Career Considerations Research Articles

Career Considerations in Journalism Among Female Mass Communication Students’ of Taraba State University, Jalingo, Nigeria

This study examines the career considerations in journalism among female mass communication students of Taraba State University. The study adopted the survey research method with the questionnaire as the instrument. 125 questionnaires were distributed and 100 were dully filled and retrieved. Data were coded and analyzed with SPSS version 22 and presented in pie charts for clearer understanding. The study is anchored on social cognitive theory. The findings of the study revealed that female mass communication students of Taraba State University would practice journalism upon graduation and prefer advertising and news casting against reporting and other forms of journalism. Findings also revealed that gender discrimination is the major factor that dissuades female students from taking up journalism as a career upon graduation. In reversing this trend, the study recommends among other things that institutions of learning should imbibe on female journalism students the need to take up journalism as a career upon graduation. Families, religions, cultures and the society at large should also desist from discriminating female journalist.

My Story, My Identity: Doctoral Students of Color at a Research University

We are deeply concerned about the small representation of faculty of color in the academy; thus, we address the question of how and why doctoral students of color choose a particular career path. This qualitative research study, through the voices of the doctoral students of color, identifies and explains both the overt and covert obstacles encountered by graduate students of color in their consideration of academic careers. The stories of leading change efforts through the pursuit of an advanced education are stories of individual agency. At the same time, their education was not an individual effort; rather, these students of color pursued an advanced education both for themselves and for others. These results suggest specific implications for practice that focus on the unique perspectives of doctoral students of color.

Internship impact on career consideration among business students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the impact of the internship experience on business students’ career intentions in regard to pursuing a career path in the same job function or industry as their internship. Design/methodology/approach After completing and reflecting on an internship, 198 undergraduate students responded to the prompt: “discuss the impact of the internship on your career consideration.” Responses were analyzed using a content analysis methodology in order to determine whether or not interns would pursue the same job functions (e.g. sales) or industry (e.g. non-profit) as their internship in their post-graduation job search. Findings Across the job functions and industries identified within the internships, 54 and 45 percent of interns confirmed their expectations of career fit, respectively. The implications of confirming and disconfirming these expectations for students are discussed. Originality/value Given the value of internships to business students, surprisingly few studies have examined their influence on undergraduates’ career considerations. Students select internships with the intention of learning about job functions or industries for possible career fit, yet the authors know little about whether the experience confirms or disconfirms their expectations. This study seeks to address this gap. The authors suggest that internships, as experiential activities, merit greater attention as they provide students opportunities to learn what they do or do not want to do, where they do or do not want to work and whether their self-concept fits a possible career path – saving themselves and potential employers the cost of job dissatisfaction and turnover.

ASM News for February 2016

Abstract News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: ASM affiliate societies name committee chairs for 2015-2016; emerging professional Dharma Maddala describes career considerations in transitioning from a technical role to a manager; volunteer profile for Jacquelyn MacCoon.

Out of the Golden Cage: PR and the Career Opportunities of Policy Professionals

This article focuses on “policy professionals”—people employed to affect politics and policy making rather than elected to office, and their career motivations and considerations. What do they see as career opportunities and limitations? What resources do policy professionals offer on the job market? How are status and hierarchy on their particular labor market perceived? Special attention is paid to the possible transitions from current job into other positions and arenas. The study pinpoints the “golden cage” problem: the problem for organizations positioned outside party politics to properly evaluate the distinct skills of policy professionals. The key position of the public relations agencies in this regard is highlighted. The article closes with a discussion of some democratic implications of the arguments and findings, such as anticipatory adjustment of behavior in public office, the potential merging of political elites, and the supply driven growth of the policy professional stratum.Related Articles French, Edward, and Doug Goodman. 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 761‐785. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00312.x/abstract Howlett, Michael, and Adam M. Wellstead. 2011. “.” Politics & Policy 39 (): 613‐633. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00306.x/abstract Brill, Sam, and Abby McCartney. 2008. “.” Politics & Policy 36 (): 750‐774. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2008.00133.x/abstract

Program Directors' Perceptions of Professional Bachelor's Athletic Training Student Decisions to Persist and Depart

