Domains Of Professional Practice Research Articles

On becoming a coaching practitionerresearcher: A duoethnographic study

Using a duoethnological approach, this paper synthesises the perspectives of two coaching practitioner researchers exploring questions of the epistemological and ontological foundations of coaching as an academic discipline and domain of professional practice. Initially, focus is centred on reflecting on the authors’ responses to two questions (1) How do my research interests and questions arise from my practice experience as a reflective coach or coach educator? and (2) How can I contribute to the development and impact of the coaching profession by integrating coaching practice and research expertise? Engaging with these questions through duoethnography, understood as a collaborative research methodology that promotes introspection and critical reflexivity, six themes were conceptualised as follows: (1) Pre-commencing the duoethnography process; (2) Beginning the duoethnography process and first phase of meeting; (3) Reflections on ontology of self and development; (4) The phenomenology of emergence in the coaching context; (5) Clarifying a personal coaching research agenda; (6) Reflection and commitments to forward/future action. These themes support an argument for an existential-humanistic conceptual framework that contributes towards establishing coaching as an academic discipline and domain of professional practice. The article concludes by arguing that by personally engaging with questions of the ontology of self and ways of knowing oneself and others, duoethnography dialogue can contribute to the personal development of coaching psychologists and the professional evidence base of coaching practice.

Designing ICT integrated lesson activities: an intervention to bolster tutors’ pedagogical use of ICT competences in Tanzania teacher education

PurposeThe study aims to assess the effectiveness of engaging tutors in designing and using ICT integrated lesson activities in strengthening their pedagogical use of ICT competences.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from an intervention group of 70 tutors from two teachers colleges (TCs) were used to compare their level of ICT competences and domains of professional practice before and after the intervention. Document analysis, lesson observations and feedback from the learning management system (LMS) were used to describe tutors’ experiences from the intervention.FindingsThere was a statistically significant increase in tutors’ level of pedagogical use of ICT competences and domains of professional practice associated with hands-on practice in designing and implementing the intervention.Research limitations/implicationsThe intervention focus on hands-on practice, actual teaching and learning needs, and the use of active learning strategies like flipped classroom and the LMS, were useful means for tutors to make sense of pedagogical use of ICT competences.Practical implicationsThe results offer useful insights to teacher education institutions and policymakers on how to prepare professional learning and supportive policies to enhance teaching and learning with ICT for addressing the learning needs of the subject matter.Originality/valueCreating 16 ICT integrated lesson activities helped tutors to learn pedagogical use of ICT competences by doing. Use of such intervention could be a useful strategy in teacher education institutions to reposition ICT competence development from reproducing technological competences toward developing knowledge creators who could innovate their pedagogical practice with support from mentors, digital learning resources and networks.

Promoting Professional Practice Standards through Consultation Training: Opportunities from a University-School District Partnership

ABSTRACT The National Association of School Psychologists’ Professional Standards delineate 10 domains of professional practice that are infused into graduate preparation, credentialing recommendations, and service delivery. School psychology graduate students need exposure to, and practice with, these domains. A university-based graduate class in consultation skills is an ideal mechanism for learning and applying the domains of practice. However, the domains cannot be meaningfully practiced without a partner school district that is willing to provide opportunities for students to advance their knowledge and skills in real world settings. Thus, the purpose of this article is to describe one such partnership and the robust opportunities for consultation enabled by the school district. Such opportunities cut across virtually all domains of training and practice and provide mutual benefit to the students and to the school district. Outcomes for graduate students and the school district are discussed, and components of successful university-district partnerships are presented.

The value and contribution of intellectual disability nurses/nurses caring for people with intellectual disability in intellectual disability settings: A scoping review.

