Career Talk Research Articles

Dukungan Sosial Penghargaan Teman Sebaya Dalam Mengatasi Fenomena Quarter Life Crisis Di Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Taruna Jaya 1

The phenomenon of quarter life crisis is a phase where teenagers feel a number of conditions, namely conditions of worry, confusion, fear, anxiety, to despair that appear in adolescents in navigating life and reaching for their future. There are 6 indicators in the quarter life crisis limitation area for adolescents, including hopes and dreams in which they have fear of their goals not being achieved, challenges in the academic aspect are a form of concern about the education they are currently achieving, religion and spirituality related to the lack of worship momentum which are still not consistent, Career talks about the anxiety of getting a decent job, Friendship, romance and family relations are fears about forms of community acceptance in the future and whether you can get married and support your family well in the future, as well as Self-identity which is concerned with finding identity and experienced identity crisis. This research used a descriptive qualitative method which was carried out at the Taruna Jaya 1 Youth Development Institution, East Jakarta. Informants in this study amounted to 9 people consisting of 1 companion with consideration of this companion who knows more about the character, behavior of the orphans, and sufficient emotional closeness. 6 orphans with the consideration that these six orphans feel the QLC phenomenon in 6 QLC indicators, and 2 peers with WBS status also with the consideration that the two orphans often provide social support to their peers in the orphanage during the coaching process. Fellow wbs here have an effort to overcome this QLC through a rewarding social support approach. Social support that is often carried out is in the form of positive evaluation, having a positive impact on others, giving positive influence, and positive views on others so that effective social functioning is created in the future.

Kefir4All, a citizen science initiative to raise awareness of the roles that microbes play in food fermentation.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and are central to human, animal, environmental, and planetary health. They play a particularly important role in the food chain and the production of high-quality, safe, and health-promoting foods, especially fermented foods. This important role is not always apparent to members of the public. Here, we describe Kefir4All, a citizen science project designed to provide the general public with an opportunity to expand their awareness, knowledge, and practical skills relating to microbiology, introduced through the medium of producing fermented food, i.e., milk kefir or water kefir. During the course of Kefir4All, 123 citizen scientists, from second-level school and non-school settings, participated in a study to track changes in the microbial composition of kefirs, by performing and recording details of milk kefir or water kefir fermentations they performed in their homes or schools over the 21-week project. At the start of the study, the citizen scientists were provided with milk or water kefir grains to initiate the fermentations. Both types of kefir grain are semi-solid, gelatinous-like substances, composed of exopolysaccharides and proteins, containing a symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast. The experimental component of the project was complemented by a number of education and outreach events, including career talks and a site visit to our research center (Kefir Day). At the end of the study, a report was provided to each citizen scientist, in which individualized results of their fermenting activities were detailed. A number of approaches were taken to obtain feedback and other insights from the citizen scientists. Evaluations took place before and after the Kefir4All project to gauge the citizen scientist's self-reported awareness, knowledge, and interest in microbiology and fermented foods. Further insights into the level of citizen science participation were gained through assessing the number of samples returned for analysis and the level of participation of the citizen scientists throughout the project. Notably, the survey results revealed a self-reported, increased interest in, and general knowledge of, science among the Kefir4All citizen scientists after undertaking the project and a willingness to take part in further citizen science projects. Ultimately, Kefir4All represents an example of the successful integration of citizen science into existing education and research systems.

Within the scope of career talks, 'Digital Marketing' was discussed in every aspect

Within the scope of career talks, 'Digital Marketing' was discussed in every aspect.

