13 criteria. The Family Medicine Residency Program (FMRP) with a score of 93.4 and the Family physician bridging Program (FPBP) with a score of 68.38 were selected as the most appropriate training methods for the family physician to achieve the EMRO-declared perspective by 2030, respectively.Conclusion:According to the results of the study, the training of family physician specialist is the best method; but due to the long course and low output of this method, to meet the immediate needs of the health system and achieve the desired perspective, the FPBP approach was agreed as the most appropriate method of training the family physicians in Iran.

An Assessment of Bridging Program Participants’ Sources of Academic Self-Efficacy at a Regional Australian University

Academic bridging and other remedial programs are designed to maximize outcomes for all students and are designed around an inclusive framework which targets the most disadvantaged or at need students. This study questions the validity of this practice through an evaluation of Bandura’s sources of academic self-efficacy for bridging program participants within two distinct cohorts, first-in-family and non-first-in-family students. The study comprised students at a regional Australian university (N=1806) which prides itself on high rates of first generation student enrolment. Data was analyzed using SPSS® software to construct regression analyses for each cohort and determine for each which of Bandura’s sources of academic self-efficacy predicted current academic self-efficacy. For both first-in-family and non-first-in-family students who did not participate in bridging programs, all four of Bandura’s sources of academic self-efficacy were significant predictors of current academic self-efficacy. For first-in-family students who participated in bridging programs, vicarious learning did not significantly predict academic self-efficacy. For non-first-in-family students who participated in bridging programs, mastery experience and social persuasion did not predict academic self-efficacy. Some suggestions for the disparity between the results for bridging program participants and the bulk of accepted literature are offered as are some implications for bridging program pedagogy.

Sharp decline in hospital and emergency department initiated buprenorphine for opioid use disorder during COVID-19 state of emergency in California

The California Bridge Program supports expansion of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in emergency departments (EDs) and hospital inpatient units across the state. Here, we describe the change in activity before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) California statewide shutdown. Of the 70 participating hospitals regionally distributed across California, 52 report MOUD-related activity monthly. We analyzed data on outcomes of OUD care and treatment: identification of OUD, acceptance of referral, receipt of buprenorphine prescription, administration of buprenorphine, and follow-up linkage to outpatient OUD treatment, from May 2019 to April 2020. In estimating the expected number of patients who met each outcome in April 2020, we found decreases in the expected to observed number of patients across all outcomes (all p-values<0.002): 37% (from 1053 to 667) decrease in the number of patients identified with OUD, 34% (from 632 to 420) decrease in the number of patients who accepted a referral, 48% (from 521 to 272) decrease in the number of patients who were prescribed buprenorphine, 53% (from 501 to 234) decrease in the number of patients who were administered buprenorphine, and 33% (from 416 to 277) decrease in the number of patients who attended at least one follow-up visit for addiction treatment. The COVID-19 California statewide shutdown was associated with an abrupt and large decrease in the progress toward expanded access to OUD treatment.

The Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program: A Diversity Success Story.

Even though the Institute of Medicine released a report on the importance of ethnic diversity in the health care workforce to reduce health disparities, there has been little progress in increasing diversity in nursing. Nationally, health care systems do not have adequate representation of Black/African American, Asian, and Latino RNs. The Dotson Bridge and Mentoring Program is an innovative mentoring program for African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) students. Mentoring programs that support ALANA students can lead to an increase in retention, graduation, and NCLEX pass rates and should be an integral part of nursing programs. The outcomes of the program included improving the course pass rates from 50% to 92%, improving the first-time NCLEX pass rate from 74% to 94% and decreasing the attrition rate from 23% to 1%.

Factors related to enrolment in early therapy services following neonatal intensive care unit discharge.

Early therapy can improve developmental outcomes for preterm infants. However, preterm infants who are referred have low enrolment in early therapy services following neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. This manuscript aims to investigate the relationship between infant medical and sociodemographic factors and enrolment in early therapy services post-NICU discharge, when system-related barriers to access are minimised. This was a retrospective investigation of 89 families with infants born ≤32weeks of gestation. Families were approached for enrolment into early therapy services following NICU discharge through Baby Bridge programming, which aims to improve access to therapy services following NICU discharge. Seventy-three (82%) families enrolled in early therapy services, and 16 (18%) families declined. Parents were more likely to enrol in early therapy if they had public insurance (P=0.01), a maternal psychiatric diagnosis (P=0.02) or additional children under 18years in the home (P=0.01). No infant medical factors were related to enrolment. Although enrolment rates were high, 18% of families refused therapy services, despite removing system-related barriers to access. Targeted interventions can be developed to increase enrolment in early therapy services among populations who are most likely to refuse therapy services after NICU discharge.

