Healthcare Professional Students Research Articles

An osteopathic orientation to interprofessional education.

The osteopathic tenets may serve as a useful guideline for an interprofessional program. There is an alignment between the osteopathic tenets and the concept of interprofessional education (IPE). IPE occurs when students from two or more professions work with each other to collaborate or improve healthcare outcomes. Holistic treatment is fundamental in both instances, and the interrelatedness of structure and function requires acknowledgment of all healthcare professionals' roles in treating a patient. IPE allows students to gain a better understanding of their own professional roles and the roles of their fellow healthcare providers in treating patients more effectively. The objectives of this analysis are to evaluate the ability of an interprofessional summer workshop/lecture utilizing an osteopathic focus to educate students from different healthcare colleges about the interconnectedness of the systems of the human body and how working with a team-based approach will ultimately benefit their collective patients. A secondary objective was to determine the students' perceptions before and after the lecture/workshop to see if there were any perceived differences among students in different healthcare professions at either time. This was a retrospective data analysis conducted on pretest/posttest surveys completed by 73 incoming students from six different healthcare colleges participating in the Summer Preparedness and Readiness Course (SPaRC), held annually at Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS) in Pomona, California. Analysis was conducted on responses collected during the SPaRC programs of 2013, 2016, and 2019. Participants were given surveys containing five questions scored on a five-point Likert scale. The surveys were given before and after an integrated lecture/hands-on workshop presented at SPaRC that reviewed multiple studies showing the utility of connecting the healthcare professions to best treat a patient. A total of 73 students responded to both the prelecture and postlecture surveys. When the number of positive scores were totaled from students from all colleges, there was an increase in positive responses from 190 (52.2 %) in prelecture surveys when compared to 336 (92.3 %) in postlecture surveys. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test suggested that the lecture workshop elicited a significant improvement in scores from prelecture to postlecture for all students (Z=-6.976, p=0.000). Median scores improved from 3.60 at baseline to 4.40 after the lecture/workshop. Secondary analysis conducted utilizing Kruskal-Wallis H to examine the differences between the responses of the different colleges prelecture and postlecture showed no significant differences prelecture (H [6]=7.58, p=0.271) and a significant difference between postlecture answers (H [6]=14.04, p=0.029). A series of post hoc independent Kruskal-Wallis H analyses was conducted to identify where differences were, and the only identifiable difference after Bonferroni corrections was between students from the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine college and the Physician Assistant's college after the lecture/survey (p=0.041). An interprofessional program with the osteopathic principles of focusing on body unity and relatedness of structure and function may serve as a helpful tool for uniting healthcare professionals in their ultimate goal of better serving their patients.

A scoping review of the questionnaires used for the assessment of the perception of undergraduate students of the learning environment in healthcare professions education programs.

The learning environment (LE) includes social interactions, organizational culture, structures, and physical and virtual spaces that influence the learning experiences of students. Despite numerous studies exploring the perception of healthcare professional students (HCPS) of their LE, the validity evidence of the utilized questionnaires remains unclear. This scoping review aimed to identify questionnaires used to examine the perception of undergraduate HCPS of their LE and to assess their validity evidence. Five key concepts were used: (1) higher education; (2) questionnaire; (3) LE; (4) perception; and (5) health professions (HP). PubMed, ERIC, ProQuest, and Cochrane databases were searched for studies developing or adapting questionnaires to examine LE. This review employed the APERA standards of validity evidence and Beckman et al. (J Gen Intern Med 20:1159-1164, 2005) interpretation of these standards according to 5 categories: content, internal structure, response process, relation to other variables, and consequences. Out of 41 questionnaires included in this review, the analysis revealed a predominant emphasis on content and internal structure categories. However, less than 10% of the included questionnaires provided information in relation to other variables, consequences, and response process categories. Most of the identified questionnaires received extensive coverage in the fields of medicine and nursing, followed by dentistry. This review identified diverse questionnaires utilized for examining the perception of students of their LE across different HPs. Given the limited validity evidence for existing questionnaires, future research should prioritize the development and validation of psychometric measures. This will ultimately ensure sound and evidence-based quality improvement measures of the LE in HP education programs.

