Foster Career Research Articles

Knowledge of AI as a Future Work Skill for Career Sustainability

In response to the pervasive influence of AI across various professional domains, we investigate how the acquisition of AI knowledge as a future work skill can foster career sustainability. Our exploration delves into the role of this knowledge in aligning individual skills with job demands, enhancing what we term as person-job fit. Moreover, we present a moderated-mediation model to examine the interactive influence of career confidence between person-job fit and career sustainability. Data were collected in three waves from part-time students pursuing professional courses, concurrently employed in diverse industrial sectors of Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) on a final dataset ( n = 318). Our findings reveal that AI knowledge as a future work skill significantly contributes to workers’ career sustainability, both directly and through person-job fit. Additionally, higher career confidence significantly strengthens the interplay between person-job fit and career sustainability. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of the study are discussed, along with potential avenues for future research in this domain.

Does promotion foster career sustainability? A comparative three-wave study on the role of promotion in work stress, job satisfaction, and career-related performance

AbstractThe present study investigates the role of promotion in employees’ happiness (job satisfaction), health (work stress), and career-related performance (perceived employability and career prospects). Positive and negative changes in the above-mentioned career sustainability indicators were investigated over a 2-year period. The promotion subsample (n = 128) was compared with a matched sample of non-promoted employees (n = 150). We also tested the role of gender in responding to a promotion. The findings suggest that the promotion may have equivocal effects on employees’ happiness, health, and career-related performance over time, and therefore does not foster their career sustainability.

The Academic Catalyst Group: A Tactical Framework for Working Groups to Enhance Clinician-Educator Academic Career Development.

Working groups have tremendous potential to contribute to the academic career development of early-career clinician-educators. These individuals may find themselves engaged in many different working spaces, including working groups or committees such as those found within specialty societies or professional organizations. Such working groups may be underrecognized opportunities for academic skill building and professional growth because they are often characterized as primarily service-oriented, citizenship, or administrative work. Working groups can use their natural cross-institutional collaborations for mentorship and externalization-2 key building blocks for academic success that frequently represent challenges for early-career clinician-educators. In this article, the authors review common challenges that early-career clinician-educators may encounter during their academic development and propose a 3-step tactical framework, the academic catalyst group, that working group leaders can apply to groups to purposefully enhance professional development for clinician-educators. The framework urges working group leaders and members to conceptualize and develop academic catalyst groups as communities of practice by (1) assembling with intention, (2) mining the mission, and (3) finding an easy win. This framework can inspire working group leaders to align their work with academic career development and ultimately foster career growth for all group members.

From self-commitment to career crafting: The mediating role of career adaptability and the moderating role of job autonomy

The objective of this study is to explore the influence of self-commitment on career crafting, examining the mediating role of career adaptability and the moderating effect of job autonomy within the context of career construction theory. This research aims to deepens our understanding of the key mechanisms that underpin successful career development, providing valuable insights for both individuals and organizations to enhance career success and adaptability. Utilizing a two-wave survey methodology, we collected data from 363 full-time employees across various industries in the United States. Hierarchical regression analysis and the PROCESS Macro were employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Our findings reveal that self-commitment significantly enhances career crafting through career adaptability. Additionally, job autonomy was found to influence both the direct relationship between self-commitment and career adaptability, and the indirect relationship between self-commitment and career crafting. This study highlights the pathways linking self-commitment to career crafting, underscoring the importance of career adaptability as a developmental tool facilitated by job autonomy. We recommend that individuals commit to their personal growth to enhance their career adaptability and actively shape their careers. Meanwhile, organizations should focus on promoting job autonomy to foster career development, benefiting both employees and the broader organizational ecosystem.

