Early Career Stages Research Articles

All on Board, Take Off! An Example of Practitioner’s Research on Teachers’ Professional Well-being in Higher Education in Their Early Career Stages

Organisations compete on the labour market for highly educated staff and put a lot of effort in attracting new employees. However, high percentages of newly recruited employees leave the organisation within one year. Good onboarding practices and good practices in the stage after onboarding, the take-off stage, could increase retention rates in the early career stages of professionals.In this study an example of practitioner’s research is presented on newly hired teachers’ professional well-being in higher education in their early career stages. Two batches of newly hired teachers at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands were studied in the context of improving HR practices.Research on newly hired teachers revealed the importance of good onboarding practices and the crucial role of team leaders in retaining and motivating newly hired teaching staff.

Asthma innovations from the first International Collaborative Asthma Network forum.

Many patients have uncontrolled asthma despite available treatments. Most of the new asthma therapies have focused on type 2 (T2) inflammation, leaving an unmet need for innovative research into mechanisms of asthma beyond T2 and immunity. An international group of investigators developed the International Collaborative Asthma Network (ICAN) with the goal of sharing innovative research on disease mechanisms, developing new technologies and therapies, organising pilot studies and engaging early-stage career investigators from across the world. This report describes the purpose, development and outcomes of the first ICAN forum. Abstracts were solicited from interdisciplinary early-stage career investigators with innovative ideas beyond T2 inflammation for asthma and were selected for presentation at the forum. Breakout sessions were conducted to discuss innovation, collaboration and research translation. The abstracts were categorised into: 1) general omics and big data analysis; 2) lung-brain axis and airway neurology; 3) sex differences; 4) paediatric asthma; 5) new therapeutic targets inspired by airway epithelial biology; 6) new therapeutics targeting airway and circulating immune mediators; and 7) lung anatomy, physiology and imaging. Discussions revealed that research groups are looking for opportunities to further their findings using larger scale collaboration and the ability to translate their in vitro findings into clinical treatment. Through ICAN, teams that included interdisciplinary early-stage career investigators discussed innovation, collaboration and translation in asthma and severe asthma research. With a combination of fresh ideas and energetic, collaborative, global participation, ICAN has laid a firm foundation and model for future collaborative global asthma research.

Academic Vascular Neurology - Lingering Effect of Gender Inequity on Compensation, Career and Burnout (P5-2.005)

<h3>Objective:</h3> NA <h3>Background:</h3> Despite rising numbers of women physicians, gender inequity in salary, promotion and leadership roles persist, resulting in disempowerment and limited career advancement. Little is known about disparity characteristics among academic vascular neurology (AVN) faculty. This study explores the disparity among AVN faculty in compensation, career development and burnout. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> Nineteen academic neurology departments in the US were sent a standardized survey in 2021–2022 on demographics, career, compensation, equity, domestic circumstances, parental leave, and burnout as part of the Women in Neurology Collaborative Study. This study analyzed AVN faculty and used descriptive characteristics to identify disparities. <h3>Results:</h3> A total of 47 AVN faculty (29 women) responded. Most respondents were Caucasian (68%, n=32) and associate professors (44%, n=21). 51% (n=24) were satisfied with their current compensation, with 54% (n=13) being men. The majority of respondents dissatisfied with compensation were women (75%, n=15). The most common reason for dissatisfaction was compensation being below national benchmark or compared to colleagues. 60% of AVN faculty, majority of whom were females, perceived lack of gender equity in pay. 23% of respondents reported that implicit gender bias negatively affected career development. Moderate to severe burnout was reported by 26% (n=12) respondents, with 75% (n=9) being females. Those who reported burnout have been AVN faculty for 5.9±3.3 years, of which half were dissatisfied with compensation and gender bias, while 67% indicated absence of career sponsorship and 42% had no mentorship. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> In summary, majority of female vascular neurologists in early-career stage reported gender bias affecting compensation, career dissatisfaction, lack of mentorship or sponsorship and burnout. This offers preliminary information for AVN programs to determine areas of improvement in faculty pipeline development, recruitment, and retention to align with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of academic institutions, national and international stroke organizations. Future studies should analyze how interventions can improve these disparities. <b>Disclosure:</b> Ms. He has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nobleza has nothing to disclose. Ms. Zheng has nothing to disclose. The institution of Dr. Patel has received research support from Ucb. Dr. Alick-Lindstrom has nothing to disclose. The institution of Dr. Ayub has received research support from Brown Physicians Incorporated. Dr. Grewal has nothing to disclose.

