Health Care Careers Research Articles

Project HOPE: Sociopolitical Development and SCCT Beliefs of Latinx and White Rural Middle School Students

This quasi-experimental investigation tested whether adding a sociopolitical development (SPD) component to a social cognitive career theory–based (SCCT) career intervention program, Project health-care opportunities, preparation, and exploration (HOPE), was more effective than an SCCT-only intervention among a group of eighth-grade students ( n = 94). Results of the study indicated both intervention conditions were associated with increases in health-care career (HC) and math/science (MS) interests among the participants. Results also demonstrated that gains in HC interests (HCIs) were associated with intervention conditions: students in the SCCT + SPD condition only reported statistically significant gains in HCIs. The study found no statistically significant interaction effects between ethnicity and condition on any of the outcome variables. Results suggest limited support for the effectiveness of SPD-infused SCCT interventions and that more research is needed to better understand how rural students can benefit from SCCT/SPD-based career interventions.

Improving Health Care Career Pipeline Programs for Underrepresented Students: Program Design that Makes a Difference.

Health care career pipeline training programs are one solution to increasing the number of minority and underrepresented health care providers. The Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC) Research Fellows Program, a tri-institutional effort between the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), and Northwestern University (NU), provides a holistic, 8-week summer research fellowship that facilitates self-reflection, professional development, and exposes and guides the novice undergraduate and postbaccalaureate student toward a health care career inclusive of research and scientific discovery. The number of underrepresented students achieving health care careers is minimal. We outline curriculum development, innovation, lessons learned, and selected outcomes from the first three cohorts of the ChicagoCHEC Research Fellows program. A tri-institutional, collaborative curricular team was formed consisting of research faculty and staff at NEIU, UIC and NU. Once accepted, fellows experience a cohort model curriculum with particular emphasis to mindful inclusion of nontraditional students. The ChicagoCHEC Research Fellows Program uses evidence-based mentorship models, group reflection, and extensive program evaluation to continuously improve its program model. The 48 fellow alumni from the first 3 years reported high satisfaction with the program and will continued to be tracked for academic success. The ChicagoCHEC Research Fellows program will continue to provide academic and professional tools, sponsorship, and mentorship opportunities to underrepresented students as they progress toward health care careers. A program such as the ChicagoCHEC Fellows Program can serve as a useful model for increasing the number of minority researchers in health care careers.

Promoting Soft Skill Development in Preprofessional Athletic Training Students

ContextAthletic training programs are required to incorporate the development of many foundational skills and behaviors into the curriculum. Athletic training students must develop soft skills such as effective communication, exhibiting empathy, dependability, and integrity, which are all associated with quality athletic trainers.ObjectiveTo describe a novel approach to promoting the awareness of values and development of the characteristics and soft skills associated with being a successful student and health care professional for students before they enter their clinical experiences.BackgroundGraduate and undergraduate programs typically offer an introductory course to students before their first clinical assignment. The main emphasis of introductory courses is often on learning foundational knowledge and technical skills. However, early adoption of professional values and development of soft skills may benefit students as they start their clinical experiences.DescriptionA course was designed using 11 main themes to guide student learning in values and behaviors important to academics and a career in health care. This article describes how the 11 themes were selected and developed, how the course was delivered, and how various pedagogical strategies were incorporated.Clinical Advantage(s)Development of soft skills may benefit athletic training students as they enter the professional phase of an athletic training program.Conclusion(s)As athletic training education shifts to the master's level, fostering soft skills and necessary preclinical skills for students from varied backgrounds is becoming ever more important so students are all equitably prepared for their first clinical experiences.

Private sector inputs into public school preparation for careers in health care and STEM: An examination of cognitive skills development in the Johnson & Johnson Bridge-to-Employment program in the United States

We examine the impact of a STEM enhancement program (SEP) sponsored by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) entitled Bridge-to-Employment (BTE). Since 1992, J&J has funded and supervised 80 BTE programs in 19 countries aiming to increase the academic performance of disadvantaged students, enabling these individuals to successfully pursue higher education and careers in the health industry. We study the science, math and language arts grades of 236 BTE and 308 comparison students from ten BTE program sites in the U.S, and find that BTE participation slows the deterioration in math and language arts grades, but has no impact on science grades. We discuss the implications this research has for future evaluations of SEPs and for the formulation of future SEP initiatives.

Leveraging Digital Platforms to Scale Health Care Workforce Development: The Career 911 Massive Open Online Course.