Factors Influencing the Choice of Nursing Profession as a Future Career Among Achievers University Nursing Students, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria

Background: Interest in choosing a career and understanding the professional expectation of a career choice is critical to one's career's success and fulfillment. The growth of the nursing profession in Nigeria hinges on the ability to employ and retain the new generation of nurses. Choosing nursing as a career of choice should be influenced not only by outward and material benefits but also by self-interest and a true passion for the profession. Aim: The study assessed the factors influencing the choice of the nursing profession as a future career among Achievers University Nursing Students, Owo. Method: The study adopted a descriptive study design, and a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 299 respondents for the study. The data collection instrument was a self-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency tables and graphs, while chi-square was used to find associations between the variables with the aid of (SPSS) version 21.0. Result: The results of this study revealed that the high preference for nursing as a course of choice among the respondents was based on the following reasons: the opportunity it provides to travel and practice abroad (85.6%), parental influence (64.5%), future job opportunity (78.3%), family advice (63.2%). However, 29.8% would consider leaving nursing if given a choice, 58.5% claimed they would stay with nursing irrespective of any choice given while 11.7% were not yet sure of their decisions. The results of the hypotheses revealed a significant relationship between parental influence and the choice of nursing as a future career (x2 = 17.32, p<0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that future job opportunities and an opportunity to travel abroad were the reason for choosing nursing as a profession. Parents and other family members were the major people who influenced the respondents' choice of nursing as a career. Recommendation: The study recommends that nursing schools organize a career talk programme to re-orientate the students on what nursing is all about, emphasizing both future benefits and challenges to expect in their course of choice. Keywords: Career, Choice, Factors, Future, Influence, Nursing profession.

BREAKING GENDER STEREOTYPES: HOW INTERACTING WITH STEM PROFESSIONALS CHANGED FEMALE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS

Various studies have reported that students have limited, stereotypical perceptions of STEM fields. However, few studies have attempted to evaluate interventions undertaken with the aim of changing female student’s perceptions of STEM professions. This research aimed to examine the changes in mental images among female students as a result of interacting with STEM professionals in a STEM camp. The Draw-a-Scientist Test was revised, and female students were asked to draw and describe STEM professionals at work before and after attending STEM camp. The participating students attended workshops and career talks given by STEM professionals. The findings showed that the perceptions of the participating female students regarding gender images of STEM professionals changed. After the STEM camp, it was also observed that knowledge about STEM professionals and the content of their work had increased. The studied intervention program for female students positively contributed to changes in the students’ mental images of STEM professionals. Therefore, it is recommended that female students interact with professionals working in STEM fields to change their perceptions of those fields. Keywords: female students, gender stereotypes, human images in STEM, role models, STEM

High school learners’ perceptions of careers in the built environment sector

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of learners on careers in the built environment. The industry is confronted with a critical shortage of skilled workers, which significantly hampers its growth and labour productivity. This workforce scarcity mainly stems from a lack of effective strategies for recruiting and retaining learners in construction programmes.Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the perceptions of learners on careers in the built environment.Method: This study examined the perceptions of 43 previously disadvantaged black high school learners, regarding careers in the built environment sector. Using the planned behaviour theory, qualitative questionnaires investigating learners’ perceptions of careers in the built environment were used to collect data. The data were thematically analysed using the Braun and Clarke’s six phases of analysis.Results: The findings indicate that a learner’s attitude towards a career influences their decision in selecting it or not. The career perceptions of the community and significant others affect the career choice of a learner.Conclusion: The built industry must ensure that it attracts new career entrants; there is thus, a need for the built environment to conduct career talks and disseminate information about the different careers in the industry. Adequate career information allows learner to choose careers confidently.Contribution: This study contributes towards assisting the built environment sector in creating an attractive value proposition for learners to join the sector. It will also assist the sector to know which kind of information they need to disseminate to attract learners in choosing careers.