Observing Senior and More Experienced Colleagues in Action: A Useful Tool for Early Career Teaching Staff at Higher Education Institutions

Highlights Teaching staff at higher education institutions need exposure to different teaching approaches and technologies to bring excellence to teaching and learning. This can be actualized through observation of senior and more experienced colleagues in action. This paper, therefore, examines how teaching staff at the early career stage can benefit from teaching observation, and also presents the author's self-reflection on teaching observation.

Moving toward gender equity in the cardiology and cardiovascular research workforce in Germany: a report from the German Cardiac Society.

Although the share of women in cardiology in Germany is growing steadily, this does not translate into leadership positions. Medical societies play a crucial role in shaping the national and international medical and scientific environment. The German Cardiac Society (DGK) aims to serve the public discourse on gender-equity by systematic analysis of data on gender representation within the society and in Germany. We present gender disaggregated data collection of members, official organs, working groups, scientific meetings, as well as awards of the DGK based on anonymized exports from the DGK office as well as on data gathered from the DGK web page. From 2000 to 2020, the overall number of DGK members as well as the share of women increased (12.5% to 25.3%). In 2021, the share of women ranged from 40% to 50% in earlier career stages but was substantially lower at senior levels (23.9% of consulting/attending physicians, 7.1% of physicians-in-chief, 3.4% of directors). The share of women serving in DGK working groups had gained overall proportionality, but nuclei and speaker positions were largely held by men. Boards and project groups were predominantly represented by men as well. At the DGK-led scientific meetings, women contributed more often in junior relative to (invited) senior roles. Increasing numbers of women in cardiology and in the DGK over the past 20 years did not translate into the respective increase in representation of women in leadership positions. There is an urgent need to identify and, more importantly, to overcome barriers towards gender equity. Transparent presentation of society-related data is the first step for future targeted actions in this regard.

Characteristics of and Professional Issues Experienced by Early Career Neuropsychologists in the United States - Findings from a Survey Study.

Multiple transitions occur during the early career stage of a psychologist, perhaps to a higher extent and with more potent ramifications than subsequent career stages. However, limited information exists on the various expectations, concerns, and challenges experienced by early career psychologists (ECPs) broadly, and more specifically in clinical neuropsychology. Therefore, the Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (SCN)/Division 40's Early Career Neuropsychologist Committee developed a Needs Assessment Survey with the primary goal of identifying various training and professional development issues encountered by ECPs in clinical neuropsychology. A comprehensive survey was distributed electronically via listserv announcements and SCN communication tools (Newsletters and Neuroblasts). Data collection occurred from 29 May, 2020 to 02 August, 2020. The total sample comprised of 89 respondents (85% aged 31-40years; 83% female; 82% Caucasian, followed by 18% Asian; 3% of Hispanic ethnicity). Majority of the respondents graduated from APA-accredited doctoral programs and from postdoctoral programs that adhered to Houston Conference Guidelines. About 7% took >2years to complete their residency and about 10%-15% of ECPs expressed clear dissatisfaction with at least some aspect of their residency training. Becoming board certified in neuropsychology was the highest ranked career goal for ECPs in neuropsychology (45%), whereas 72% indicated difficulty understanding billing and insurance-related issues as the most frequently encountered professional challenge. About 57% of ECPs were concerned about maintaining work/life balance. Specific ways to aid and strengthen trainees and ECPs' professional needs are discussed with a focus on activities that can be undertaken at individual-, department-, profession-, and higher legislative-specific levels. Question: Using survey data, this study aimed to characterize early career psychologists (ECPs) training history and their current work settings, identify their needs, and understand their perspectives about challenges and expectations. Findings: Results reveal that the workforce comprising of ECPs is getting increasingly diverse, and their needs are typically focused on obtaining board certification. ECPs identified areas for improvement in their training, such as increasing their knowledge of billing and insurance, and expressed concerns about maintaining work/life balance. Importance: The Minnesota 2022 Update Conference seems like a promising platform for addressing several of the needs identified by the survey and providing updated guidelines for ECPs. Next Steps: Based on the findings, general guidelines have been proposed for state and local level organizations along with call for action to higher-level legislation.