Health care is the fastest growing occupational sector in the United States, but students from low-income and underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds often lack mentorship and basic information about health care careers and pathways. We developed the Career 911 massive open online course (MOOC) to help students from diverse backgrounds to explore and build career portfolios to enter health-related professions. We describe the evolution since 2014 of the Career 911 MOOC and lessons learned.Results/Lessons Learned: More than20,000 students have enrolled in Career 911. Career 911 has served as a learning resource for schools and health care pipeline programs. Key lessons learned include cultivating strategic partnerships and networks, using community engagement efforts to counter technology's potential to exacerbate educational disparities, minimizing disruptions from changes to technology, and optimizing data for program evaluation. Lessons learned on community engagement to develop a MOOC, and anticipating technology-related challenges and program evaluation needs can guide future work to leverage MOOCs and other digital learning technologies for scaling health care workforce development.

"I'm a Medic" - a web-based, social capital approach to health careers.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Widening access to medicine in U.K. requires outreach that engages schools in remote areas, schools with below average attainment, and schools serving disadvantaged communities in order to develop a more representative profession and meet serious workforce shortages. The approach reported here embodies ideas about how to develop social and educational capital by facilitating live web chats between school children (13-17 years) and teams of health practitioners. "I'm a Medic" comprised three 2-week events over a 10-month period with circa 900 school students and 22 health professionals from general (family) practices participating. A high proportion (78%) of the students was actively engaged in live chats, asking questions, and voting for the most valuable health practitioner. Questions covered education and training, the nature of the practitioners' work, political and ethical aspects of healthcare, and a variety of scientific and personal aspects. Evaluation showed a positive increase in career interest and aspiration for science, healthcare and medicine. Teachers would all recommend "I'm a Medic" to colleagues and all bar one would take part again. They reported it was effective in engaging students, improving their confidence in asking questions, and their awareness of general practice and the NHS. Practitioners reported improvements in their understanding of how school students view healthcare professions, their interest in public engagement, and their confidence in communicating their work. Logistic challenges included conflict between scheduled web chats in normal school time and practitioners' clinical commitments. Nevertheless, the project demonstrated effective engagement across geographic and social/educational barriers, and can provide a valuable mode of outreach, particularly about careers in healthcare.

Carl Bell, M.D., Honored for Work Advancing Correctional Health

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article MembersFull AccessCarl Bell, M.D., Honored for Work Advancing Correctional HealthMark MoranMark MoranSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:4 Dec 2018https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2018.11b19AbstractBell has advocated for what he calls “bent nail” research—rudimentary research undertaken by mental health professionals in African-American communities as a solution to the paucity of knowledge about this population. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) has awarded the 2018 Bernard P. Harrison Award of Merit to psychiatrist Carl Bell, M.D.Community psychiatrist Carl Bell, M.D., has focused his recent research on the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome among children on the south side of Chicago.David HathcoxThe award is NCCHC’s highest honor and is given annually to an individual or group that has demonstrated excellence and service advancing the correctional health care field, either through an individual project or a history of service. Bell, a longtime APA member, is a founding member of the NCCHC. He was the founder of the Community Mental Health Council on Chicago’s South Side, one of the largest community mental health clinics in the country. A prolific author, he is known for his work on black mental health and for advocating for ways to prevent mental illness. He is a distinguished life fellow of APA and is the recipient of many APA honors, including the Solomon Carter Fuller Award, Agnes Purcell McGavin Award, and the APA Special Presidential Commendation.Bell told Psychiatric News that he wants to encourage young psychiatrists to get involved with a professional organization such as the NCHHC. “Over time, take over the leadership of that organization and direct it in a way that would be helpful to people, such as I did with my side career in correctional health care,” he said. “It was the best public health, population-based work I have ever done.” Bell is a contributing author to the book Black Mental Health: Patients, Providers, and Systems, published this year by APA Publishing and edited by APA President Altha Stewart, M.D., Ezra Griffith, M.D., and Billy E. Jones, M.D., M.S. During APA’s IPS: The Mental Health Services Conference in Chicago, Bell joined Stewart, Jones, and others to talk about the book. Bell wrote the chapter titled “The Importance of ‘Bent Nail’ Research for African-American Populations,” in which he argued for African-American psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to conduct their own simple, empirical research in the communities where they work—what he called “bent nail” research. The term derived from Bell’s wanting to be a carpenter when he was a child but was too poor to buy the materials. He scoured alleys for wood and bent nails that he took home and hammered straight.“While recognizing the importance of pristine, formal academic research,” Bell wrote, “[I advocate] for ‘bent nail’ research, or rudimentary, basic clinical research as a solution to the paucity of knowledge about African-American mental health.” Most recently, Bell’s research has centered on the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome, which he believes is far more prevalent than is reported. In an analysis of school-aged children on the south side of Chicago using case ascertainment methods, he found that two-thirds to three-fourths of all youth sampled had symptoms that could be attributed to fetal alcohol exposure (Psychiatric News, March 1, 2018). APA leaders hailed Bell. “Congratulations to Dr. Bell for this well-deserved recognition,” said Stewart. “Dr. Bell is one of this nation’s leading psychiatrists, researchers, and mental health advocates. He has worked tirelessly for decades within the African-American community on the impact of trauma and violence on child development, prevention of neurocognitive disorders, and criminal and juvenile justice reforms, in addition to his efforts working with NCCHC to improve conditions in correctional health. Thanks to his pioneering ‘bent nail’ research and decades of advocacy in the U.S. and abroad, we know far more about how to prevent mental illness and provide appropriate care to underserved communities.”APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., added: “Dr. Bell is a giant in our profession, a leader whose ground-breaking work is widely recognized by members in the medical community. Carl has been a mentor to many over his career, who today now serve in many leadership and clinical positions all across this country and internationally. He is highly deserving of this honor from the NCCHC.” ■ ISSUES NewArchived

