Career Development Support Research Articles

Recommendations for a ‘Wellbeing Curriculum’ to Mitigate Undergraduate Psychological Distress Associated with Lack of Careers Confidence and Poor University Engagement

To foster a ‘wellbeing curriculum’ in a climate with an increasingly competitive graduate jobs market, we believe it is critical to support undergraduate career development and to develop positive peer and educator relationships, particularly for non-vocational degree programs. However, these relationships between undergraduate wellbeing and their career development or peer/educator relationships have not been specifically examined. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine if poor career development or university engagement (quality of relationships with peers or educators, use of the university careers and counselling services, time studying) were associated with psychological distress for students in non-vocational degree programs. Undergraduates (biomedical science; n=1100) from five Australian universities participated in a survey to investigate relationships between psychological distress, as determined by their responses to the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales, and their career development or university engagement. Almost half of the students lacked confidence in their ‘future employment and job prospects’. Students’ psychological distress was significantly correlated with lack of confidence with their career development, poor relationships with their peers and educators and little use of the counselling service. Further exploration of these factors in student focus groups highlighted stress associated with academic competition between students and a critical need for undergraduate career development, especially industry placements. We provide pivotal recommendations to promote undergraduate and educator wellbeing, by developing a ‘wellbeing curriculum’ that supports career development and positive relationships between students and their peers and educators, particularly vital for non-vocational degrees.

Career Development in Transitional Work Settings: A Qualitative Investigation Among Veterans and Vocational Counselors.

Veterans living with mental health conditions have ambitious career goals and want support to find employment that meets their interests and preferences. Despite calls from researchers to "invest" and "commit" to career development research and practice for individuals living with psychiatric conditions, we still do not have empirically tested models for facilitating career development among individuals with mental health conditions, especially veterans. This qualitative study investigates the career development needs and recommended intervention strategies of veterans living with mental health conditions. Vocational counselors from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and veterans receiving vocational rehabilitation services (N = 13) participated in semi-structured focus groups. Findings illuminate the tasks, barriers, interventions, implementation strategies, and transitional work context that hinder and support career development of veterans with mental health conditions. Findings offer theoretical and applied guidance to researchers and counselors regarding career development of veterans living with mental health conditions.

Meet our new President: interview with Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow

I loved science and maths at school, which led to an undergraduate degree in physics. Through a final-year project I was introduced to the biosciences. From undertaking this first research project and getting a publication from it, I was hooked – especially on understanding how the structure of macromolecules was linked to their function.I had a typical academic career but at very different institutions – the Open University, Stanford University and Birkbeck, University of London. I began to take on leadership roles as head of department of crystallography and then deputy head of Birkbeck, so was able to take a wider perspective than just my own area of science. This increased even further when I became (the first woman) to run a research council as I had to liaise between academia and the government. I spent the last 10 years of my full-time career as Vice Chancellor of the University of Kent.During this time, I have always taken on wider roles to support the sector especially at a national level – the Council for Science and Technology, President of Universities UK, President of the Royal Society of Biology or Chair of the British Science Association.On retirement, I have taken on a few non-executive roles including Chair of Public Health England and a non-executive member of NHS England/I board. Currently, I am on the board of the Open University and a trustee of HEPI (the Higher Education Policy Institute).I have spent my career mainly in academia. During that time, I benefitted from learned societies including the Biochemical Society. As I progressed I realized that much of my role was to support others, earlier in their careers, whether within my research group, at the university or at a national level. Taking on this role, I can continue to support the biosciences and hopefully provide opportunities for others to flourish.First, I was very impressed by the inclusive way the strategy was developed under the leadership of Professor Sir Peter Downes. Bringing the Society and Portland Press closer together is especially important at this time of change, as well as aiming to make the Society more inclusive by embedding equality and diversity across all strands.The importance of supporting career development is key to ensuring a thriving and sustainable research community. The need for this community to come together to discuss science and to ensure that research can be published and disseminated widely are also important strands to this strategy.So a lot of thought and debate has gone into this strategy. We now need to put it into action!Like all those who communicate science through publishing journals, we are rightly moving to fully open access publications. This takes time – but I am impressed how forward and positively thinking Portland Press and the Society are about this far from easy to implement topic. So evolving open access will continue to be an opportunity and a challenge.We have rightly embedded EDI across all aspects of the Society’s new strategy. This is an area where I have taken a very active interest starting from the earliest stages of my career as one of the few women studying physics at undergraduate level. I think it will be challenging to bring our ambitions for an inclusive and diverse Society into practice, but one to which I am committed.Finally, supporting colleagues in these difficult and uncertain times especially those early on in their careers – we have seen the importance of molecular and cellular biosciences to society as scientists have contributed to control the COVID pandemic. We need to continue to encourage and support those entering into careers in the sciences.A flourishing and diverse community of scientists.Further evolution of open access publications.Ensuring we also look outward as excellent molecular biosciences is essential for our well-being as a society – as we have seen over the last few years.Finally, I realize I have not said anything about the employees of the Biochemical Society and Portland Press. They are a talented group of people under the leadership of the excellent Kate Baillie. Neither have I mentioned the Council of Trustees and members of the various Boards, Committees and Panels. I have been impressed with their expertise and commitment. I look forward to working with you all.