Intercultural sensitivity in Chilean healthcare profession students

Each culture has unique health care related values, habits, perceptions, expectations, norms, etc., that makes cultural competence an important attribute to be developed by healthcare professionals, to ensure they provide effective treatment. Intercultural sensitivity (IS) is the affective dimension of cultural competence. The objective of this study is to explore the self-perceived level of IS in first and last year students of three health sciences professions (i.e., Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing) at the Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a group comparison (e.g., year of study). 312 students completed the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS). Findings showed that overall ISS scores ranged from 1.83 to 4.94, with a mean score of 4.11 (s.d. 0.43). Group comparison between first and final year students showed statistically significant differences (4.18 vs. 4.00; p < 0.001). Medical and nursing students had a significantly higher overall mean IS score compared to dental students (4.21 and 4.16, respectively vs. 4.02; p < 0.01). There were also significant differences between three factors (interaction engagement; interaction confidence; and interaction enjoyment) by healthcare profession. These findings allow for discussion of the need for explicit incorporation and development of cultural competence in on health care professional curricula. Longitudinal research is needed to explore how IS changes over time, along with generating qualitative data from the student populations IS experiences and exposure.

Substantial Increases in Healthcare Students’ State Empathy Scores Owing to Participation in a Single Improvisation Session

Purpose: To determine whether the 12-item state empathy scale could be modified reliably to measure empathy in healthcare professions students and to detect changes in their empathy owing to a single improvisation (improv) session. Methods: Three cohorts of students from two healthcare professions programs (total = 165 students) participated in an improv session. During the session, one of the researchers (BS) tasked the students with several improv activities. Participants’ self-reported state empathy scores were assessed at three time points (pre-improv, post-improv, and end of semester) using revised, in-class paper versions of the State Empathy Scale. Results: The exploratory factor analysis revealed a single factor solution for the revised scale, justifying the creation of an overall state empathy score from the questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha reliability values averaged 0.87. Students’ mean empathy scores were higher directly after the improv session than directly prior to the session (p &lt; 0.0001; effect size = r = 0.67, 0.55, and 0.79 for cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Conclusions: These findings show that a single one- or two-hour improv session can foster substantial increases in healthcare professional students’ state empathy for one another. Greater healthcare professional empathy and compassion foster better healthcare team cooperation and patient outcomes, so healthcare professionals and their students should engage in such empathy-enhancing activities at regular intervals throughout their training and careers.

Gambaran Tingkat dan Sumber Stres Mahasiswa Profesi Rumpun Ilmu Kesehatan Universitas Padjadjaran

During their professional education and training, healthcare profession students face various academic demands that can trigger stress. This research aims to provide an overview of the level of stress, sources of stress, efforts to cope with stress, and factors hindering stress management among students in the Healthcare Professions study programs at Padjadjaran University. A total of 53 students participated by filling out the General Stress Symptoms questionnaire and demographic questionnaires related to their respective faculties. The research results show that the majority of Healthcare Proffessions students at Padjadjaran University experience high levels of stress (64.15%). The most common stressors for these students come from academic factors (77.8%). Most students have made efforts to cope with the stress they experience (94.4%). The most common strategy used by students to cope with stress is talking to loved ones (77.8%). The most significant factor hindering students in managing stress is the lack of time due to academic busyness (70.4%).

An exploration of sharps injuries within healthcare students at a UK university

Background There is evidence available worldwide that nursing, medical and dental students sustain sharps injuries during their programmes of study. However, there is lack of evidence and research relating to the many students of other healthcare professions who may encounter sharps instruments. Aim/objective The aim of the study was to identify the extent, type and impact of sharps injuries sustained by pre-registration healthcare students. Methods An online survey was administered to 3372 healthcare students at a University in the United Kingdom. Findings/results Some healthcare students other than nursing, medical and dentistry had sustained a sharps injury. The most common device involved were glass ampoules. The common causes were equipment and carelessness. Some healthcare students sustained psychological impacts following the sharps injury. Discussion Sharps injuries are common amongst some healthcare students and there is scope for more education for these groups of students relating to the risks, safe handling, reporting and prevention of sharps injuries.

Comparison of Impressions of COVID-19 Vaccinations Stratified by the Number of Vaccinations Among Japanese Healthcare Professional University Students.