Context: Recent literature has focused on reasons for athletic training student persistence and departure. However, accredited professional bachelor's athletic training program (ATP) directors' opinions regarding student retention have yet to be studied, to our knowledge.Objective: To determine reasons for athletic training student persistence and departure from professional bachelor's ATPs across the United States from the program directors' (PDs') perspective.Design: Two-part qualitative study.Setting: Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education professional bachelor's ATPs.Patients or Other Participants: For Part 1 of this study, we asked PDs of all 343 ATPs to complete an online survey, gathering responses from 177 (51.6%). Using data saturation as a guide, Part 2 included performing follow-up telephone interviews to gain further understanding, clarity, and triangulation with 16 randomly selected PDs.Main Outcome Measure(s): During Part 1, participants chronicled responses to open-ended questions as part of the online survey. For the second part of the study, the telephone interviews followed a semistructured format and were recorded to facilitate transcription. We analyzed data using grounded theory and secured trustworthiness by using multiple-analyst triangulation, member checks, and a peer review.Results: Program directors reported athletic training students persist due to their career goals, the personal relationships they create, and because they enjoy and are dedicated to athletic training. The respondents stated that athletic training students leave ATPs because of the academic rigor, the program not meeting expectations, a loss of interest, career considerations, and financial reasons.Conclusions: Program directors should educate prospective athletic training students about athletic training by providing a realistic explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Selecting clinical education sites with preceptors who enjoy their career choice and good working conditions may help solidify athletic training student commitment to the ATP and the athletic training profession.

When a PhD is not enough

Purpose– This paper outlines a doctoral internship programme introduced for students researching Mechanistic Biology in the Department of Biology, University of York, UK. The programme forms part of the White Rose Doctoral Training Programme (DTP), a collaboration between the three “White Rose” Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York in the North of England. It provides an analysis of the UK context in which the new biotechnology doctoral internships initiative sits and describes the pilot phase of the Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) programme and the introduction of the full doctoral PIPS internship programme. The purpose of this paper is to examine best practice in the planning and management of internships with particular interest in doctoral programmes, with a discussion on the challenges presented by cognate and non-cognate internships.Design/methodology/approach– The paper uses as a case study, the introduction of PIPS for the DTP in Mechanistic Biology, hosted by the White Rose Consortium of Universities (York, Sheffield and Leeds) and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). It also considers good practice from around the world, and relates these to the work-based learning literature.Findings– The paper outlines the processes and resources used to secure PIPS internships, and evaluates their success against BBSRC’s objective to help early career researchers to understand the context of their research and expose them to the range of opportunities available after graduation. The authors describe an initial pilot study, challenges and opportunities provided by the internships and feedback from students in the programme.Research limitations/implications– Though the number of students in the pilot study was very limited, all students had a greater awareness particularly of their leadership, project management, organisational and team working capabilities following the three-month internship and were more receptive to the consideration of careers outside of academia.Originality/value– The authors offer recommendations from their own experiences of initiating these doctoral internships which may be useful to others implementing non-cognate internship programmes at their own institutions, whilst being mindful that programmes in other countries may face different challenges.

Focus on People and the Science Will Follow: Motivating Forces for Professional Movement in Stem Cell Research.

The migration of researchers across geographic borders, or "brain drain" as it is commonly called, remains an important issue for governments around the world as loss or gain of highly qualified personnel in research can have substantial social, economic and political consequences. In the present study we seek to examine the forces that drive international professional migration of stem cell (SC) researchers, for which variation of SC policy in different jurisdictions has previously been implicated as a driving force. Structured interviews were carried out with a purposive sample of SC researchers in the professoriate who had made international moves after postdoctoral work between the years 2001-2014, or were actively anticipating a future move. Participants were asked to rank motivators of international movement on a 5-point Likert scale and prompted to elaborate on their answers. The results suggest that career considerations, availability of research funding, and personal considerations are of high importance to the participants when considering an international move, while the permissiveness or restrictiveness SC research policy is of comparably lower importance. Participants also expressed that international movements are beneficial to scientific careers overall. The findings have important implications for policy and strategies to attract and retain members of the SC research community.

Exploring Social Justice Via Résumés

Much expert advice about résumé writing is available. Whereas some job seekers will use self‐help guides to construct their résumés, others will seek the assistance of career counselors. Career counselors have a significant opportunity to engage clients in holistic career considerations when helping them to construct résumés. Especially significant is the opportunity to identify possible client disadvantages stemming from social injustices. Résumé‐writing assistance is enhanced through the application of career microcounseling. This article examines social justice issues that may be embedded during résumé writing. A review of microcounseling skills is presented, and examples of applying them during résumé writing are provided.