Classroom to Cyberspace: Preserving Street Law's Interactive and Student-Centered Focus During Distance Learning

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The challenges and achievements of graduates of the nurse bridging program in Cambodia: A qualitative study

BackgroundAs the shortage of qualified nurses is one of the primary healthcare issues in Cambodia, a two-year Nurse Bridging Program which grants bachelor's degrees to nurses with associate degrees was introduced. ObjectivesThis study explores the challenges and achievements that the graduates experienced during and after the Nurse Bridging Program. DesignA qualitative approach was used in this study. SettingThe Nurse Bridging Program was conducted in a university in Cambodia from 2015 to 2016. This study was conducted 1 year after the Nurse Bridging Program. ParticipantsA group of 38 graduates participated in the online survey and 3 graduates participated in a focus group interview. MethodsSequential data collection for explanatory follow-up design was used in this study. The data obtained were analyzed using content and thematic analyses. ResultsParticipants reported challenges such as unfamiliarity with research, difficulty with a foreign language, and shortage of time. They tried to overcome these challenges, and this experience improved their nursing and research competencies, which improved their job prospects and aspirations of further studies. ConclusionsThe Nurse Bridging Program helped the nurses improve the quality of their work and develop their potential as nursing leaders.

Determinants of Word‐Reading Development in English Learner University Students: A Longitudinal Eye Movement Study

ABSTRACTWe investigated the word‐reading development of adult second‐language learners of English. A sample of 70 (Mandarin or Cantonese) Chinese‐speaking students enrolled in a university‐level English bridging program at a Canadian university silently read passages of text at the beginning and end of the program while their eye movements were recorded. At each timepoint, we also administered a battery of tests that measure key component skills of second‐language reading (phonological processing, vocabulary knowledge, and listening comprehension). We found longitudinal changes in lexical processing for long words in early (refixation probability and gaze duration) and late (go‐past time and total reading time) eye movement measures, indicating a shift from a sublexical to a holistic word‐processing strategy. We found the largest gains in sublexical processing among students with stronger phonological awareness upon entry to the program and students who acquired more vocabulary than their peers during the program. We interpret the results of this study as evidence of a transition from a lexical processing strategy that is heavily reliant on phonological decoding to word‐reading behavior that is more actively engaged in higher order cognitive processes, such as meaning integration. This research offers novel insights into predictors of reading skill in postsecondary English‐language bridging programs.

A Nurse-Led Bridging Program to Reduce 30-Day Readmissions of Older Patients Discharged From Acute Care Units

ObjectivesOlder hospitalized patients are at high risk of early readmissions, requiring the implementation of enhanced coordinated transition programs on discharge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a nurse-led transition bridging program on the rate of unscheduled readmissions of older patients within 30 days from discharge from geriatric acute care units. DesignA stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial. Setting and ParticipantsSeven hundred five patients aged ≥75 years hospitalized in one of 10 acute geriatric units, with at least 2 readmission risk-screening criteria (derived from the Triage Risk Screening Tool), were included from July 2015 to August 2016. MethodsThe intervention condition consisted in a nurse-led hospital-to-home bridging program with 4 weeks postdischarge follow-up (2 home visits and 2 telephone calls). Unscheduled hospital readmission or emergency department (ED) visits were compared in intervention and control condition within 30 days from discharge. ResultsThe rate of 30-day readmission or ED visit was 15.5% in the intervention condition vs 17.6% in the control condition [hazard ratio stratified on clusters: 0.61 (upper limit unilateral 95% confidence interval = 1.11), P = .09]. Rate of presence of professional caregivers was increased in the intervention condition (P < .001). Conclusions and ImplicationsAlthough the intervention resulted in an increase in the rate of implementation of a package of care at the 4-week of follow-up, we could not demonstrate a reduction in the rate of 30-day readmissions or ED visits of older patients at risk of readmission. These findings support the evaluation of this type of program on the longer term.

Enhancing Graduate Student Research, Recruitment, and Retention via a Summer Research Experience

Programs that provide student research experiences at the undergraduate level are an impactful means of recruiting and preparing students for graduate academic programs. Notably, such programs, when combined with faculty mentorship, exposure to graduate-school-level academic curricula, and socialization experiences, are considered crucial to the effective recruitment and retention of students from diverse cultural backgrounds into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-oriented graduate academic programs. This work outlines the strategic efforts of Auburn University’s School of Kinesiology to enhance its graduate student diversity recruitment and retention processes. Highlighted are the School of Kinesiology’s goals and guiding principles related to diversity and inclusion initiatives. A detailed description of the centerpiece of this effort, the Future Scholars-Summer Research Bridge Program, is provided. Additionally, related Future Scholars-Summer Research Bridge Program topics are discussed, including securing donor support, aligning the program with institutional strategic goals, forming institutional or academic program partnerships, and addressing administrative and logistical challenges.

A virtual laboratory module exploring photosynthesis during COVID-19.

Virtual laboratory activities are flexible approaches to engage undergraduate students in scientific practices during the COVID‐19 pandemic. By utilizing online simulations, students can conduct virtual experiments on important biochemical reactions that occur during photosynthesis. The learning module described here provides students with this experience and was implemented for first‐year students in a virtual summer bridge program. It introduces new biochemistry majors and nonmajors to the discipline, and it is based on an in‐person photosynthesis laboratory module taught for the summer bridge program before the emergence of COVID‐19. This virtual laboratory module can be readily adapted for use during the academic year in introductory biochemistry courses.