Coronavirus infectious disease, that emerged in 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major public health issue not only in Japan, but also worldwide, and the implementation of a proper vaccination strategy has been important. To promote vaccination, the present study compared impressions of COVID-19 vaccinations stratified by the number of vaccinations among healthcare professional university students in Okayama, Japan, and suggests better vaccination strategies. A total of 212 Japanese healthcare professional university students were enrolled in this clinical qualitative study using the text mining method. A self-reported questionnaire, including questions such as "What do you think about COVID-19 vaccinations?"was performed. We also examined the number of vaccinations, sex, history of COVID-19 infection, and daily mask use. A total of 5,935 words were obtained and "Think" (169 times) was the most frequently used followed by "Inject" (108 times), "Inoculation" (97 times), "Vaccine" (83 times), "Corona" (66 times) and "Side effects" (49 times). Characteristic words were "Safety" in non-vaccinated subjects and "Side effects" and "Necessary" in vaccinated subjects. In addition, "Safety" in non-vaccinated men and "Frightening" in non-vaccinated women were characteristic and fundamental features. Impressions of COVID-19 vaccinations stratified by the number of vaccinations differed among healthcare professional university students. The provision of appropriate information on safety to non-vaccinated subjects and side effects to vaccinated subjects appears to be necessary. In addition, sex-specific information may be required for non-vaccinated subjects.

Community Survey of Awareness about the Knowledge of Physiotherapy Services amongst Health Care Profession Students

Physiotherapy is a health care profession. Physiotherapy plays a significant role in all levels of health. Interaction between various disciplines of medicine within a health care team is becoming recognized more and more as an effective method of improving the delivery of health care services. In order to achieve interdisciplinary teamwork, members of the health care team need to understand and respect each other’s professional abilities. It was aimed to find out the extent of knowledge about physiotherapy services among medical sciences students and to analyze the current level of awareness. 249 student’s participants were involved in the study using convenient sampling from SGT University. Students were involved from four different department viz. MBBS, BDS, BAMS, Nursing. Every student fills the structured questionnaire in the prescribed format. The data collected was analyzed by using frequency and percentage in Microsoft 2007. The respondents displayed that 63% of healthcare profession students had ‘Good’ awareness and 61% had ‘Good’ knowledge about physiotherapy. The study concluded that there is a good awareness and knowledge among health care profession students about physiotherapy. Lack of knowledge and awareness was also found which can be improved by educating them on different direction of physiotherapy to the students of health care profession. Among all the profession MBBS and BDS students are slightly more aware and have more knowledge regarding physiotherapy profession.

Interprofessional education interventions in undergraduate students of musculoskeletal healthcare professions: a scoping review protocol

IntroductionEnhancing interprofessional education (IPE) fosters collaborative efforts among healthcare professionals specializing in musculoskeletal (MSK) care. This approach presents a valuable opportunity to address the pressing MSK disease burden in developing...

Assessment of compassion and empathy in students of health care professions

Compassion is one of the most important qualities expected and anticipated by patients from their healthcare professionals. Empathy is the ability to recognize and respond to others’ emotions. What differentiates compassion from empathy is the creation of a strong desire to reduce suffering. To assess and compare compassion levels in students of MBBS, BSc Nursing and Bachelors in Physiotherapy (BPT) in a medical college. This is a descriptive study done at the NRI Medical College in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh state in India, The study involved students of 6 Semester MBBS (126), BSc Nursing 4 year (89) and 4 year BPT (48). The study instruments included the Compassion Score questionnaire &amp; Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) 3 which are both available freely in the public domain. Compassion scores in male students had a mean of 58.6 (range 22 to 78 and SD 9.2). Compassion scores in female students have a mean of 59.0 (range 29 to 80 and SD 9.1). Overall compassion scores were highest in MBBS students, both males and females when compared to Nursing and Physiotherapy students. Empathy scores also followed the same statistically significant pattern. Among compassion components, kindness was highest in BPT students while common humanity was higher in the medical students.MBBS students were seen to have significantly higher scores in all three negative components; indifference, separation and disengagement. It is proposed that the nature of training of nursing and physiotherapy students involves practical hands-on involvement in day to day care of their patients, while medical students are more involved in academic pursuits and less involvement with their patients during undergraduate training. Efforts must be made to encourage all healthcare students to inculcate empathy and compassion when communicating with patients. Empathy can be enhanced by adding training courses and workshops to the curriculum to teach empathy to develop interpersonal skills. There is a need to use innovative and creative approaches like simulation, role playing, storytelling and reflective discussion.