Speciality preferences in Dutch medical students influenced by their anticipation on family responsibilities.

Physician gender is associated with differences in the male-to-female ratio between specialities and with preferred working hours. We explored how graduating students’ sex or full-time or part-time preference influences their speciality choice, taking work-life issues into account. Graduating medical students at Radboud University Medical Centre, the Netherlands participated in a survey (2008–2012) on career considerations. Logistic regression tested the influence of sex or working hour preference on speciality choice and whether work-life issues mediate. Of the responding students (N = 1,050, response rate 83, 73.3 % women), men preferred full-time work, whereas women equally opted for part time. More men chose surgery, more women family medicine. A full-time preference was associated with a preference for surgery, internal medicine and neurology, a part-time preference with psychiatry and family medicine. Both male and female students anticipated that foremost the career of women will be negatively influenced by family life. A full-time preference was associated with an expectation of equality in career opportunities or with a less ambitious partner whose career would affect family life. This increased the likelihood of a choice for surgery and reduced the preference for family medicine among female students. Gender specifically plays an important role in female graduates’ speciality choice making, through considerations on career prospects and family responsibilities.

Gendered career considerations consolidate from the start of medical education.

Objectives:To explore changes in specialty preferences and work-related topics during the theoretical phase of Dutch medical education and the role of gender.Methods:A cohort of medical students at Radboudumc, the Netherlands, was surveyed at start (N=612, 69.1% female) and after three years (N=519, 69.2% female), on specialty preferences, full-time or part-time work, motivational factors, and work-life issues. Chi square tests were performed to analyze gender-differences, and logistic regression to explore the influence of gender on considerations.Results:A total of 214 female and 78 male students completed both surveys. After three years, the male students remained highly interested in surgery, but the female students increasingly preferred gynecology. These initial preferences were predictive. Four out of five male students versus three out of five female students continued to show a full-time preference. Women increasingly preferred part-time work. After three years, the combination of work, care, and patient contact motivated female students more, whereas salary remained more important to male students. Female students indicated that their future careers would influence their family life; male students assumed having a family would only affect their partners’ careers.Conclusions:Against an international background of the feminization of medicine, our study shows that career considerations are reinforced early in medical studies. Women prefer to work fewer hours and anticipate care tasks more often. Students’ preferences reflect Dutch cultural norms about working men and women. Therefore, guidance in choice-making much earlier in medical education can create opportunities.

Gendered specialities during medical education: a literature review.

The careers of male and female physicians indicate gender differences, whereas in medical education a feminization is occurring. Our review aims to specify gender-related speciality preferences during medical education. A literature search on gender differences in medical students’ speciality preferences was conducted in PubMed, Eric, Embase and Social s, and reference lists from January 2000 to June 2013. Study quality was assessed by critical appraisal. Our search yielded 741 hits and included 14, mostly cross-sectional, studies originating from various countries. No cohort studies were found. Throughout medical education, surgery is predominantly preferred by men and gynaecology, paediatrics and general practice by women. Internal medicine was pursued by both genders. The extent of gender-specific speciality preferences seemed related to the male-to-female ratio in the study population. When a population contained more male students gynaecology seemed even more preferred by women, while in a more feminine population, men more highly preferred surgery. Internationally, throughout medical education, gender-related speciality preferences are apparent. The extent might be influenced by the male-to-female ratio of a study population. Further research of the role of gender in career considerations of medical students on the future workforce is necessary.

Siren Song? A Longitudinal Study of the Facilitating Role of Calling and Ability in Career Pursuit

While making career decisions, when do people pursue doing what they love versus earning a secure living? Specifically, within objectively risky career settings in which subjective and objective career considerations are at odds with one another, when and why will the former prevail? We posit that a key factor in resolving this dilemma in favor of the subjective career is the sense of calling, a consuming, meaningful passion people experience toward the domain. We test the connection between early callings (in adolescence) and later career pursuit (in adulthood) and the mediating role of perceived and actual abilities (in young adulthood) in a career context in which the subjective and objective sides of a career can clash: the path to become a professional musician. In an 11-year, five-wave longitudinal study of 450 amateur high-school musicians progressing from adolescence to adulthood, we found that regardless of their actual musical ability, people with stronger early callings were likely to perceive ...