Comment on "High Infertility Rates and Pregnancy Complications in Female Physicians Indicate a Need for Cultural Change".

We read with interest the article “High infertility rates and pregnancy complications in female physicians indicate a need for cultural change” by Lai et al.1 We congratulate the authors on shedding light on this important issue in female physicians. Particularly early in their careers, female physicians struggle to balance the demands of work and family, having to fulfill the roles of a responsible physician, a loving spouse, a caring daughter, and a dedicated mother to the family. In this scenario, the role of multitasking can take its toll and lead to career burnout. Female doctors have historically postponed conception until after they finished their training, despite known obstetric and infertility concerns after the age of 35.2–4 In Low and Medium countries, like India, medical education is expensive and financial constraints and inconsistent policies regarding maternity leave can also be a reason for delaying pregnancy. Surgical education is also not uniform throughout the world. In India, it is at least a 10-year long process of tough competitive entrance and exit exams, and vigorous academic and practical training. To reach the touchline, female physicians have to strive hard in their prime childbearing years and, if not carefully planned, this is a real struggle, both on personal and professional fronts. During the child’s formative years, raising them alone can present a challenge that extended family can help resolve, a tradition, still prevalent in some Asian countries. However, this may be detrimental to a close mother-child relationship while burdening aging grandparents, ultimately leading to career dissatisfaction. In this context, changing surgical culture to support pregnancy is paramount to foster and encourage female physicians during their early career stages as has been recommended by many studies.5,6 We have few queries that we would appreciate comment on: General surgery is seen as having an extremely tough training programme, perhaps harder than other surgical specialities. Did the authors consider that including all surgical specialities may have resulted in bias since few subspecialties require as onerous training as that required for general surgery? You used social media for recruitment. Would a more targeted approach using personal email or mail for such a sensitive issue would have resulted in more female physicians participating? Do the authors think that having a society for female physicians would be helpful? Thank you for your comments on these issues.

Faculty interviews—traps and tips

Faculty interviews—traps and tips

An Interview with Marc Balet: A Lifetime in Design, Fashion, and Film, from Warhol to Scorsese

An Interview with Marc Balet: A Lifetime in Design, Fashion, and Film, from Warhol to Scorsese

Formal and informal professional development during different Covid-19 periods: the role of teachers’ career stages

ABSTRACT This mixed-method study is based on interviews with 60 elementary-school teachers who participated in TPD (Teacher professional development) during two periods of the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers were in early, middle and senior career stages. Teacher statements revealed three categories: (1) Informal and formal TPD – without appropriate formal TPD, teachers, especially those in the middle and senior career stages, turned to colleagues and to social media to cope with online instruction. (2) Self-regulated learning, in which teachers listed their motivating factors and expressed their TPD difficulties during the Covid-19 periods. (3) Perceived learning – the cognitive aspect was found to be higher than the emotional and social aspects, especially during the first Covid-19 period. The practical recommendations are intended for policy makers, to adapt the TPD system to teachers’ particular needs according to their ‘career cycle’, in order to cope with technology-integrated learning-teaching challenges, even in routine teaching.

Women in the field of multiple sclerosis: How they contributed to paradigm shifts.