Virtual Reality for Developing Patient-Facing Communication Skills in Medical and Graduate Education: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Clinician-patient communication is an integral component in providing quality medical care. However, research on clinician-patient communication has shown overall patient discontent with provider communication skills. While virtual reality (VR) is readily used for procedural-based learning in medical education, its potential for teaching patient-facing communication skills remains unexplored. This scoping review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of VR applications used for patient-facing communication skills development in medical education. The primary objective is to synthesize and evaluate the effectiveness of available VR tools and applications used for patient-facing communication skills development in medical education. The secondary objectives are to (1) assess the feasibility of adapting VR applications to develop patient-facing communication skills in medical education and (2) provide an overview of the challenges associated with adapting VR applications to develop patient-facing communication skills in medical education. A total of 4 electronic databases (ERIC, Embase, PubMed, and MEDLINE) were searched for primary peer-reviewed articles published through April 11, 2023. Articles evaluating the implementation of non-, semi-, and fully immersive VR training for patient- or caregiver-facing communication skills training provided to graduate, medical, or other allied health care professions students were included. Studies that assessed augmented reality, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, or VR for non-communication-based training were excluded. Study selection will include a title, abstract, and full-text screening by 4 authors. Data from eligible studies will be extracted and entered into a database and presented in tabular format. Findings will be reported according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for scoping reviews. As of April 11, 2023, the search strategy has been confirmed and the search has been completed. We are currently at the title and abstract screening stage. Once complete, the articles will undergo full-text screening according to eligibility criteria as described in the methods. The findings of this review will inform the development of a graduate-level clinical skills research course within the Institute of Medical Science graduate department at the University of Toronto. It is also expected that these findings will be of interest to other health care-specific faculties inside and beyond our institution. Further, our scoping review will summarize the limited field of literature on VR use in medical communications training and identify areas for future inquiry. DERR1-10.2196/53901.

Clinical Presentation and Etiologic Diagnosis of Disorders of Sex Development in Children in Senegal

Introduction: Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) refer to situations where chromosomal, gonadal or anatomical sex is atypical. We aimed to describe the baseline characteristics on clinical and etiological diagnosis of DSD in Senegalese children. Methods: This retrospective cohort study over a period of 8 years (2015-2022) included all children aged 0 to 18 years followed for DSD at the pediatric endocrinology department of NCHAR in Dakar. Sociodemographic clinical, paraclinical (genetics, imaging, hormonal) parameters were collected and analyzed with Epi Info 7.2. The description was made using position and dispersion parameters and illustrations in the form of appropriate tables and graphs. Bivariate analysis was used for associations between variables, with an alpha error risk of 5% and a CI of 95%. All ethical rules have been respected. Results: We included 102 DSD cases. Only 61 patients (59.80%) had a genetic diagnosis. Mean age at diagnosis was 31.2 ± 46.6 months. Rearing sex of child was male in 35 cases (57.38%) and female in 22 cases (36.06%) and undetermined in 4 cases (6.56%). Based on karyotype analysis, 31(50.82%) of children had 46,XY DSD, 27 (44.26%) had 46,XX DSD and three (4.92%) children with sex chromosome DSD. Etiologies were dominated by congenital adrenal hyperplasia (81.48%) and androgen insensitivity (38.71%) in 46,XX  and 46,XY DSD respectively. External masculinization score &gt; 4, palpation of a gonad, a phallus length &gt; 2.5, a single urogenital orifice as well as ultrasound sex were associated with the XY karyotype. Conclusion: Health care professional and medical students should be trained for early diagnosis. A national guideline should be developed for diagnosis and management of DSD during and beyond the pediatric age group, and adapted to evidence and available resources. This can only be achieved if the management of DSD is supported by universal health insurance.