People with intellectual disability experience poorer health and healthcare access issues. As a leading role in healthcare provision for people with intellectual disability nurses are key to supporting person-centred care and health outcomes. However, little is known about specialist intellectual disability nursing and their contribution to care provision for people with intellectual disability. A systematic scoping review. Searches of seven academic databases including MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were conducted to identify relevant literature. Literature addressing intellectual disability nursing or nursing care for people with intellectual disability in intellectual disability centres/units/care homes were reviewed and reported as per PRISMA-ScR checklist and PRISMA flow diagram. The published literature (n=68) is extensive and describes the value and contribution of intellectual disability nursing across all domains of professional practice and supports a biopsychosocial-educational approach to addressing the physical, mental and social needs of clients with intellectual disability across the care continuum of health management, health promotion and health education. Despite the importance of the review question and the large volume of publication evidence detailing wide-ranging professional nursing roles and responsibilities, there remains limited literature on the assessment and intervention strategies employed by intellectual disability nurses that highlight their specialist knowledge and skill. Future research should focus on making the role of the nurse more visible and presenting their unique contributions to client care, service delivery, policy and ultimately to the art and science of nursing.

Unpacking the learning on consultant-led ward rounds: Lessons from ethnography in paediatrics

Introduction: Consultant-led ward round education in a busy paediatric setting is a complex process and is often ad hoc. We aimed to observe ward rounds to better understand the education opportunities available.Methods: Drawing on Argyris and Schön's (1974) theory of action, we used an ethnographic approach to observe 30 general medical ward rounds over a 3-month period, from September to December 2016. For this study we analysed the learning opportunities and the content that is explicitly taught in relation to the domains of professional practice that we espouse to teach.Results: There were many layers of learning potential observed in ward round practice. These included clinical learning, communication, professional skills and identity and institutional cultural context. Clinical learning was prioritised; however, other learning domains remained implicit and were often ignored.Discussion: Our findings highlight great complexity in ward round learning and teaching. There was significant missed educational potential in the ward round environment as well as a need for a major shift in educational focus from clinical to other professional domains. Following Argyris and Schön (1974), it is necessary to examine what we espouse against our actual educational practice. This can inform a planned or structured approach to exploit the maximum potential of ward round learning and teaching.Conclusions: Ward round education is a priority that benefits from observation, reflection and development of new models of practice. If we are not conscious of what we are teaching on rounds, and how this is occurring, we risk losing opportunities to draw on all of the learning potential available.

Moving beyond the technical skills and promoting professionalism-the experience of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland with incorporating the Medical Council Eight Domains of Good Professional Practice into Entrustable Professional Activities.

The goal of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland (CAI) is to train qualified anaesthesiologists who embody all aspects of professionalism. The Medical Council of Ireland has identified Eight Domains of Good Professional Practice which guide the standards for postgraduate specialist training, including within the CAI. Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) were adopted as the organising framework for a competency-based programme within CAI. The aims were (i) to ensure that the EPA-integrated competencies from across the full range of domains and (ii) to design workplace-based assessment which fosters a culture and practice of feedback above and beyond technical skills. Four core EPAs were developed for trialling; competencies were tagged to the eight domains in an iterative development process. Feedback Reports were devised as tools for workplace-based assessment. Analysis of the Feedback Report data revealed how well the content reflected the full range of domains. 'Clinical Skills' is the domain to which most competencies within the EPAs were tagged. Analysis of the content of Feedback Reports also revealed an overrepresentation of that domain. This highlighted the apparent preference of consultants and trainees for selecting clinical aspects of an EPA to provide and receive feedback on, rather than professionalism or any of the other non-technical domains. We advocate and make recommendations for more effective incorporation of the non-technical domains of professional practice in the processes of curriculum development, teaching, learning, feedback and assessment.