History is full of women who made enormous contributions to science. While there is little to no imbalance at the early career stage, a decreasing proportion of women is found as seniority increases. In the multiple sclerosis (MS) field, 44% of first authors and only 35% of senior authors were female. So, in this review, we highlight ground-breaking research done by women in the field of MS, focusing mostly on their work as principal investigators. MS is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), with evident paradigm shifts in the understating of its pathophysiology. It is known that the immune system becomes overactivated and attacks myelin sheath surrounding axons. The resulting demyelination disrupts the communication signals to and from the CNS, which causes unpredictable symptoms, depending on the neurons that are affected. Classically, MS was reported to cause mostly physical and motor disabilities. However, it is now recognized that cognitive impairment affects more than 50% of the MS patients. Another shifting paradigm was the involvement of gray matter in MS pathology, formerly considered to be a white matter disease. Additionally, the identification of different T cell immune subsets and the mechanisms underlying the involvement of B cells and peripheral macrophages provided a better understanding of the immunopathophysiological processes present in MS. Relevantly, the gut-brain axis, recognized as a bi-directional communication system between the CNS and the gut, was found to be crucial in MS. Indeed, gut microbiota influences not only different susceptibilities to MS pathology, but it can also be modulated in order to positively act in MS course. Also, after the identification of the first microRNA in 1993, the role of microRNAs has been investigated in MS, either as potential biomarkers or therapeutic agents. Finally, concerning MS therapeutical approaches, remyelination-based studies have arisen on the spotlight aiming to repair myelin loss/neuronal connectivity. Altogether, here we emphasize the new insights of remarkable women that have voiced the impact of cognitive impairment, white and gray matter pathology, immune response, and that of the CNS-peripheral interplay on MS diagnosis, progression, and/or therapy efficacy, leading to huge breakthroughs in the MS field.

Practical Guidance for Developing Small-Molecule Optical Probes for In Vivo Imaging.

The WMIS Education Committee (2019-2022) reached a consensus that white papers on molecular imaging could be beneficial for practitioners of molecular imaging at their early career stages and other scientists who are interested in molecular imaging. With this consensus, the committee plans to publish a series of white papers on topics related to the daily practice of molecular imaging. In this white paper, we aim to provide practical guidance that could be helpful for optical molecular imaging, particularly for small molecule probe development and validation in vitro and in vivo. The focus of this paper is preclinical animal studies with small-molecule optical probes. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging, bioluminescence imaging, chemiluminescence imaging, image-guided surgery, and Cerenkov luminescence imaging are discussed in this white paper.

Off to a Good Start: Dynamic Contribution Patterns and Technical Success in an OSS Newcomer’s Early Career

Attracting and retaining newcomers are critical aspects for OSS projects, as such projects rely on newcomers’ sustainable contributions. Considerable effort has been made to help newcomers by identifying and overcoming the barriers during the onboarding process. However, most newcomers eventually fail and drop out of their projects even after successful onboarding. Meanwhile, it has been long known that individuals’ early career stages profoundly impact their long-term career success. However, newcomers’ early careers are less investigated in SE research. In this paper, we sought to develop an empirical understanding of the relationships between newcomers’ dynamic contribution patterns in their early careers and their technical success. To achieve this goal, we compiled a dataset of newcomers’ contribution data from 54 large OSS projects under three different ecosystems and analyzed it with time series analysis and other statistical analysis techniques. Our analyses yield rich findings. The correlations between several contribution patterns and technical success were identified. In general, being consistent and persistent in newcomers’ early careers is positively associated with their technical success. While these correlations generally hold in all three ecosystems, we observed some differences in detailed contribution patterns correlated with technical success across ecosystems. In addition, we performed a case study to investigate whether another type of contributions, i.e., documentation contribution, could potentially have positive correlations with newcomers’ technical success. We discussed the implications and summarized practical recommendations to OSS newcomers. The insights gained from this work demonstrated the necessity of extending the focus of research and practice to newcomers’ early careers and hence shed light on future research in this direction.

Attitudes of pharmacy graduates at the early career stage: A pilot survey at a private university in Japan

Background: Pharmacy graduates’ attitudes toward their work at the early career stage, their career status, job satisfaction, and future plans have not been surveyed in Japan. Methods: Postcards were sent to 514 pharmacy graduates from a University in Tokyo, Japan, asking graduates to answer an online cross-sectional questionnaire. Results: Of the 86 respondents, 15% changed their jobs within three years, and the number of pharmacists working in the “community pharmacy” sector notably increased. Respondents working in non-pharmacy sectors were more satisfied with their jobs than those in the pharmacy sector. Furthermore, job satisfaction impacted the respondents’ future work plans, and the distribution of job satisfaction varied by current career sectors. Conclusion: In response to the global social and economic situations, pharmacy education should consider various fields and skills. Career guidance should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum. Further studies on this case are required worldwide to prepare pharmacists for their future roles.