Deep Learning of Subject Context in Ideological and Political Class Based on Recursive Neural Network.

Ideological and political education is the most important way to cultivate students' humanistic qualities, which can directly determine the development of other qualities. However, at present, the direction of ideological and political innovation in higher vocational colleges is vague. In response to this problem, this study proposes a model based on HS-EEMD-RNN. First, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method is used to decompose the measured values, and then the recurrent neural network (RNN) is used to train each component and the remaining items. Finally, through the mapping relationship obtained by the model, the response prediction value of each component and the remaining items can be obtained. In the RNN training process, the harmony search (HS) algorithm is introduced to optimize it, and the noise is systematically denoised. Perturbation is used to obtain the optimal solution, thereby optimizing the weight and threshold of the RNN and improving the robustness of the model. The study found that, compared with EEMD-RNN, HS-EEMD-RNN has a better effect, because HS can effectively improve the training and fitting accuracy. The fitting accuracy of the HS-EEMD-RNN model after HS optimization is 0.9918. From this conclusion, the fitting accuracy of the HS-EEMD-RNN model is significantly higher than that of the EEMD-RNN model. In addition, four factors, career development, curriculum construction, community activities, and government support, have obvious influences on ideological and political classrooms in technical colleges. The use of recurrent neural networks in the research direction of deep and innovative research on the subject context of ideological and political classrooms can significantly improve the prediction accuracy of its development direction.

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) fellowship website content: are applicants receiving enough information?

Advanced GI/Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) fellowships are one of the largest non-ACGME post-residency training pathways. MIS programs are highly competitive, with only 68% of applicants in the 2021 cycle successfully matching into fellowship positions. An evaluation of MIS fellowship program websites is warranted to determine if applicants are receiving adequate information to meet their needs. Using the Fellowship Council website, the authors identified 92 MIS fellowship programs that advertised open fellowships positions for general surgery residency graduates. These 92 fellowship websites were evaluated for 12 pre-identified variables based on published literature. 90% of websites included access to contact information for a program director/coordinator and 72% of websites displayed selection criteria; however, other recruitment information offered to applicants was limited. Only 25% of websites mentioned interview details, 34% of websites showcased current or past fellows, and 51% included a faculty directory. Regarding operative information, only 46% of MIS fellowship websites mentioned case volume, 23% mentioned locations of rotations, and 55% mentioned rotation schedule selection criteria. Didactic information was focused on research productivity with 80% of websites highlighting scholarly requirements; academic conferences were only mentioned in 40% of websites. Fellow wellness and career information was skipped on many websites, with 30% describing resident benefits and 16% dedicating a section to career development. Overall, the mean number of pre-identified variables present on a fellowship website was 6.57 ± 2.39 (54.75 ± 19.17%). General surgery residents turn to program websites when evaluating MIS fellowships. Although websites contain adequate information on several variables evaluated in the study, information on benefits and career development, fellow and faculty support, and case volume were limited. By including relevant information, MIS fellowship websites can align with ACGME requirements, strengthen existing frameworks, and help display data that are important to applicants.