Place of desire: Skilled migration from mainland China to post‐colonial Hong Kong

AbstractUntil very recently the motivation of skilled migration has been largely explained from neo‐classically oriented world views coupled with an institutional focus that pays major attention to how skilled migration is driven by (economic) globalisation and sustained by inter‐ or intra‐company economic and social connections. Little is said about how dream and aspiration have shaped migration plans and choices of destination. Although the recent development of academic literature witnesses a shift away from a narrow focus on economic logics to the human face of transnational skills, the issue of desire only accidentally emerges in most discussions. Based on in‐depth interviews with mainland Chinese professional migrants in post‐colonial Hong Kong, this paper foregrounds the notion of ‘desire’ as a conceptual vehicle to interweave economic, political and cultural dimensions within the same frame to understand the intentions and dynamics of skilled migration, and to link decision‐making at the individual level to a broader geo‐politics and geo‐economies in which migration takes place. In‐depth interviews reveal that apart from economic and career considerations, decisions to migrate were marked by aspiration and fantasy associated with cultural imagination of post‐colonial Hong Kong embedded in discourses of place, border and nationhood that go beyond the specific issue of China–Hong Kong migration.

Visual Diagnosis: 13-Year-Old Girl With Pink Papules

1. Meghan M. Dickman, MD 2. Ilona J. Frieden, MD 1. University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA. A 13-year-old girl presents to the clinic with pink papules on her abdomen, legs, arms, and the lateral aspects of her cheeks. The lesions have been present for 4 years, always appearing in the same area, with satellite lesions surrounding the primary site. The rash blanches on palpation. The papules are primarily located on her abdomen and become more prominent and pruritic with sun exposure. The rash is most noticeable in the periumbilical region, where the patient’s metal pants button comes in contact with her skin. The papules are accompanied by pruritus for which she gets mild relief by taking oral antihistamines and applying topical corticosteroids. However, she has been unable to completely get rid of the rash with this regimen. The patient has an unremarkable medical history and is developing appropriately. There are no similar skin lesions on any close contacts. On physical examination, the patient has multiple pink papules on the bilateral aspects of her cheeks, upper arms, elbows, knees, and lower legs (Fig 1). All vital signs are within normal limits. There are papules that have coalesced into plaques surrounding her umbilicus (Fig 2), with lichenification. There is evidence of excoriation, without any ulcerations or bleeding. The remainder of the physical examination findings are unremarkable. Figure 1. Multiple papules were noted on the arms (left) and legs (right) of the patient. Figure 2. The initial location …

Israeli medical students' perceptions of six key medical specialties.

BackgroundChoosing a medical specialty requires medical students to match their interests and social-cultural situations with their perceptions of the various specialties.ObjectivesExamine Israeli 6th-year medical students’ perceptions of six key specialties: pediatrics, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery and family medicine.MethodsQuestionnaires distributed to 355 6th-year students from three successive classes (2008–2010) of 6th-year students at the Hebrew University – Hadassah School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel and the 2010 class of the Ben Gurion University School of Medicine, Be’er Sheva, Israel.ResultsResponses were obtained from 234 students, for a response rate of 66%. Pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology were the specialties most often under positive career consideration by individual students. Anesthesiology and general surgery were least often under positive career consideration and were viewed as being in a workforce crisis. Pediatrics and family medicine, found to be especially popular among women, were perceived by 58% and 78% of respondents, respectively, as providing reasonable ratios of lifestyle to income. None of the students thought the same about general surgery and only 28% thought so about anesthesiology. Pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology were reported to afford a controllable lifestyle by 63% and 8%, respectively, With respect to positive career considerations and lifestyle perceptions, there were no differences between the opinions of men and women students. Differences between genders arose in responses to queries of whether a specialty was interesting and challenging. Women were more likely than men to perceive pediatrics and family medicine as interesting and challenging while men were more likely to think that general and orthopedic surgery are interesting and challenging.ConclusionsKnowing the medical students’ perceptions of the various specialties should help in understanding the maldistribution of physicians among the various specialties. Such data can also be an important input into the efforts of the healthcare leadership to promote a specialty distribution that matches the population’s evolving needs.