Career adapt-ability scale -short form: Validation among early career stage of Chinese university graduates.

The Career Adapt-Ability Scale (CAAS) is the favored method among researchers for measuring career adaptability. The 12-item version of CAAS-SF, which was made by Maggiori, Rossier, and Savickas based on a change to CAAS, has been slowly used by different groups in different countries and regions. As samples for the validation of the scale in this study, 571 Chinese university graduates in the early stages of their professions were chosen. Principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis suggest that CAAS-SF and CAAS have very similar psychological measurement features and factor structures. And the internal consistency of each subscale and total scale are equivalent to or greater than that of the CAAS assessment. These findings indicate that the CAAS-SF is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating China's career adaptability. In addition, limitations, issues for further research, and suggestions are emphasized.

Gender Disparities in Physician Assistant Educator Promotion and Compensation: A Mixed Methods Approach.

The gender wage gap is well documented in many industries. A disparity in salary between female and male physician assistant (PA) educators has been demonstrated, but disparities in academic rank have not been shown. The purpose of this study was to re-examine gender disparities in compensation to PA educators and to explore whether gender-based disparities exist in promotion to higher academic rank in this field. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used to determine differences in salary and rank by gender. PA Education Association Faculty and Directors Survey data from 2014, 2017, and 2019 were analyzed. A focus group was conducted to explain the findings and understand the barriers to promotion for female faculty. Female PA faculty members earn $7573 less than their male colleagues when controlling for all other variables. Female faculty members have an increased likelihood (RR 1.150) for being in early career stage versus late career stage. Obtaining a doctoral degree decreased the risk for being in an early career stage (RR 0.567) with men twice as likely to have a doctoral degree as women. Rank and salary disparities exist in PA faculty by gender. Female faculty are less likely to hold doctoral degrees or to be promoted to higher academic ranks, and they earn less than men. Degree level and career track are themes unique to the PA education profession, and further research is needed to understand their impact. With more women entering PA education, pay equity and promotion need to be addressed.

The Impact Mechanism of University Graduates’ Organisational Commitment on Turnover Intention in Early Career Stage: The Moderating Role of Career Resilience

The Impact Mechanism of University Graduates’ Organisational Commitment on Turnover Intention in Early Career Stage: The Moderating Role of Career Resilience

Work-life balance for aspiring clinical psychologists: Topics from reflective practice sessions

Work-life balance is vital in clinical psychology, especially in early career stages. In reflective practice sessions, ten aspiring clinical psychologists raised topics of financial constraints, employment insecurities, time commitment, industry competitiveness, guilt, risk of burnout, and lack of self-care.

Risk and Heterogeneity in Benefits from Vocational Versus General Secondary Education: Estimates for Early and Mature Career Stages in Portugal

Risk and Heterogeneity in Benefits from Vocational Versus General Secondary Education: Estimates for Early and Mature Career Stages in Portugal

A Comparison of Curricular Resource Use of Florida School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers by Career Stage

There is considerable variability in the design and quality of resource provided to teachers. There is also a lack of empirical backing guiding the process of curricular resource design, specifically as it relates to teachers in different stages of their careers. The purpose of this study was to explore curricular resource use by Florida SBAE teachers based on experience level. A census of Florida school-based agricultural education teachers was conducted. The instrument asked teachers to identify which resources they used and provided follow-up instruments for the resources selected to determine the pedagogical design capacity related to each resource. Respondents were found to use similar amounts of resources across all career stages. When comparing means related to PDC, a significant difference was only found for one resource. Overall, these findings showed that teachers use similar amounts of resources regardless of career stage and PDC for various resources remains stable across career stages. There is a slight increase in the frequency of use for teachers in the early career stage. This study provides an overview of how PDC changes depending on the resource being used across career stages. Resources should continue to be developed to teachers across all career stages.