Impact of Guidance Services on Students’ Awareness of HIV/AIDS in Tertiary Institutions in Jigawa State

The aim of the study is to find out whether guidance services have impact on students’ awareness of HIV/AIDS in tertiary institutions in Jigawa state. The study used descriptive survey design; the population of the study consists of fifteen thousand four hundred and seventy-two (15,472) students in six tertiary institutions under the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST) Jigawa state. 375 used as sample size for the study which drawn from the population of tertiary institutions based on the provision of Krejcie and Morgan table (1971), simple random sampling technique was used in selecting two tertiary institutions. While the instrument used in collecting data was researcher developed questionnaire (QSAHA) in form of four point likert scale, rating from 4, 3, 2 and 1 as basis for scoring. It was accepted to be valid and reliable for administration. Three research questions and three hypotheses were tested and statically analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test of independent sample at 0.05 level of significant. The findings of the study revealed that male students indicated positive awareness unlike their female counterpart and also students came from rural areas are more aware of HIV/AIDS infection than their urban counterpart. However, students that offered arts courses were positively aware of HIV/AIDS than their counterpart offering science courses. Many implications from the guidance services were drawn from the findings of the research prior to the findings it was recommended that; enlightenment campaign and career talks should be offered to female students due to the habit of shyness in the issue of awareness. It was also recommended that further researchers may conduct relevant research that correlate the relationship on the spread of HIV/AIDS between commercial sex workers and infected married women in the north-west zone of the state.

318 Advancing Surgery in Africa Through Education, Mentorship and Research; the Surgery Interest Group of Africa (SIGAf)

Abstract Aim Peer-to-peer surgical education has improved remarkably over the last decade with the aid of interest groups and charity organisations such as ASiT, IncisioN, NANSIG, and StarSURG. Despite these advances, there remains a lack of collaborative interest groups tailored to improving surgical education in Africa. The Surgery Interest Group of Africa (SIGAf) was established in response, and this study assesses its benefits in research, education, and mentorship. Method Feedback data from over 20 virtual sessions grouped into six categories over seven months in 2022 were analysed in this study. The categories included the surgical conference (Exposure to African Surgery), Career talks, Surgical lecture series, Exam preparation lectures, Research and audit lectures and Journal club activities. Data on participant confidence levels, helpfulness, engagement, and interest in the lecture content were examined using a 5-point Likert scale. Results 705 responses were recorded across the six categories. The participants’ confidence level increased from an indeterminate pre-session to a statistically significant fairly confident level post-session. The attendees perceived the conference, career talks, lecture series, and journal club activities as helpful and had the highest level of interest. The surgical conference, career talk and surgical lecture series all had a reasonably good engagement. Conclusions This study has shown that the virtual sessions held by the Surgery Interest Group of Africa aimed at advancing surgery across the continent through education, mentorship, and research have achieved reasonable success.

Transforming the “SEAD”: Evaluation of a Virtual Surgical Exploration and Discovery Program and its Effects on Career Decision-Making

The abrupt cessation of in-person education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for preclerkship students to explore a career in surgery. To supplement the lack of exposure, the Surgical Exploration and Discovery (SEAD) program was transitioned to an entirely virtual format. This study aims to describe the virtual SEAD program and evaluate its effectiveness as a career decision-making (CDM) intervention. The week-long program was delivered on Microsoft Teams, featured 11 surgical specialties, and comprised four activities: live demonstrations, virtual operating room observerships, career talks, and technical skills workshops. The program was evaluated using the four levels of the Kirkpatrick model: (1) reactions, (2) knowledge, (3) CDM behaviors - assessed using the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) - and (4) results. The latter was indirectly assessed using CDDQ scores from an in-person SEAD program, where lower CDDQ scores indicate less difficulty with CDM. Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Forty pre-clerkship students (27 first and 13 second year students) at the University of Ottawa RESULTS: Level 1: 97.5% of participants rated the program as good or very good. Live demonstration and technical skills workshops were the highest rated activities. Level 2: participants' scores on knowledge-based questions about a surgical career significantly increased following the program (pre: 9/25 vs post: 15/25, p = 0.008). Level 3: overall mean CDDQ scores (±SD) decreased difficulties with significantly following the program (pre: 45.6 ± 10.5 vs post: 38.8 ± 10.9, p < 0.001), which indicates decreased CDM difficulties. Level 4: Except for one sub-category, the difference in mean CDDQ scores between the virtual and in-person programs were not significantly different. The program received the positive reactions and significantly increased participants' knowledge. The change in CDDQ scores following the virtual program suggests it may reduce career decision-making difficulties in the short-term. In-person surgical exposure remains important; however, a hybrid model may be valuable in resource limited settings. WC: 300.