Assessing multimodal literacies in practice: a critical review of its implementations in educational settings

ABSTRACTWhile recent literacy research shows an increasing uptake in multimodal literacies, there remains a disjunction between multimodal literacy teaching and assessment. This paper offers a critical review of assessment in the context of teaching multimodal literacies and begins by reviewing the notion of literacy and reframing assessment in educational contexts. In our review, assessing multimodal literacies is often located in studies of multimedia compositions as extensions of writing. Assessing multimodal literacies tends to take the form of rubrics and teachers’ lack of knowledge in this domain of professional practice leads them to assessment criteria for writing as their point of reference. Research in higher education shows an emerging interest in engaging students in establishing criteria for assessing multimodal literacies. Elsewhere in English as an additional language/dialect and second language education, an embrace of multimodal tasks offers non-linguistic modes that can influence, engage and in some cases enhance students’ multimodal communicative competence. Yet, researchers suggest multimodal literacies tasks are generally less valued for assessing literacies in these contexts. This article highlights the opportunities and challenges of assessing multimodal literacies and extends the ongoing debates for further research in closing the gap between teaching and assessing multimodal literacies.

Trauma-Informed Knowledge and Practices in School Psychology: A Pilot Study and Review

Growing acknowledgement that adverse childhood experiences are widespread and can threaten healthy development has led to advocacy for schools to systematically incorporate trauma-sensitive practices and policies. While the background and training of school psychologists would seem to make them the ideal professionals to lead such work, little is known regarding their preparedness to engage in these school-based practices. The current pilot study examines the experiences, education and training, confidence and competence, current and desired roles, and perceived barriers and supports of school psychology trainers, trainees, and practitioners to engage in trauma-informed practices within schools. Results indicated that high majorities reported scant knowledge or competencies across domains of professional practice considered essential to trauma-informed care delivery. Findings and implications are discussed.

Exploring the Role and Application of the Deliberate Practice Concept in Radiation Therapy

The concept of deliberate practice (DP) has been extensively applied to the development of skill and expert performance in many domains of professional practice. Although it has been widely reviewed in other health professions, there is a lack of evidence on its application in radiation therapy practice. This article aims to explore the concept of DP and how it can be applied to radiation therapy practice. The authors define DP, why it is essential, and how it can be implemented in radiation therapy. Evidence from the DP literature in the health professions was used to clarify the guiding principles for successful DP implementation within both the clinical and educational contexts. While the authors encourage radiation therapy practitioners to engage in DP approaches, every profession utilizing DP will develop strategies unique to the individual discipline. Hence, rather than imitating other professions, it is essential that radiation therapists engage evidence-based approaches that will generate empirical evidence to model radiation therapy-specific DP approaches.

The efficacy of an iterative “sequence of prevention” approach to injury prevention by a multidisciplinary team in professional rugby union

ObjectivesDue to the complex systems nature of injuries, the responsibility for injury risk management cannot lie solely within a single domain of professional practice. Interdisciplinary collaboration between technical/tactical coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, team doctors, physical therapists and sport scientists is likely to have a meaningful impact on injury risk. This study describes the application and efficacy of a multidisciplinary approach to reducing team injury risk in professional rugby union. DesignObservational longitudinal cohort study. MethodsEpidemiological injury data was collected from a professional rugby union team for 5 consecutive seasons. Following each season, these data informed multidisciplinary intervention strategies to reduce injury risk. The effectiveness of these strategies was iteratively assessed to inform future interventions. Specific examples of intervention strategies are provided. ResultsOverall team injury burden displayed a likely beneficial decrease (−8%; injury rate ratio (IRR) 0.9, 95%CI 0.9–1.0) from 2012 to 2016. This was achieved through a most likely beneficial improvement in non-contact injury burden (−39%; IRR 0.6, 95%CI 0.6–0.7). Contact injury burden was increased, but to a lesser extent (+18%; IRR 1.2, 95%CI 1.1–1.3, most likely harmful) during the same period. ConclusionsThe range of skills required to effectively manage complex injury phenomena in professional collision sport crosses disciplinary boundaries. The evidence presented here points to the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach to reducing injury risk. This model will likely be applicable across a range of team and individual sports.