Domestic Helpers as Frontline Workers in Home-Based Long-Term Care in China: Opportunities and Challenges

ABSTRACT Domestic helpers (also called baomu or jiazhengfuwuyuan in Chinese) enter personal residences to provide care and services. This study explored challenges and opportunities facing the long-term care (LTC) domestic service in urban China from the perspectives and experiences of domestic helpers (n = 25) and their employers (older adults or their family, n = 25), domestic service company managers (n = 8) and industry association staff (n = 6). Challenges identified pertain to the domestic helper-older adult relationship, day-to-day care, training, domestic service company role, and workforce shortages and instability. Opportunities include possibilities for supporting career development and increased access to social welfare and medical assistance, enhancing person-centered care for older adults by helping domestic helpers build core competencies, and establishing peer support and connections through mobile technologies.

Use of individual development plans: experiences from junior faculty in the "NURTURE" mentored research program at Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a multi-component career planning worksheet that guides trainees through an iterative self-assessment. This paper provides the first investigation of IDP use and experiences among junior faculty at academic institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where IDP is seldomly used by trainees. An online survey determined the utilization and impact of IDP among junior faculty trainees enrolled on "NURTURE" mentored research program to support career development for faculty at Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) between 2016-2020. Responses were received between March and June 2021, a period of intense COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Of 64 trainees 64(39%) were female and 60/64(98%) developed an IDP during the fellowship period; of whom 45/60(75%) had never been exposed to IDP. Trainees' benefits included intentional thinking about own career goals and support to execute the goals as well as self-management skills of time management and communication, among others. IDP was well-received by junior faculty trainees, with several self-management and motivation benefits to the scholars. We recommend that academic programs and faculty at academic institutions in LMIC should consider taking on the IDP approach to promote focused career development for all trainees including junior faculty.

The Relationship between Family Social Support and Self-Efficacy in Career Decision-Making of Final Year University Students

The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between family social support and self-efficacy in career decision-making self-efficacy of final-year students. This is quantitative research with correlational design. The convenience sampling technique used to obtain a sample size of 402 final-year university students. Data were collected using a questionnaire consist of biographical related question and Family Support Measure instrument consisting of Family of Origin Career Development Support, Parent Intentional Career-Related Interactions, and Career Decision Self-Efficacy-Short Form (CDSE-SF). The validity and reliability test shows that all items were valid and reliable with reliability tests of 0.870, 0.911, and 0.973 for the Family of Origin Career Development Support, Parent Intentional Career-Related Interactions, and CDSE-SF. The results showed a significant positive relationship between family social support and self-efficacy in career decision-making of final-year students. Therefore, it is expected that the higher education career service center can use family factor as a source of support in the career service process.

CHALLENGES IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUNCTIONAL POSITION OF SUPERVISORY OF REGIONAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS (PPUPD) IN THE INSPECTORATE OF THE PROVINCE OF THE SPECIAL CAPITAL OF JAKARTA

Career development in a government agency is very important for the progress and success of the organization in achieving the planned goals. The formulation of the problem is how to challenge the career development of PPUPD functional positions at the DKI Jakarta Provincial Inspectorate. The purpose of this study was to determine the implementation of career development at the Inspectorate of DKI Jakarta Province and the challenges in career development of PPUPD. The research method uses a qualitative descriptive method. Data collection was obtained through informant interviews and document studies. The results of the study concluded that the implementation of career development in PPUPD functional positions was influenced by several factors. Factors that support career development are the implementation of training for all employees and the availability of a budget. While the inhibiting factors are fair treatment in a career, concern for direct superiors, information on promotion opportunities, and interest in being promoted.