Frontline Workers' Career Pathways: A Detailed Look at Washington State's Medical Assistant Workforce.

Medical assistants (MAs) are a rapidly growing and increasingly important workforce. High MA turnover, however, is common and employers report applicants frequently do not meet their needs. We collected survey responses from a representative sample of 3,355 of Washington's MAs with certified status (MA-Cs) to understand their demographic, education, and employment backgrounds; job satisfaction; and career plans. Descriptive analyses showed 93.0% were female with a $19.91 mean hourly wage, and while generally satisfied, 56.2% indicated they would seek training or employment in another health care occupation within 5 years, with higher percentages among MA-Cs who felt overwhelmed by their workload and/or not satisfied with promotion opportunities. Regression analyses showed Hispanic, Black, and Asian MA-Cs were more likely than White MA-Cs to express interest in other health care careers. Strategies that strengthen MA career pathways and retain qualified workers should reward both employers and MAs and contribute to a stable and diverse workforce.

T-levels: a skills-based qualification.

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals, describes preparations under way for T-levels-the latest qualification that young people interested in a career in health care will be able to take.

The Hidden Resources of Occupational Therapy: A Conversation With Rhoda Erhardt, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA.

Kary Gillenwaters, MA, OTR/L, is currently a consultant and facilitator of the See Me as a Person and Re-Igniting the Spirit of Caring programs at Creative Health Care Management. Her career in health care spans rural and urban settings, and pediatric to geriatric clients and families. Rhoda Erhardt, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an occupational therapy consultant in private practice. She has provided evaluation and consultation services to families, health agencies, educational systems, and corporations, and published and lectured extensively in the United States and overseas on hand skills, vision, eye-hand coordination, and feeding problems in children with cerebral palsy, and handwriting and perceptual problems in children with learning disabilities. Kary and Rhoda talk about the resources occupational therapists bring to the health-care team, as well as how OTs identify and maximize the resources of clients and their families.

Morton Hoffman honored with mentoring prize

Morton Z. Hoffman, professor emeritus of chemistry at Boston University, is the recipient of the Zaida C. Morales-Martínez Prize for Outstanding Mentoring of ACS Scholars. The $1,000 prize, initiated by Robert L. Lichter and his wife, Diane Scott Lichter, with a grant from the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, recognizes individuals who have done an exemplary job of mentoring students in the ACS Scholars Program. Hoffman has served as a mentor and coach to more than 40 students, including 20 ACS Scholars, who have gone into careers in industry, health care, law, and education. Hoffman is known by his students for his theatrical lecturing style, dramatic chemical demonstrations, innovative pedagogies, and outrageous jokes.