74 Trial-CARE: Centralized Support Services for Investigator-Initiated Multi-Site Clinical Trials

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: To describe the impact of Trial-CARE (Coordination, Acceleration, and Recruitment Enhancement), a centralized service core at Washington University (WU), aimed at enhancing the capability of investigator-initiated multi-site clinical trials at WU and partner CTSA institutions. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Through review of our marketing materials and service tracking system we defined the following Trial-CARE offerings: Infrastructure: Trial-CARE is a centralized service core at WU. Whereby, a team member is sourced to an investigator-initiated multi-site clinical trial (II-MCT) to ensure the achievement of study milestones across any phase of the clinical trial life cycle. Team: Our team consists of research professionals with expertise in II-MCT project management, data management, and administrative/regulatory management. Services: * One free 60-minute case consultation * Tiers of Service * Academic Research Organization (ARO) support * Clinical Coordinating Center * Data Coordinating Center * II-MCT project management support * Time-limited targeted support RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Trial-CARE has completed 94 consultations in support of WU and partner CTSA institutions enabling the streamlining of study start-up; guidance for study recruitment, implementation, and operations; and offering resources to foster career development. Consultations can be completed at any phase in the clinical trial lifecycle, with Trial-CARE completing: * 12% in the idea phase * 45% in the grant development and submission stage * 28% after funding has been awarded Top reasons researchers connect with Trial-CARE about II-MCTs: * regulatory guidance (40%) * general information about Trial-CARE Services and II-MCTs (35%) * protocol development (21%) * data management (20%) * study budgeting (20%) DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In response to a WU wide survey, Trial-CARE plans to generate informational webinars and is creating a clinical trial tracking dashboard, to pro-actively offer support services to researchers prior to grant funding. The goal is also to increase the percentage of consultations completed in the idea phase and the grant development and submission stage.

Understanding the training, mentorship, and professional development priorities of early career embedded researchers.

Health systems are constantly evolving in response to existing and emerging health challenges and are increasingly adopting the Quintuple Aim to guide transformation and improvement efforts. Addressing health challenges and achieving the Quintuple Aim (enhancing patient experience, improving healthcare provider experience, promoting population health, optimising the value of healthcare services, and advancing health equity) may be enhanced with the use of a Learning Health Systems approach that fosters the real-time use of data and evidence to inform improvement efforts and harnesses embedded researchers to co-produce timely, relevant evidence to address priorities. Training programs have emerged to build embedded research capacity within health system organisations and have focused predominantly on the postdoctoral career stage, with little attention paid to the early career researcher (ECR) stage. The objective of this study was to understand ECR training and mentorship needs in the embedded research context to inform the creation new or adaptation of existing programs to build embedded ECR capacity. This study used a qualitative approach to garner insight from embedded and applied scholars and health systems leaders in Canada from various professional backgrounds and at various career stages using a combination of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and an online survey. Thematic content analysis was used to examine the responses of study participants within the interview themes. Twenty-six (26) participants were included in the study. Results were organised according to four key themes: (1) key competencies and skills needed by embedded ECRs; (2) additional training and capacity development needs; (3) training delivery approaches; and (4) enablers and challenges faced by embedded ECRs. Results highlight the importance of supporting ECRs to develop their leadership and organisational management capabilities; their knowledge of and ability to use research approaches that are well-suited to real-world, complex, evolving environments; and their opportunities to learn with and from each other and mentors. Results underscore the perceived importance of context, including being embedded in a supportive environment that values research and evidence and of academic incentives that recognise and value real-world research impact. The challenges of responding to shifting organisational and system priorities were identified. Additional insights from health systems leaders were also highlighted. This study identified the multifaceted needs of embedded ECRs and the challenges they face within healthcare systems. Designing new programs or tailoring existing ones to address these needs would build their capacity, foster career progression, and ensure their impact as leaders of evidence-informed health system improvement which is crucial for achieving the Quintuple Aim.

A Facilitated Peer Mentoring Program With a Dedicated Curriculum to Foster Career Advancement of Academic Hospitalists

A Facilitated Peer Mentoring Program With a Dedicated Curriculum to Foster Career Advancement of Academic Hospitalists

An Analysis of Systems of Influences through the Lens of Balanced Time Perspective: A Qualitative Study on a Group of Inmates.

To respond to the increasing challenges of the XXI century, career guidance is used as a device to reduce inequalities, to expand the range of opportunities for all people, to deconstruct the stereotypes and the stigmatizations that tend to relegate specific social categories to particular working niches, and to offer people the chance to express their differences and diversities. This study reports the results of research aimed at understanding the dynamics of career construction in people with imprisonment experience through the exploration of their systems of influences; the stories of the inmates were collected using My System of Career Influences (MSCI). In the analysis of the narratives and the systems of influences, the focus was placed on the balanced time perspective as a core dimension to foster career construction and to look at future possibilities. The results show that the participants are mainly focused on the past, and their focus on the present is narrow and seems to represent a moment of stalemate, preventing the possibility for inmates to imagine their future. Suggestions for practical implications of career counseling for inmates are provided, and the knowledge about the temporal orientation of prisoners will enable those who do not show any hope of achieving positive interactions to be reached and provide a higher degree of individualization for social rehabilitation proposals.

A Mixed Methods Exploration of Mid-Career Faculty Professional Development Resources to Foster Career Advancement

A Mixed Methods Exploration of Mid-Career Faculty Professional Development Resources to Foster Career Advancement

Excellence fulfilled? On the unique developmental needs of professional athletes.