The relationship between organisational support for career development, organisational commitment, and turnover intentions among healthcare workers in township hospitals of Henan, China

BackgroundTownship hospitals in China face the challenge of shortage and turnover of healthcare workers. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between organisational support for career development (OSCD), organisational commitment, and turnover intentions among healthcare workers in township hospitals.MethodsThe data in this study were obtained from the Health Service Capacity Survey of Primary Health Institutions (2020), one of the special surveys of rural health poverty alleviation in Henan, China. The sample comprised 298 healthcare workers. Three standardised instruments were used: the turnover intention scale, OSCD scale, and organisational commitment scale. Descriptive statistics, One-way Analysis of Variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and the simple mediation model were used for data analysis.ResultsThe results showed that the mean score of the healthcare workers’ turnover intentions was 2.21 ± 0.77, which was low. The healthcare workers’ turnover intentions had significant differences in gender, age, marital status, education, professional title, and organisational tenure. OSCD had no significant direct relationship with turnover intentions, while having a significant positive direct relationship with organisational commitment. Organisational commitment had a significant negative direct relationship with turnover intentions, and played a fully mediating role in the relationship between OSCD and turnover intentions.ConclusionsOSCD had an indirect negative effect on healthcare workers’ turnover intentions in township hospitals through the full mediation of organisational commitment. The findings of this study suggest the importance of policymakers and organisation managers to improve OSCD practice and pay attention to ‘humanistic management’. In addition, the formulation and implementation of talent retention policies should consider socio-demographic differences.

학업 중단 청소년이 인식하는 진로 장벽이 자살 생각에 미치는 종단적 영향

This study aimed to identify the temporal changes in perceived career barriers and suicidal ideation and examine the impact of career barriers on suicidal ideation to establish practical guidelines for career development and psychological support required for adolescents’ development following their academic dropout. We used the data of 250 adolescents, who participated in the Adolescent School Dropouts Panel Survey, between 2014 and 2017. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Amos 23.0 for computing descriptive statistics and a potential growth model for career barriers and suicidal ideation, respectively, among adolescent school dropouts. The analysis demonstrated a change in adolescent school dropouts’ perceptions of career barriers and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, adolescent school dropouts’ career barriers had a significant effect on suicidal ideation. These findings emphasize the need for an integrated approach to implement career support interventions for exploration and experience, alongside preventive measures to reduce the risk of suicide among adolescent school dropouts. Thus, the current study results prompt a discussion on the need to establish a social support system for adolescent school dropouts and their healthy integration into the society and provide future research recommendations.

Opportunities and risks in the use of AI in career development practice

The Covid-19 pandemic required many aspects of life to move online. This accelerated a broader trend for increasing use of ICT and AI, with implications for both the world of work and career development. This article explores the potential benefits and challenges of including AI in career practice. It provides an overview of the technology, including current uses, to illustrate ways in which it could enhance existing services, and the attendant practical and ethical challenges posed. Finally, recommendations are provided for policy and practice that will support career development professionals in managing these risks and maximising benefits to service users.

Identifying skills, qualifications, and attributes expected to do a PhD

ABSTRACT Despite an increasingly competitive academic market, more and more people are seeking a PhD degree. While significant research focuses on skill attainment during PhD candidature and at PhD exit, we know little about the skills that might be present at PhD entry. We developed a data-driven taxonomy and conducted logistic regressions to analyse selection criteria (listing skills, qualifications, and personal attributes) of 13,562 PhD advertisements posted in 2016–2019 on Euraxess, a European recruitment platform for researchers. We analysed the most prevalent attributes sought for PhD admission, country-based and discipline-specific differences, and changes over time. We find that many of these admission attributes include diverse and transferable skills. Specifically, cognitive, interpersonal skills and personal attributes are trending upwards, and PhD requirements vary significantly by country, discipline and year of posting. We highlight the attributes requested by top 5 countries and top 5 disciplines, and show changes over time. The insights provide guidance for practice, specifically to PhD applicants, early career researchers, and those who support career development. We discuss PhD programmes’ alignment and policy implications for pre-doctoral education, redesign of PhD assessment, and improved training provision for students and supervisors.