The Nigerian Environmental Epidemiology Accelerated Research Program (NEEAR): Evaluation of an Environmental Epidemiology Short Course for Nigerian Researchers

BACKGROUND AND AIM The Nigerian Environmental Epidemiology Accelerated Research (NEEAR) Program seeks to promote collaborative capacity and research development in environmental epidemiology in Nigeria. In 2021, a short course on environmental epidemiology was developed to strengthen the ability of Nigerian researchers to conduct environmental epidemiology research and thereby, to fill gaps in research capacity. METHODS The course was extensively advertised through social media and professional networks. Eligible applicants included Nigerian graduate students and scientists with degrees in Environment and Health related disciplines. Training was weekly 2-hour online sessions for 2 weeks and a 1-day in-person session in Nigeria. It included tutorial, videos, group work and hands-on exercises with faculty from Emory University USA and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research. Session topics included study design, exposure assessment, data analysis, research ethics, and dissemination. A career talk and transferable skills sessions were also included. Pre- and post-session quizzes were administered during each session to assess whether the training improved participants’ understanding of the session topics. RESULTS A total of 240 Nigerian researchers applied to the program, of which 35 (15%) top applicants were invited. Short course participants were 47% female and 53% male, with 87% possessing postgraduate qualifications. The participants came from 8 states within Nigeria. There was a marked improvement in participants post-session quiz scores compared to scores from the beginning of the sessions. Participants feedback was very positive. There was clarity on how the training will be applied in their current studies or work. CONCLUSIONS The short course was impactful and fostered collaborative research capacity among Nigerian researchers. There is potential for more of such courses to be held due to the large number of eligible applications received. Future courses on intermediate/advanced epidemiology and biostatistics methods, internships and post-training connects are recommended. KEYWORDS Capacity development, Nigeria, collaborative research

Secondary school students’ knowledge of physiotherapy as a profession

Background: Physiotherapy plays a significant role in the health care system. The pursuit of a career in any profession by secondary school students depends largely on the availability of information about the practice and prospects of the profession. This study aimed at investigating whether secondary school students know about physiotherapy as a profession.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey involving eight hundred and two senior secondary school students in Maiduguri. Multi-stage and systematic random sampling techniques were used in selecting thirty schools in Maiduguri whose students participated in this study. A 37-item questionnaire from previous literature comprising of socio-demographic characteristics of participants, knowledge of participants about physiotherapy as a course, knowledge of participants about physiotherapists’ tasks and characteristics, and sources of their information about physiotherapy, was adapted for this study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics.Results: Responses of eight hundred and two participants, 446 female and 356 males with a mean age of 16.90±2.22 were included in this study. More than half of the participants (59.1%) had a high knowledge of physiotherapy as a career. The most common sources of information about physiotherapy were from a family member (48.5%), a movie (54.7%), and the school career counsellor (54.5%).Conclusions: Half of the participants demonstrated a high level of knowledge of physiotherapy as a profession whereas a good number seemed to have little or no knowledge about the physiotherapy profession. The physiotherapy professional body should work towards increasing the level of knowledge of physiotherapy practice by creating avenues for career talks and awareness programs.