It’s Time to Confront Student Mental Health Issues Associated with Smartphones and Social Media

An increased focus on overall student health and wellness is one of the more recent evolutions in higher education. Pharmacy and other health professions colleges in particular have recognized that well-being is important for students preparing for high-stress health care careers. This awareness has

Health Career Academy: Addition of a Surgical Case-Based Learning Curriculum Captures the Interest of High School Students

The Health Career Academy (HCA) is a national program which provides a structure to introduce underserved high school students to healthcare careers. Utilizing the HCA framework, we adapted the curriculum to emphasize surgical cases and invited physicians to enrich the learning experience. Medical students adapted a surgical case-based learning (CBL) curriculum at a local high school serving students from a primarily ethnic minority and low-income community (61% Black, 20% Hispanic; 58% free or reduced lunch). Each grade level received a minimum of ten, 90-minute CBL sessions. Expert faculty lecturers supplemented lessons. Medical student volunteers and 10th and 11th grade students completed postsemester surveys. Over four semesters, HCA held 44 sessions, with 81 students graduating from the program. A total of 66% of sessions featured at least one faculty volunteer. A total of 36 students in 10th and 11th grade and 15 medical student volunteers completed postparticipation surveys. A total of 46.2% of 11th grade students previously participated in the 10th grade curriculum. On a scale of 1 to 4, students rated HCA highly in its overview of career options (mean 3.61, [SD 0.5]) and instilling understanding of patient care (3.78 [0.42]). Students enjoyed learning about career paths (3.61 [0.50]) and health topics (3.83 [0.39]). Of 10th and 11th grade students, 100% considered a healthcare career, with 34.8% of 10th and 61.5% of 11th grade students expressing interest in pursuing a surgical specialty. After volunteering, medical students felt like better educators (4.47 [0.64]) and were more likely to pursue teaching roles (4.2 [0.86]). The Duke HCA chapter implemented the HCA program featuring CBL sessions emphasizing surgical cases. This program engaged minority students and potentially contributed to student interest in surgical careers. It helped to prepare medical students for future teaching roles. An interactive, surgery-focused program may increase the number of minority youth interested in pursuing health careers.

Worth Less?: Why Men (and Women) Devalue Care-Oriented Careers.

In the present research, we applied a goal-congruity perspective – the proposition that men and women seek out roles that afford their internalized values (Diekman et al., 2017) – to better understand the degree to which careers in healthcare, early education, and domestic roles (HEED; Croft et al., 2015) are devalued in society. Our first goal was to test the hypothesis that men, relative to women, are less interested in pursuing HEED careers in part because they are less likely than women to endorse communal values. A second, more novel goal was to extend goal congruity theory to examine whether gender differences in communal values also predict the belief that HEED careers add worth to society and are deserving of higher salaries. In three studies of undergraduate students (total N = 979), we tested the predictive role of communal values (i.e., a focus on caring for others), as distinct from agentic values (i.e., a focus on status, competition, and wealth; Bakan, 1966). Consistent with goal congruity theory, Studies 1 and 2 revealed that men’s lower interest in adopting HEED careers, such as nursing and elementary education, was partially mediated by men’s (compared to women’s) lower communal values. Extending the theory, all three studies also documented a general tendency to see HEED as having relatively lower worth to society compared to STEM careers. As expected, communal values predicted perceiving higher societal worth in HEED careers, as well as supporting increases in HEED salaries. Thus, gender differences in communal values accounted for men’s (compared to women’s) tendency to perceive HEED careers as having less societal worth and less deserving of salary increases. In turn, gender differences in perceived societal worth of HEED itself predicted men’s relatively lower interest in pursuing HEED careers. In no instance, did agentic values better explain the gender difference in HEED interest or perceived worth. These findings have important implications for how we understand the value that society places on occupations typically occupied by women versus men.

What Will Your Legacy Be?

Mindy Susan Owen, RN, CRRN, CCM, is the principal of Phoenix Healthcare Associates LLC, Coral Springs, FL, specializing in case management education and management. She is a Charter Board member and Past President of CMSA and Past Chair and Commissioner of CCMC. Mindy's career in health care has included critical care neurosurgery and rehabilitation. She helped design and implement a SCI-TBI rehabilitation department at Wesley Regional Medical Center in Wichita, KS. Mindy was the first Midwest Regional Director of CM for Intracorp and has developed and directed both acute and MCO CM/DM programs nationwide. Address correspondence to Mindy Susan Owen, RN, CRRN, CCM, Phoenix Healthcare Associates LLC, 4613 University Dr #384, Coral Springs, FL 33067 ([email protected]). The intent of this column is meant to speak to the heart of case management: our joys, our struggles, and our lessons learned. Please send your thoughts and ideas to us so we may include them in future articles. Mindy Owen at: [email protected]. Teresa M. Treiger at: [email protected].The author reports no conflicts of interest.