While the term "athlete development" has been used to capture the changes (physical, psychological, etc.) that occur as an athlete moves from initial sport engagement to elite performance, much of the research in this area has focused on earlier stages of the pathway, with very little work examining the highest levels of sport. Considering a person's bio-psycho-social development continues through adulthood, the limited attention to development for athletes at higher competitive levels is perhaps surprising. In this short article, we highlight several notable discrepancies between different competitive levels (e.g., pre-professional sport and professional sport) in the way development is conceptualized, contextualized, and operationalized. We use available evidence to provide guidance for researchers and practitioners to encourage the delivery of structured developmental programming in professional sport systems to aid with the transitionary period between pre-elite and elite levels, and to help foster career longevity.

Lone Wolf Personality, Career Adapt-Abilities, Proactive Career Behaviors, and Life Satisfaction: A Serial Mediation Analyses through the Career Construction Model of Adaptation

The aim of the study is to test the Career Construction Model of Adaptation (CCMA) in university students (N = 406). 319 of (78.6%) the participants are female and 87 (21.4%) are male. The Lone Wolf Scale, The Turkish Five-Factor Short Form of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale, The Career Engagement Scale, and The Satisfaction with Life Scale were used as measures. Hayes' models were used for mediation analyzes in the research model. It was tested a mediation model in which adaptive readiness (i.e., lone wolf personality) foster career adapt-abilities, which conditions adapting responses (i.e., proactive career behaviors), which leads to adaptation results (i.e., life satisfaction). The results of the research model indicated that indirect effects of lone wolf personality (i.e., adaptive readiness) on life satisfaction (i.e., adaption results) via career adapt-abilities (adaptability resources) and proactive career behaviors (i.e., adapting responses). Results supported all of the hypotheses which are relations between CCMA.

Gender Equality in National Cardiology Societies: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundHigher productivity and team stability have been shown for gender-diverse teams. However, there is a relevant and well-known gender gap in clinical and academic cardiovascular medicine. So far, no data concerning gender distribution in presidents and executive boards of national cardiology societies exist. MethodsIn this cross-sectional analysis, gender equality in presidents and representatives of all national cardiology societies, which were members of, or affiliated with, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2022, was analyzed. In addition, representatives of the American Heart Association (AHA) were evaluated. ResultsA total of 106 national societies were screened, of which 104 were included in the final analysis. Overall, 90 of 106 (85%) presidents were men, while 14 (13%) were women. In the analysis of board members and executives, a total of 1128 individuals were included. Overall, 809 (72%) board members were men, 258 (23%) women, and 61 (5%) of unknown gender. Except for society presidents in Australia, women were relevantly outnumbered by men in all world regions. ConclusionWomen were underrepresented in leading positions of national cardiology societies in all world regions. As national societies are important regional stakeholders, improving gender equality in executive boards might create women role models, help foster careers, and narrow the global cardiology gender gap.

Digital games for career guidance: a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines

ABSTRACT Career practitioners make use of various tools and increasingly use digital ones as well. Although scientific interest in digital games and their use has grown in recent years, researchers and career practitioners have little idea of how many and what digital games are used for career guidance, and in particular to foster career decision-making and development, and their effectiveness. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the present study aimed to review the literature concerning the application of digital games for career development in career guidance settings. This review included seven studies published between 2008 and 2021 that were indexed in major databases. Although few records have been found, the results provide evidence of the use of digital games in career guidance. Moreover, usability experiences suggest a positive effect of digital games on career development, and specifically on enhancing career adaptability. Finally, implications for practitioners and researchers are outlined.

Medical students' career decision-making stress during clinical clerkships.

Many medical students experience career decision-making stress in the final phase of training. Yet, the factors that induce or reduce career decision-making stress and how progression in their clerkships relates to these factors are unknown. This knowledge gap limits the possibilities for medical schools to develop and implement interventions targeting students' career decision-making stress. This study explores content, process, and context factors that may affect career decision-making stress. Using cross-sectional survey data from medical master students (n = 507), we assessed content (future work self), process (choice irreversibility, time pressure, career decision-making self-efficacy), and context (supervisory support, medical school support, study load, competition) factors and their relationships with career decision-making stress. The hypothesized relationships were tested with structural equation modelling. Aclearer future work self and higher career decision self-efficacy were associated with lower career decision-making stress, while experienced time pressure, competition, and study load were associated with higher career decision-making stress. Choice-irreversibility beliefs, supervisory support, and medical school support were unrelated to career decision-making stress. As students' clerkships progressed, they gained aclearer future work self, but also experienced more time pressure. Clinical clerkships help students to form aclearer future work self, which can diminish career decision-making stress. Yet, students also experience more time pressure as the period of clerkships lengthens, which can increase career decision-making stress. Aschool climate of high competition and study load seems to foster career decision-making stress, while school support hardly seems effective in diminishing this stress.