MCA Program and Lateral Entry Opportunities in India: A Study of Private Universities

Computer Application is one of the emerging domains in the field of computing and information technology. It is a domain of professional practice in India and mainly applicable in the working areas of software development and management. In Computer Application field the most significant job areas are software design and development, software engineering and management etc. Computer Application is available with two nomenclature and degrees viz. MCA and BCA. After completion of Computer Application degree, one can further progress and reach up to Doctoral Degree leading to Ph.D. In Computer Application, the flagship program is Masters one called Masters of Computer Application (MCA). A large number of universities and engineering colleges in India offers MCA program. It is normally available with 3 years duration. Unlike other computing and information technology degrees, it has opened a new vista for other background students to enter into the field of computing and IT profession. Computer Applications degree holders are widely working in Indian IT industry and doing well. Initially when the program was started in the nineteen-eighties rest part of the world were moved towards a new domain and fields called ‘Information Technology’ with much broader aim and agenda. Gradually MCA programs became popular and several institutions have been started the program with the widely running 3 years degree. Though in recent past many other universities mainly private universities have opened up a new world of MCA program with different duration based on entry level qualifications. In this paper, we have discussed and analyzed the unique features of MCA program offered by Indian Private Universities with special emphasis on Lateral entry to second and third years.

A Pilot Study and Review of the School Psychology Cultural Competency Training Scale

This study aims to evaluate the individual scales that comprise the School Psychology Cultural Competency Training Scale (SPCCTS), to examine school psychologists’ perceptions of the quality of training they received with regard to providing culturally competent services. Individual scales were created so that critical domains of professional practice in school psychology could be examined independently. One general scale and six measures examining critical multicultural professional practice competencies in specific domains were examined. All scales used were found to have an internal consistency within the adequate to excellent range and significantly correlated with each other. The general scale and five of the six domain-specific scales enjoyed very good to excellent internal consistency (0.88–0.94), whereas one domain scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Contrary to expectations, the level of graduate training or the racial/ethnic background of the respondent did not influence their perception of the quality of multicultural training they received in their graduate program. Perceptions of quality of graduate training within several domains of school psychology were evaluated and are discussed. Findings suggest that while students report that they received quality multicultural training in many areas of professional practice, findings suggest that there are practice domains of cultural competency that could be enhanced through improved exposure and training within graduate programs. Also, findings suggest that there is utility in providing ongoing professional development to practicing school psychologists. Implications and limitations were discussed.

Disability, Deafness and Ideology in the late Twentieth and early Twenty-first Centuries

Abstract: Ideology constitutes an important site of struggle for disabled people and for Deaf communities. In recent decades two ideologies - normalisation and rights - have offered different answers to the question of what it means to be disabled or Deaf. Both ideologies emerged in the post World War II period; both challenged long-established institutional structures and professional practices; and both appealed to notions of human and civil rights. However, normalisation is fundamentally paternalistic where reform is seen to be a matter for professional expertise and to be negotiated in academic circles and in the domains of professional practice. In contrast, a rights ideology is based on a social model of disability and a socio-cultural model of deafness that oppose the exclusion of disabled and Deaf people from strategic and participative roles in defining the issues, in policy making, and in decision taking. Where normalisation seeks to eradicate or attenuate difference, a rights' perspective advocates recognition and respect for difference; where normalising ideology looks to expertise and organisational change for solutions, disability movements and Deaf communities argue that the most satisfactory answers are to be found in the fields of politics and power.

The Nuances of Metaphor Theory for Constructivist Psychotherapy

Constructivist psychotherapy and contemporary metaphor theory, as part of the neighboring fields of psychology and linguistics, share fundamental assumptions rooted in constructivist philosophy. There has been much cross-disciplinary discussion of how our inclination toward metaphors translates into an important meaning-making resource in therapy and other domains of professional practice, such as education. Nevertheless, more reciprocal effort is needed to (a) show practitioners the relevance of nuanced aspects of metaphor theory and linguistic analysis that may evade their attention, and (b) sensitize linguists toward practice-driven factors in their analyses. This article attempts the first of these tasks by identifying and exemplifying four such aspects: (a) source domains at different experiential levels, (b) variable source-target relationships in discourse, (c) metaphorical processes at higher levels of analysis, and (d) discursive and communicative grounding of metaphor. I suggest how they might provide pertinent insights and future directions for interpreting, analyzing, and working with metaphors in psychotherapy.