2494 Selectives: Implementing self-directed collaborative selectives as part of a curriculum for pre-health care professional students

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: To provide students an opportunity to select health care-oriented course work that reflects both their interests and the increasingly diverse spectrum of health professions education and health care careers. To increase the opportunity for students to enter professional schools and health care professions with enhanced engagement and experience. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The 4-credit elective (Selective) curriculum is a component of the 38 credit Duke School of Medicine Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) program which is completed over 10.5 months. Students work closely with their advisors to choose activities that reflect their interests. Selectives are offered by an array of schools, institutes, and programs within Duke University, including: the School of Medicine, School of Law, Global Health Institute, Bioethics and Science Policy Master Program, Clinical Research Training Program, Center for Documentary Studies, and Medical Informatics. Students may also pursue directed studies in areas such as health policy, or an inter-professional trip to Honduras. In addition to the course-based Selectives, three research practicum options are offered: Community Engagement, Clinical Research (Duke Office of Clinical Research), and a self-selected mentored research experience. Finally, the MBS program offers 2 in-house specific Selectives: Fundamentals of Learning: Theory and Practice, and Planning for Health Professions Education. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The MBS program accepted its first cohort of students in June 2015. Two cohorts have graduated and the third has begun (n=30, 2016; n=42, 2017; n=43 enrolled, 2018). Our students come from diverse background with a third from populations historically underrepresented in STEM due to race/ethnicity, and another third underrepresented due to other factors such as low socioeconomic status, first generation to college, LGBQT, and those from rural and immigrant communities. Thus far, Selective distribution has been: Clinical research practicum (7, 2016; 14, 2017; 9, 2018); Mentored research practicum (2, 2016; 1, 2017); Community engagement practicum (7, 2016; 4, 2017; 5, 2018); Planning for health professions educations (14, 2016; 32, 2017; 33, 2018), Fundamentals of learning: Theory and Practice (7, 2016; 17, 2017; 18, 2018); documentary film (1, 2016); inter-professional trip to Honduras (2, 2016, 2, 2017). Since the implementation of the curriculum, at least 53 of 70 students who have applied (76%) were admitted to health professions or other graduate schools despite having lower initial MCAT and undergraduate GPAs in aggregate than the average of students who matriculate to allopathic medical school programs: 41 to medical schools, 3 to dental school, 2 each to osteopathic and physician assistant schools and 1 each to physical therapy, business school and law school. Eighteen of the 2016 graduates, and 21 of the 2017 graduates work in research for their gap year following graduation, the majority being employed in our institution’s research programs providing a pipeline of trained research assistants and coordinators. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Lessons learned by implementing our curriculum include the following: (1) students are eager to explore different areas of health care; (2) collaboration across schools, centers, departments, institutes, and offices increases our ability to identify common areas of interest; (3) implementing a diverse curriculum can be challenging due to the need for significant organization and planning; (4) the diversity of courses can be a source of confusion when there is a lack of standardization in learner expectations; (5) continued collaboration across, schools, centers, institutes programs, health professions and sections requires a significant amount of time and expertise. However, our programs demonstrate significant positive impacts both on students and at the institutional level. Our program shows that a diverse curriculum leads to a high number of students engaged in pursuing and successfully continuing a health profession education. Institutional benefits include a robust pipeline for a diverse research workforce.