The show must go on: Why Korea lost its first-mover advantage in Esports and how it can become a major player again

Korea was once a first mover in the field of esports and could have been the top esports powerhouse due to its unrivaled information and communications technology infrastructure and cultural base in esports. However, Korea now lags behind late movers in the field. China is striving to dominate the industry by replicating Korea's primary strategies, and U.S. game developers are strengthening their control of intellectual properties (IPs). This study reviewed the decline of Korea's esports industry in the global market and proposed measures that could revive it. We employed a qualitative method using relevant literature, secondary data from industry reports and government publications, and expert interviews. To this end, we applied first-mover advantages and late-mover advantages as a theoretical lens. The findings of this study suggest that owning solid IP resources will guarantee the scalability of the esports business. Recovering platform sovereignty is the main agenda for Korea as it maintains and supports the esports industry. Furthermore, educational support for career development is necessary as the esports industry expands. Therefore, systemic approaches from three different stakeholders (i.e., industry, government, and academia) are required to restore Korea's leadership in the esports industry.

Workforce Characteristics, Workplace and Job Satisfaction, Stress, Burnout, and Happiness of Music Therapists in the United States

This survey research examined the work lives of music therapists in the United States. With the inclusion of data on salary, workplace and job satisfaction, stress, burnout, and happiness, a comprehensive picture of the working lives of music therapists emerges. On the whole, music therapists appear to be generally happy with their workplace and job conditions and to experience moderate stress and low burnout. Data regarding salaries reveal a complex economic landscape. Although the average full-time salary of a music therapist was $51,099.69, salaries varied widely, with newly credentialed music therapists and those with less than six years of experience reporting lower average salaries. Variations in salaries, stress, burnout, and happiness were also evident across workplaces. Implications for the profession, including advocacy efforts, support for early-career professionals, and additional support for career development, invite further discussion.

Increasing Native Research Leadership Through an Early Career Development Program.

Inequities impact American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations across various health conditions; in particular, many Native communities bear a disproportionate burden of substance use disorder. Such inequities persist despite concerted efforts of communities and significant research directed toward prevention and intervention. One factor hampering these efforts is the underrepresentation of researchers who are themselves Native and uniquely equipped to respond to the needs of their communities. This paper describes the innovative Native Children's Research Exchange (NCRE) Scholars program, now entering its ninth year of successful career development support for emerging Native scholars. We summarize the history of NCRE Scholars, outline the mentoring and training approaches taken to meet the unique needs of early-career Native scholars, and present key progress of program alumni. The current cohort of Scholars provide first-person perspectives on how four key program elements have supported their career development to date. NCRE Scholars has been an effective approach for supporting the next generation of Native research leaders and for helping to build an essential mass of Native researchers prepared to respond to Native community health priority needs.

The Role of Mentorship in Internships

Undergraduate hospitality programs typically integrate a work-integrated learning (WIL) component such as a co-op placement, practicum, or internship. Mentorship is one practice in the workplace that offers opportunities to enhance both psycho-social and career development support. This qualitative study explores undergraduate hospitality management students' perceptions of the role of mentorship in their internship workplaces. Students' impressions of mentorship are described with a particular emphasis on the role of supervisors as mentors in the workplace, how the mentorship starts, the degree of formality for the mentorships, and key benefits and learning outcomes. The study sample was a purposefully selected group of six Bachelor of Arts students who had recently completed their internships and graduated from their degree program. The research employed a qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews. To bridge this research to course development, this study includes the authors' critical reflections to support students, with the objective being to establish mentorship opportunities and maximize opportunities during their internships.