Early community-based family practice elective positively influences medical students’ career considerations – a Pre-post-comparison

BackgroundDemographic change and recruitment problems in family practice are increasingly threatening an adequate primary care workforce in many countries. Thus, it is important to attract young physicians to the field. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of an early community-based 28-h family practice elective with one-to-one mentoring on medical students’ consideration of family practice as a career option, their interest in working office-based, and several perceptions with regard to specific aspects of a family physician’s work.MethodsFirst- and second-year medical students completed questionnaires before and after a short community-based family practice elective, consisting of a preparatory course and a community-based practical experience with one-to-one mentoring by trained family physicians.ResultsWe found a significantly higher rate of students favoring family practice as a career option after the elective (32.7% vs. 26.0%, p = 0.039). Furthermore, the ranking of family practice among other considered career options improved (p = 0.002). Considerations to work office-based in the future did not change significantly. Perceptions regarding a family physician’s job changed positively with regard to the possibility of long-term doctor-patient relationships and treatment of complex disease patterns. The majority of the students described identification with the respective family physician tutor as a professional role model and an increased interest in the specialty.ConclusionsOur results indicate that a short community-based family practice elective early in medical education may positively influence medical students’ considerations of a career in family practice. Furthermore, perceptions regarding the specialty with significant impact on its attractiveness may be positively adjusted. Further research is needed to evaluate the influence of different components of a family practice curriculum on the de facto career decisions of young physicians after graduation.

A study of analyst-run mutual funds: The abilities and roles of buy-side analysts

We assess the abilities and the role of buy-side analysts within mutual fund families by analyzing mutual funds managed by buy-side analysts from fourteen fund families. Buy-side analysts exhibit investment abilities by realizing positive style- and risk-adjusted returns and generating superior risk-return tradeoffs. Analysts' skills have a positive impact on the performance of funds from the same family. Although some managers benefit from closely following their buy-side analysts' ideas, research generated by these analysts is generally being underutilized by affiliated managers. The underutilization is consistent with longer-tenured managers choosing to forgo some of the analysts' ideas due to career considerations.

Fertility Intentions, Career Considerations and Subsequent Births: The Moderating Effects of Women's Work Hours.

Prior research indicates a negative relationship between women's labor force participation and fertility at the individual level in the United States, but little is known about the reasons for this relationship beyond work hours. We employed discrete event history models using panel data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 2,411) and found that the importance of career considerations mediates the work hours/fertility relationship. Further, fertility intentions and the importance of career considerations were more predictive of birth outcomes as women's work hours increase. Ultimately, our findings challenge the assumption that working more hours is the direct cause for employed women having fewer children and highlight the importance of career and fertility preferences in fertility outcomes.

Nurses in Mauritius motivated by extrinsic rewards: A qualitative study of factors determining recruitment and career choices

BackgroundInternational studies have shown that motivation and career considerations related to nursing reveal that the decision is determined by a multitude of factors, generally distinguishing between the extrinsic and intrinsic rewards and work values. Although changing values seem to be important with greater emphasis on personal development and a reduction in other-orientation and altruism, nursing still stress the caring component with a desire to help and care for others. ObjectiveTo describe and analyze those factors and conditions influencing the decision to choose nursing as a career among men and women nurses in Mauritius. The objectives are to provide information on the nurses and their social background, their reasons for entering the nursing profession and to explore how nursing is perceived in a society with a different cultural and historical background. This will be compared with knowledge about recruitment to nursing in some developed as well as developing countries. Design and settingA qualitative study based on in-debt, semi-structured interviews and convenience sampling. Nurses of all grades working in five government hospitals and community health centers in the central and southern part of Mauritius, a small island situated in the Indian Ocean. The data were collected over a 5-month period during 2005–2006. ParticipantsIndividual interviews with 47 nurses, both men (27) and women nurses (20). The nurses came from different grades, age groups, religious and ethnic background. ResultsFindings revealed that nursing is attractive as a career due to extrinsic rewards such as job security, good income and government employment, with all the privileges and social status that it entails. These conditions, together with paid education and possibilities for international migration, were the most important factors explaining the recruitment of nurses from both sexes. Most of them did not want to do nursing but entered it because of financial difficulties in the family, unemployment, lacking other opportunities or as a default of poor grades from secondary education. ConclusionsThe majority of the Mauritian nurses in the sample had a more pragmatic and materialistic approach to the nursing profession and hardly any emphasis on caring and a desire to help others. Nursing was considered a gender neutral occupation and a job like any other jobs. Entering the nursing profession is regarded as the achievement of considerable social mobility taken into account the predominantly working class background of most nurses.