2206 Chicago Kids Advisory Board: A novel approach to engaging adolescent students in pediatric clinical research

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Stakeholder engagement has been proposed to help realign clinical and translational research with the needs of clinicians, patients, and policymakers. Increasingly, funders and researchers seek to partner with stakeholders to inform study design, execution and dissemination of results. Kids and families Impacting Disease through Science (KIDS) is a program of the American Academy of Pediatrics that seeks to engage youth in clinical research. United States KIDS programs participate in International Children’s Advisory Network activities. The Chicago KIDS Advisory Board program at Walter Payton College Preparatory School, a Chicago Public School, was initiated in 2015 to foster and develop interest in careers in science, research and healthcare and provide youth perspectives to academic and industry researchers on the design and development of pediatric research studies. This project engaged youth advisors in creation and evaluation of a video explaining clinical research and informed consent for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, a clinical partner of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Payton program advisory board sessions are 1.5hr interactive seminars held on 1–2 school days each month. During the 2016–2017 school year, students participated in 3 stakeholder sessions, led by Lurie Children’s hospital researchers, to advise development of a script, storyboards, and ultimately an animated video that informs children and families about participation in clinical research to aid in the decision-making process. Qualitative research methods were used to examine attitudes towards clinical research and assess the video on content objectives, clarity of concept, and appropriateness for a pediatric audience. Following production, students from the 2017–2018 advisory board viewed the final video and presurvey and postsurvey were administered to assess the effect of video on the comprehension of 8 key concepts of informed consent on a 5-point Likert scale. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare median pretest and post-test ranks. Results of this analysis were reviewed in seminar and students provided written contribution to this abstract. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In total, 11 Walter Payton high school students participated in video development and 27, who were naïve to development, participated in the pre and post evaluation sessions. Students ranged from Freshman to Seniors and reflected the diverse ethnic and racial background of Chicago. A positive change from pre to post-test survey was observed in all questions presented assessing comprehension of key concepts of informed consent. The median post-test ranks were statistically significantly higher than the median pre-test ranks for all questions (p<0.01 in all). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Chicago KIDS youth advisors were engaged in all aspects of the design of the research tool and gained experience in stakeholder contribution from study design to evaluation and publication. The students will next be involved in the design of a prospective randomized study to test the efficacy of the video compared with standard recruitment and consent practices. Given the difficulty of recruiting youth for clinical trials, development of effective engagement practices in is critically important. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing youth advisors in a public school based setting.

An analysis of residents' self-evaluation and faculty-evaluation in internal medicine standardized residency training program using Milestones evaluation system

Objective: To assess the value of internal medicine residency training program at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), and the feasibility of applying revised Milestones evaluation system. Methods: Postgraduate-year-one to four (PGY-1 to PGY-4) residents in PUMCH finished the revised Milestones evaluation scales in September 2017. Residents' self-evaluation and faculty-evaluation scores were calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted on the data. Results: A total of 207 residents were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Both self and faculty scores showed an increasing trend in senior residents. PGY-1 residents were assessed during their first month of residency with scores of 4 points or higher, suggesting that residents have a high starting level. More strikingly, the mean score in PGY-4 was 7 points or higher, proving the career development of residency training program. There was no statistically significant difference between total self- and faculty-evaluation scores. Evaluation scores of learning ability and communication ability were lower in faculty group (t=-2.627, -4.279, all P<0.05). The scores in graduate students were lower than those in standardized training residents. Conclusions: The goal of national standardized residency training is to improve the quality of healthcare and residents' career development. The evaluation results would guide curriculum design and emphasize the importance and necessity of multi-level teaching. Self-evaluation contributes to the understanding of training objectives and personal cognition.

Helping High School Students Explore Nursing Careers in a Summer Internship Program.

Although nursing remains the most trusted profession in the United States, it is still challenging to attract high school students due to a perception that nursing may not be as intellectual, challenging, or prestigious as other careers in health care. Nursing professional development practitioners can create an opportunity to change this perception by engaging high school students through a summer internship program. The Student Career Opportunity Outreach Program embeds high school students in the hospital environment, enabling them to be a part of a clinical area and engage with nurses in a meaningful way. This article aims to explain the components of the summer internship program for high school students in a pediatric academic medical center and discuss findings from a survey exploring career choices pre- and postprogram as well as other outcome measures.

Continuing Professional Education-Effective or Outdated?

Teresa M. Treiger, MA, RN-BC, CCM, FABQUARP, is a past president of CMSA and current director on the National Transitions of Care Coalition. She is the principal of Ascent Care Management, LLC, Holbrook, MA, specializing in private client case management, education, program design, and writing. Her health care career has spanned across the continuum. She designed and implemented case management, transition of care, frequent emergency room utilization, and uncompensated care programs while at McKesson. Her clinical experience includes acute and rehabilitation care. Address correspondence to Teresa M. Treiger, MA, RN-BC, CCM, FABQUARP, Ascent Care Management, 47 Botolph St, Quincy, MA 02171 ([email protected]). The intent of this column is meant to speak to the heart of case management: our joys, our struggles, and our lessons learned. Please send your thoughts and ideas to us so that we may include them in future articles. Mindy Owen at: [email protected]. Teri Treiger at: [email protected].The author reports no conflicts of interest.