Assessment of Awareness, Perception, and Opinions Towards Artificial Intelligence among Health Care Professionals and Medical Students at Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, including machine learning and deep learning, enhances diagnosis and treatment across specialties like cardiology, dermatology, and ophthalmology. Its applications extend to transcription, patient data organization, and remote healthcare, offering support to medical professionals and transforming medical education for students and trainees. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted with consecutive sampling, and 90 medical students were included in the study. Data was collected using Questionnaire data forms and analysed. Results: The findings revealed that 73.9% of students were aware of AI, but a significant 80.0% reported a lack of formal education on the subject. Positive perceptions included the recognition of AI's efficacy in reducing errors (71.1%) and facilitating patient education (56.7%). However, concerns were raised regarding potential impacts on the healthcare professional-patient relationship. The majority (56.7%) advocated for the integration of AI knowledge and skills into the academic curriculum. The mean positive perception score of 29.8 showed associations with age, and year of study. Conclusion: This study underscores the need to address gaps in AI awareness and advocates for the integration of AI education into pharmacy curricula. The findings highlight nuanced perspectives among students and emphasize the potential benefits of tailored educational strategies to harness positive attitudes toward AI integration in healthcare.

Obesity-Related Knowledge and Practice Among the Healthcare Professions Students in Saudi Arabia.

The objectives of this study are to identify the prevalence and the factors behind overweight and obesity among the healthcare profession's students. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was distributed to a heterogeneous purposive sample of the healthcare profession's students in Saudi Arabia. About 21.0% and 15.5% were overweight and obese, respectively. The average knowledge score was 70.6% and increased with age and among obese participants. The average attitude score was 74.8% with no variation within age, body mass index (BMI), and gender. The average practice score was only 36.7%. There was a significant variation of the practice within the different age groups (P = 0.021). There was a significant association between the participant's knowledge and attitude, and practice. The average practice score was poor. Despite their good knowledge and positive attitude, the students are exposed to heavy junk food marketing, which encourages overconsumption by instilling positive emotional associations with the junk food. They are mostly physically inactive, anxious and sleep deprived, which can lead to poor eating habits. For this group, various strategies and motivators will likely be needed.

REFRAMING AGING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONS

Abstract As students in health care professions will serve older patients, it is critical to proactively reframe aging in their education, confront implicit biases, and encourage age-inclusivity before they enter the workforce. We developed a training to address the limited focus on aging and later life among undergraduate curricula in health care professional disciplines (e.g., nursing, health sciences). The 1-hour, online training was piloted among current undergraduate nursing students (N=69). The content uses data and real-person interviews to introduce demographic trends in aging, define and deconstruct ageism concepts, illustrate the impact of ageism on individual health and health care, and highlight the diverse experiences of aging. The training also includes communication tools and interactive activities, such as reflection questions and case studies, to engage students in their own aging experience and to garner empathy for others’ aging experiences. Pre- and post-training evaluations revealed that the training impacted students in expressing positive behavioral change towards age-inclusivity and awareness at internal, interpersonal and institutional levels. Evaluation results also showed statically significant evidence that the training increased students’ knowledge about facts versus stereotypes about aging, confidence in understanding ageism and its relevance to health care, and consideration of working with older adults in their career. This pilot research project encourages other higher education institutions to incorporate training and education in their curricula that distinctively focuses on later life and reframing aging in a long-term effort towards improving health care for older people and the experiences of health care professionals who serve them.

Gaps in sexual health content of healthcare professional curriculum: a systematic review of educational interventions

BackgroundSexual health care, including assessment and patient teaching, is part of comprehensive patient care. Health professional (medical and nursing) students’ education in sexual health lacks uniformity in content and assessment skills.ObjectivesThe current systematic review aimed to assess sexual health educational curriculum for health professional students regarding the educational content, duration, and evaluation of these educational interventions.MethodsThis systematic review followed the preferred reporting guidelines for systematic reviews. A comprehensive search was conducted between May–August, 2023 across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE), outlining 614 sources. Following the screening process, 36 educational intervention studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. The quality assessment of these studies was conducted using The Effective Public Health Project tool, which was found appropriate for evaluating this type of research.ResultsThe studies had a global representation, with most studies conducted in the US. Limited nursing educational interventions were found. Three main categories emerged from the analysis of the educational interventions: one-time interventions, workshops, and semester courses. These categories differed in terms of their duration. Upon evaluating the educational intervention programs, it was found that the majority relied on participant self-reporting, while only a few included objective evaluations.ConclusionsThis review revealed inconsistencies in educational content for healthcare professional students and may impact their clinical skills, particularly in sexual health. The variation in content, duration, and evaluation methods created challenges in assessing the interventions. The lack of standardized sexual health education highlighted a significant gap, raising concerns about students’ ultimate proficiency in this area. Bridging this divide is essential by integrating comprehensive sexual health content and assessment skills into the health professional curriculum.