Abstract NS9: ARN Professional Rehabilitation Nurse Competency Model: Application to Stroke Care

As the nursing profession continues to become more specialized, there have been more models developed to define specific practice areas. Rehabilitation nursing is practiced in diverse settings along the healthcare continuum with clients who have experienced a disability/chronic illness, such as stroke. No framework was noted in the literature that defined the necessary competencies of the rehabilitation nurse Purpose: To develop a Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing and its application to clinical practice. Method: An Association of Rehabilitation Nurses’ (ARN) task force was convened, conducted a literature review and participated in “brainstorming” that yielded four domains of professional practice: nurse-led evidence-based interventions; promotion of health and successful living, leadership, and interprofessional practice; and essential role competencies. The competencies were further defined into three levels of proficiency: beginner, intermediate, and advanced (ARN, 2014). Results: Model is a circle with professional rehabilitation nurse at the center surrounded by four domains and the role competencies, separated by broken lines illustrating the crossover of knowledge and skills represented in each domain. This practice Model can be used to inform stroke care in various settings across the healthcare continuum; and competencies such as facilitating safe and effective care transitions can be used in plan for the stroke survivor and caregiver. Facilitating the stroke survivor’s transition to the right level of care is an essential rehabilitation nurse competency and promotes better outcomes (Camicia et al., 2014). Using competencies, such as interventions based on best evidence, are essential in managing stroke sequela: neurogenic bladder, dysphagia, hemiplegia, etc. The Model can also be used to address the caregiver role and frame the assessment to determine education, community resource, and support needs. Conclusion: ARN Rehabilitation Professional Nurse Competency Model reflects diversity of rehabilitation nursing in the current healthcare arena; and is an efficacious tool which can assist rehabilitation nurses at various levels to provide optimum stroke care and contribute to best practice.

Comparison of Australian specialty nurse standards with registered nurse standards.

This study aimed to determine whether registered nurse Australian specialty competency standards identified unique capabilities of nursing practice. Use of the term specialist in nursing commenced early in the twentieth century with the growth and diversification of postgraduate nursing education. Courses in speciality nursing were associated with the development of specialty competency standards in Australia. Australian specialty standards were mapped against the current national competency standards for the registered nurse. Content analysis was used to cross-map the standards to the national standard domains of professional practice, critical thinking and analysis, provision and coordination of care, and collaborative and therapeutic practice. Of the 28 sourced speciality standards, only the nursing informatics standards displayed unique elements of nursing practice. Other nursing capabilities such as leadership and person-centred care were prominent in speciality standards, while more difficult to interpret in the national standards. In addition, developmental and intellectual disability nursing was not evident in the national competency standards. The findings above identified that nursing informatics were the only specialty standards that displayed unique capabilities of nursing practice when compared with the national competency standards. This raises the question of the value add specialty standards have on practice. Very few unique capabilities of specialty nursing were expressed in these standards. The study identified that they had more potential in assisting registered nurses to interpret their national competency standards into specialist practice contexts. It is proposed that specific performance indicators of how the registered nurse standards are applied in the specialty context are developed in place of multiple specialty standards.

English

Objectives: This paper describes the components of the Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and Other Drug Problems (CARIAD), a long-standing substance abuse training programme. It seeks to explain how certain strategies and pedagogic techniques may be contributing to its success. Methods: Authors deconstruct the core elements of CARIAD to demonstrate how the programme effectively meets the characteristics of a community of practice. The processes used to develop the learning community and the specific pedagogic strategies and techniques that foster collaborative knowledge construction and sharing are described. Results: Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and Other Drug Problems brings together a multidisciplinary, multi-national group of individuals with interest in substance abuse. The programme provides a range of formal and informal learning activities which focus on sharing best practices and creating new sociocultural relevant knowledge to advance the domain of professional practice in substance abuse. The components of CARIAD promote interactivity, rapid bonding and a sense of identity. Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and Other Drug Problems provides a unique platform for cultural sharing that gives participants an opportunity to reveal insights into local and regional expressions of substance abuse challenges. Participants, however, recognize the absence of structured continuity and the diminution of what could be accomplished by graduates over time. Conclusion: The success of CARIAD as a regional learning platform may be related to its success as a Caribbean community of practice for substance abuse. Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and Other Drug Problems would do well to sustain the community of practice, generating and maintaining ongoing participation and collaboration among graduates. This can potentially serve to create new strategies for advancing the region in the area of substance abuse.