Variation in Incoming Academic Preparation: Consequences for Minority and First-Generation Students

Recent efforts to promote diversity in the sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines include widening access to colleges and universities for capable but academically underprepared students. Equally important in these efforts is to provide students with support after acceptance, particularly in large, introductory STEM courses. We found that under-represented minority students and first-generation college attendees underperformed relative to their peers across STEM courses, and incoming preparation was the chief culprit in explaining these academic performance gaps, even after controlling for social psychological factors. We conclude that institutions should reconsider how they provision underprepared students with opportunities to excel in STEM. To address the variation in incoming academic preparation among students, we advocate for institutional resources supporting supplemental instruction, bridge programs, and evidence-based teaching practices.

Sustained Effects of a School-Based Psychiatry Program

To provide access to timely youth psychiatric care, the Bridge Program: School-Based Psychiatry provides interim, school-based psychiatric services by child psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse case managers at no cost to families. In its first year, Bridge served 394 youths, mostly from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, within 10 days of referral. Parents and teachers reported significant reductions in symptoms and high ratings of satisfaction and social validity. In the present study, we examine these same indicators during Bridge’s third year of implementation to examine Bridge’s sustained effects. During its third year (January to June 2018), Bridge served 210 youths (the majority were from economically disadvantaged families) within 4 weeks of referral. Outcomes for youth symptoms, treatment adherence, and parent and school personnel satisfaction remained as strong or stronger compared to the first year. These findings demonstrate promise for Bridge’s sustainability and provide implications for school-based providers.

An Empirical Evaluation of a Summer Bridge Program on College Graduation at a Small Liberal Arts College

This longitudinal study evaluated the efficacy of a summer bridge program (SBP) and other support services on college graduation rates at a small liberal arts school in Purchase, NY. Financially disadvantaged students (n = 136) receiving a scholarship and a summer bridge curriculum within the Manhattanville Achievement Program were compared to students who received Pell Grants but did not receive the summer bridge program (n = 1,293) from 2008–2014. Outcomes assessed included graduation at 4 years and 6 years post-enrollment, GPA, and demographic characteristics of those who were more likely to graduate. Results indicated that enrollment in the SBP predicted a greater likelihood to graduate at 4 and 6 years while enrollment in the SBP did not predict higher GPA at either 4 or 6 years post-enrollment. Consistent with national trends, men were less likely to graduate than women. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Applications open for ACS Bridge sites; travel awards available

The ACS Bridge Program, which is part of the ACS Bridge Project, is accepting proposals from institutions to become ACS Bridge sites. Bridge sites receive funding for up to 3 years to support underrepresented minority (URM) students as Bridge fellows. Applications are due by Sept. 1. Applications are also being accepted for the ACS Bridge Travel and Career/Professional Development Award. These awards provide funding for undergraduate and graduate URM students to attend scientific conferences and other professional development events. Each award will cover up to $1,500 in eligible expenses for graduate students and up to $1,000 in expenses for undergraduate students. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. The ACS Bridge Project, supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Genentech Foundation, aims to diversify the graduate student population in the chemical sciences. For more information, .

An Investigation of the Interests and Reasons of Diploma Nurses Undertake a RN-BSN Bridging Program in United Arab Emirates

The nursing programs across United Arab Emirates are in the process to inform students about RN-BSN bridging program. The study purpose was to determine the interests and reasons of nurses in enrolling to a RN –BSN bridging program. An online survey was conducted among diploma students to explore their interest and perspective regarding pursuing bridging program. One hundreds thirty-five RNs participated. The questionnaire used for survey had seventeen items, which included questions to elicit information or clarification of their perspectives. We performed the data analysis in SPSS by computing descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings showed that a majority of nurses were interested in returning to RN-BSN program. The students’ reasons were both personal and career related, with personal reasons being more dominant. Most of participants held a diploma and midwifery and they had more than 2 years working experience since they completed diploma. There appears to be a need for a RN-BSN bridging program because most of study respondents are potential candidates for this program. This study provides information to nursing schools’ management to provide opportunities and develop curriculums to meet the needs of these nurses. Nurses need to reflect on various strategies for incorporating their new knowledge into clinical practice.

Effectiveness of the BRIDGE Program: Support for Participation in Group Settings

Abstract Date Presented 03/26/20 The BRIDGE program is presented to “bridge” the social needs of children with sensory-processing and integration challenges by providing services in dyads, triads, or quartets. This 12-session program focused on six themes: whole body listening, personal space, turn-taking, trading objects or toys, listening and communicating personal ideas, and sportsmanship. Data suggest an improvement in social skills as well as a reduction in the impact of the child’s behavior on the activities of the family. Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah Schoen Additional Authors and Speakers: Mim Ochsenbein, Virginia Spielmann Contributing Authors: Andrea Valdez