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Professional Organizations: Lessons From the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Professional Organizations: Lessons From the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Improving Nursing Student Resilience Using Online Simulation and Resilience-Based Content in a Pediatric Course.

New graduate nurse job satisfaction persistently decreases at 6 months postgraduation. To prepare future nurses for career resilience, schools of nursing are implementing resilience into their curriculum. A large Midwestern school of nursing developed and instituted small group discussions, individual assignments, and online simulations to foster career resilience in a required specialty course. The course, offered in the last year of nursing school, included 93 nursing students and a comparison group of 93 nursing students. The intervention showed an increase in Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) scores. Online simulations were useful for classroom learning, helped students discover new ways of thinking, and increased understanding of course content. Differences in simulation techniques were found, and students reported benefitting more from faculty-guided simulations than self-guided simulations. Nurse educators implementing resilience simulation programs can increase new graduate nurse resilience using online simulation, which is an effective technique for teaching nursing students. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(6):348-351.].

Life design group-based intervention fostering vocational identity, career adaptability, and career decision-making self-efficacy

This study examines the process and outcome of a life design group intervention with grade 9 students. In a sample of 139 participants (91 girls and 48 boys), a quasi-experimental design was applied to analyse the intervention’s effectiveness at fostering vocational identity, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy. Seventy and 69 participants were included in the experimental and control groups, respectively. Outcome measures were applied at the onset of the intervention, at the end of counselling and three months after the last session. A focus group involving 17 participants was conducted to determine participants’ perceptions of the intervention process and outcome. The findings support the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of life design group-based interventions to foster vocational identity, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy. The focus group participants evaluated the intervention as useful by fostering reflexivity and a sense of direction. Overall, the findings suggest the relevance of life design practices in educational settings to foster reflexivity and, therefore, to facilitate students’ career construction. The research implications of the findings are also discussed.
 
 Keywords: Life design, vocational identity, career adaptability, reflexivity, adolescents

Life design group-based intervention fostering vocational identity, career adaptability, and career decision-making self-efficacy

This study examines the process and outcome of a life design group intervention with grade 9 students. In a sample of 139 participants (91 girls and 48 boys), a quasi-experimental design was applied to analyse the intervention’s effectiveness at fostering vocational identity, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy. Seventy and 69 participants were included in the experimental and control groups, respectively. Outcome measures were applied at the onset of the intervention, at the end of counselling and three months after the last session. A focus group involving 17 participants was conducted to determine participants’ perceptions of the intervention process and outcome. The findings support the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of life design group-based interventions to foster vocational identity, career adaptability and career decision-making self-efficacy. The focus group participants evaluated the intervention as useful by fostering reflexivity and a sense of direction. Overall, the findings suggest the relevance of life design practices in educational settings to foster reflexivity and, therefore, to facilitate students’ career construction. The research implications of the findings are also discussed.
 
 Keywords: Life design, vocational identity, career adaptability, reflexivity, adolescents

Career adaptability of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.

This descriptive phenomenological study examines career adaptability of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants include 30 parents (18 fathers and 12 mothers; 6 of them were couples) ranging in age from 26 to 45 years, selected by a purposive sampling method. The semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers based on the Career Construction Theory was used to collect data after receiving expert verification on the questions. In addition, to triangulate data sources, the Participant Feedback Form filled by the participants on the day following the interview and the Researcher Diary filled by the interviewer during the data collection process were utilized. Colaizzi's seven-step method was followed to analyze the data. Four major domains emerged, highlighting traumas/changes in work-life after ASD, career adaptability, influences of COVID-19 pandemic, and post-interview awareness of this particular sample. Results from the study highlighted looking ahead, being persistent, career decision-making, career-exploration accompanied by some expectations such as more time, income and flexibility, and coping skills build upon the ASD, along with postponement and abandonment of previous career goals, alteration of future career plans, and lack of self-exploration. The results contributed to the theory by providing evidence for career adaptability of parents of children with individual differences, including career adaptability resources and needs. Findings also implied the need for interventions to foster career adaptability skills of parents regarding looking ahead in a positive way, decision-making, self-exploration, and coping with career barriers and difficulties.

Strategies to Improve Mentorship and Foster Career Advancement in Academic Hospital Medicine.

Strategies to Improve Mentorship and Foster Career Advancement in Academic Hospital Medicine.