Development of the transformational advanced professional practice model.

The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a professional practice model (PPM) for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). A literature review was conducted on PPMs. Simultaneous review of authoritative resources, including The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education (LACE) Consensus Model, was performed. An expert panel was established to validate the transformational advanced professional practice (TAPP) model. APRNs are relied upon by organizations to provide leadership in the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective health care while improving access and eliminating preventable morbidities. Existing models fail to fully capture the professional scope of practice for APRNs. The TAPP model serves as a framework to guide professional development and mentorship of APRNs in seven domains of professional practice (DOPP). To meet the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for the future of nursing, APRNs should practice to the fullest extent of their education and training. Providing clarification regarding the DOPP of the APRN role is needed to standardized professional practice. The TAPP model is an inspiring blueprint that allows APRNs to model the way by delivering comprehensive health care in seven DOPP.

An Alternative Certification Examination (“ACE”) in Surgery

Medical graduates are required to be competent in many domains of professional practice when joining the health care workforce. Current undergraduate examination methods robustly assess up to 5 of these 8 required skills. This study sought to evaluate an alternative certification examination ("ACE") in assessing all of the 8 required domains in surgical cases. A total of 143 final-year medical students were invited to participate in an "ACE" in February 2013. In total, 137 students, 95.8% of the class, agreed to participate. The "ACE" format consisted of 4 sequential patient encounters observed by 2 independent examiners. It assessed all the 8 required domains of professional practice. The examiners and the students evaluated this examination format using a Likert scale and free-text comments. The "ACE" assessed all the 8 domains. The inclusion of a patient safety measure to avoid an egregious error in the pass criteria resulted in 27 (18.9%) students failing to meet them. The correlation of grades between the independent examiners in the "ACE" was strong at a Cronbach α of 0.907 (CI: 0.766-1). The "ACE" format was reported as an acceptable examination methodology by the examiners for formative or summative assessment of surgical cases at the end of a primary medical degree. The "ACE" format is standardized, is integrative, and has excellent interrater reliability. Inclusion of a patient safety measure as pass criteria appears to increase specificity. The "ACE" shows potential as an alternative examination to the traditional long case examination and objective structured clinical examination in assessing all the 8 domains of professional practice.

Safety in Numbers 7: veni, vidi, duci: A grounded theory evaluation of nursing students' medication dosage calculation problem-solving schemata construction

This paper evaluates nursing students' transition through schemata construction and competence development in medication dosage calculation problem-solving (MDC-PS). We advance a grounded theory from interview data that reflects the experiences and perceptions of two groups of undergraduate pre-registration nursing students: eight students exposed to a prototype authentic MDC-PS environment and didactic transmission methods of education and 15 final year students exposed to the safeMedicate authentic MDC-PS environment. We advance a theory of how classroom-based ‘chalk and talk’ didactic transmission environments offered multiple barriers to accurate MDC-PS schemata construction among novice students. While conversely it was universally perceived by all students that authentic learning and assessment environments enabled MDC-PS schemata construction through facilitating: ‘seeing’ the authentic features of medication dosage problems; context-based and situational learning; learning within a scaffolded environment that supported construction of cognitive links between the concrete world of clinical MDC-PS and the abstract world of mathematics; and confidence-building in their cognitive and functional competence ability. Drawing on the principle of veni, vidi, duci (I came, I saw, I calculated), we combined the two sets of evaluations to offer a grounded theoretical basis for schemata construction and competence development within this critical domain of professional practice.