Scholarly activity training in pediatric pulmonology fellowship programs.

Scholarly activity training is a required component of pediatric pulmonology fellowship programs. However, there are no data on resources and barriers to training and factors associated with fellow productivity. We surveyed USpediatric pulmonology fellowship program directors (FPDs) between March and October 2019. Our primary outcome was fellow productivity (>75% of fellows in the past 5 years had a manuscript accepted in a peer-reviewed journal). Analyses included descriptive statistics, χ2 and Fisher's exact tests for categorical values, and t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test for numerical values. Sixty-one percent(33/54) of FPDs completed the survey. Seventy-nine percentreported that most fellows completed clinical, basic science, or translational research. However, only 21% reported that most fellows pursued research positions after graduation; academic clinical positions were more common. For 21%, lack of funding and competing clinical responsibilities were barriers to completing the scholarly activity. Only 39% had highly productive programs; those FPDs were more likely to be highly satisfied with fellow scholarly activity products (p = 0.049) and have >6 publications in the previous 3 years (p = 0.03). Fifty-two percentof FPDs believed that pediatric pulmonary training should be shortened to 2 years for those pursuing clinical or clinician-educator careers. Barriers to scholarly activity training in pediatric pulmonology programs threaten the pipeline of academic pediatric pulmonologists and physician-investigators. Aligning fellow scholarly activity and clinical training with the skills required in their postgraduate positions could optimize the utilization of limited resources and better support career development.

Motivation and job satisfaction as correlates of job performance of library staff in Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State

This study examined motivation and job satisfaction as correlates of job performance of library staff in Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State. Descriptive survey research design was adopted and the entire 25 library staff constituted the population and sample of the study. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the 25 staff, out of which 23 copies of the questionnaire were completely filled and returned. Frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the data collected to answer the six research questions while Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) and multiple regression analysis were used to test the null hypotheses of the study. The study revealed that the level of job performance of the respondent is high; that appreciation, promotion, financial incentives, among others are the major motivational factors that influence job performance of the respondents while salary structure, job security, relationship with co-workers, institution’s policies, and work itself are the factors that determine the job satisfaction of the respondents; that motivation and job satisfaction influence the job performance of the respondents to a great extent while inadequate funds to support career development programme of the staff, insufficient technological skills, and lack of proper motivation from the superior are the major barriers to the effective performance of the respondents. The results of the tested hypotheses revealed that motivation and job satisfaction jointly influence the job performance of the respondents. The study recommends that library management should ensure that staff are constantly motivated and satisfied with their jobs which will in turn enable them to improve their performance and organizational productivity; library management in conjunction with the university management should provide enough fund to support career development programmes of the staff.

KL2 scholars' perceptions of factors contributing to sustained translational science career success.

Identifying the most effective ways to support career development of early stage investigators in clinical and translational science should yield benefits for the biomedical research community. Institutions with Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) offer KL2 programs to facilitate career development; however, the sustained impact has not been widely assessed. A survey comprised of quantitative and qualitative questions was sent to 2144 individuals that had previously received support through CTSA KL2 mechanisms. The 547 responses were analyzed with identifying information redacted. Respondents held MD (47%), PhD (36%), and MD/PhD (13%) degrees. After KL2 support was completed, physicians' time was divided 50% to research and 30% to patient care, whereas PhD respondents devoted 70% time to research. Funded research effort averaged 60% for the cohort. Respondents were satisfied with their career progression. More than 95% thought their current job was meaningful. Two-thirds felt confident or very confident in their ability to sustain a career in clinical and translational research. Factors cited as contributing to career success included protected time, mentoring, and collaborations. This first large systematic survey of KL2 alumni provides valuable insight into the group's perceptions of the program and outcome information. Former scholars are largely satisfied with their career choice and direction, national recognition of their expertise, and impact of their work. Importantly, they identified training activities that contributed to success. Our results and future analysis of the survey data should inform the framework for developing platforms to launch sustaining careers of translational scientists.