Career talk: specialist nutrition nurses

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Edel Smyth and Iris Barbaso

Career talk: advanced virology specialist nurse and postdoctoral researcher

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Kathryn Jack

High school learners views on benefits derived from attending career talks: Need for sound career guidance

Tertiary institutions in South Africa are experiencing alarming undergraduate drop-out rates. This has partly been attributed to students’ inadequate preparation, and failure to gather information on, and planning for, their careers. The need for sound career guidance at the high school level is key, making the role of Life Orientation (LO) increasingly prominent. The aim of this study was to determine what benefits high school learners derive from attending career talks. To this end, a qualitative study was conducted with Grade 10 learners studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at a township high school in Mamelodi, Tshwane. Data were collected using a qualitative questionnaire and analysed thematically. The findings demonstrated the importance of role models sharing information on their careers and work experiences. Another finding pertained to the importance of information on diverse careers, for the development of learners’ career self-efficacy as students of STEM in a township high school context. The findings highlight the importance of LO teachers organising career workshops. The study will benefit the Department of Basic Education, businesses, and employers as key stakeholders, by helping to enhance the career development of future employees and entrepreneurs.

Career talk: Macmillan Nurse Consultant

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Claire Taylor

Career talk: Clinical Nurse Educator

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Clinical Nurse Educator Julie Duncan

Career talk: gastrointestinal consultant nurse

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with consultant nurse Harriet Watson

Career talk: Lead Colorectal Specialist Nurse

In this interview, part of a series about the career pathways of experienced gastrointestinal specialists, Sara Santos speaks with Tracey Becker, Lead Colorectal Specialist Nurse at Oxford University Hospitals

Ambivalent sexism within medicine: reflections from four medical students.

> ‘Are you sure you can handle it?’ > > ‘You’re quite bossy, you’d fit right in.’ > > ‘When will you have time for kids?’ > > ‘Oh, your partner wants to become a surgeon? Great news for you!’ > > ‘Nurse, can you get the doctor for me?’ > > ‘It’s good you’re making the sacrifice to become a general practitioner now — means more time for your family!’ As female medical students it is difficult to ignore the detrimental impact of such comments on our self-confidence and career considerations. Throughout medical school we’ve experienced and observed obvious gender disparities — during clinical placement encounters, discussions with medical professionals, and casual career talks with peers. During clinical placements, we noticed differences in gender representation in certain specialities. One was trauma & orthopaedics (T&O). During morning handover our curiosity was piqued when we witnessed the dynamic between male and female doctors. Male doctors demonstrated their clinical acumen with comfortable confidence, unlike their outnumbered female colleagues. We noticed the latter would often shy away from voicing their opinions and looked more anxious when questioned by senior colleagues. When handover had finished and we had the opportunity to strike up a conversation we were disheartened by the similarity between our speculations and the female junior doctors’ thoughts. There was no hint of dislike towards T&O itself — far from it. However, they admitted the atmosphere precipitated by gender dynamics had made their experience less enjoyable. They mentioned how not having many female consultants around also dissuaded them from confidently feeling part of the team. It seemed that problems weren’t just arising from the immediate team. During multiple encounters with other healthcare professionals, assumptions were made that they couldn’t be T&O doctors because of their ‘frail’ physique, since T&O was ‘manually arduous’. These opinions weren’t just confined to T&O. One female intensive care …

Motivations for a Career in Dentistry among Dental Students and Dental Interns in Kenya.

A number of factors have been cited as determinants for choosing a career in dentistry around the globe. The purpose of this study was to determine motivations for a career in dentistry among dental students and dental interns in Kenya. This was a cross-sectional study where 293 individuals participated by filling and returning self-administered questionnaires. The mean age of all respondents was 22.3 years. Overall, 59.5% of the respondents had selected dentistry as their preferred career at the end of high school. Majority (76.1%) of the respondents agreed that personal interest in dentistry was an important motivating factor for them. This was followed closely by a desire to help or serve people (74%), a desire for a flexible work schedule (63%), and an aspiration to be self-employed (61.8%). There was no difference between males and females regarding these as motivating factors. On the other hand, among factors that the respondents felt had the lowest influence on their choice of dentistry was parental influence, where only 22% of the respondents indicated that this was a motivating factor for them. Other potential motivating factors such as influence by friends and siblings (30.3%) as well as career talk and guidance (41.3%) were also ranked low. In general, the respondents indicated that they were motivated much more by personal and humanitarian factors, when compared to financial and societal factors.