Better together: utilizing an interprofessional course and escape room to educate healthcare students about opioid use disorder

BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to determine the impact of an innovative interprofessional educational activity on healthcare professional students’ learning. The educational activity targeted student knowledge of opioid use disorder (OUD) and perceptions of working with an interprofessional team while caring for patients with OUD.MethodsStudents from nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant, dentistry, social work, and medicine programs were recruited to participate in the interprofessional educational activity. The educational experience included seven asynchronous modules and a virtual synchronous escape room. Prior to the educational programming, participants completed a pre-survey that assessed their knowledge and attitudes towards working on an interprofessional team and perceptions of patients with OUD. The asynchronous modules were required in order to participate in the escape room and each module contained its own pre/post quiz to assess student knowledge.ResultsA total of 402 students participated in the course. Prior to participating in the course, students disagreed that they had extensive educational experience with SUD (2.45 ± 0.79). The students displayed significant improvement in the knowledge based areas after completing the seven asynchronous modules. The largest significant area of knowledge-based improvement was seen in treatment of OUD where on the pre-quiz 65.54 ± 20.21% were answered correctly compared to 95.97 ± 9.61% on the post-quiz. Participation in the escape room significantly changed the students’ perceptions of working in interprofessional teams while managing patients with OUD. Of the eleven perception variables assessed, seven showed a significant increase in the post-survey. Following the escape room, participants also strongly agreed that they now would refer patients to colleagues in other disciplines.ConclusionsAn interprofessional educational experience including both an asynchronous course and virtual synchronous escape room can increase participant knowledge around OUD and may improve student perceptions of working with an interprofessional team and caring for patients with OUD.

Survey of attitudes toward performing and reflecting on required team service-learning (SASL): psychometric data and reliability/validity for healthcare professions students in preclinical courses

PurposePreviously we assessed healthcare professional students’ feelings about team-based learning, implicit bias, and service to the community using an in-house paper survey. In this study, we determined whether this survey is a reliable and valid measure of prospective medical students’ attitudes toward required service-learning in an Immunology course. To our knowledge, no published questionnaire has been shown to be dependable and useful for measuring such attitudes using only eight survey items.MethodsFifty-eight prospective medical students in Colorado (CO) and 15 in Utah (UT) completed the same Immunology course using remote technology. In addition to the usual course content, students were required to write critical reflections on required team service-learning. On the last day of class, they completed the survey of attitudes toward service-learning (SASL).ResultsData analyses found Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.84 and 0.85 for the surveys of UT and CO students, respectively. Factor analysis of CO student data revealed only one Eigenvalue greater than one (3.95) justifying retention of a single factor termed “attitudes toward required service-learning.” In addition, CO students’ attitudes toward community service were highly positive, while UT students’ attitudes were nearer neutral (p &amp;lt; 0.0001).ConclusionOur factor analysis and good Cronbach’s alpha values support the conclusion that the SASL was a reliable measure of prospective medical students’ attitudes toward required team service-learning for an Immunology course. Moreover, we used the SASL to distinguish these attitudes in CO versus UT students, and, thus, the SASL appears to be a valid measure of this difference. Calculation of similarly good Cronbach’s alpha values – for a predecessor of the SASL among pharmacy, masters, and medical students at another institution – indicates that the SASL may be useful more widely. However, the reliability and validity of the SASL needs to be demonstrated more rigorously for other healthcare students at different universities.

A Survey of the Prevalence of Impostor Phenomenon Among US Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Introduction. Individuals experiencing impostor phenomenon (IP) report feelings of intellectual phoniness and are unable to internalize their successes. Students experiencing IP may incur barriers to success in their educational and professional careers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of IP in entry-level, physical therapist (PT) education programs in the United States. Review of the Literature. The prevalence of IP among other students of health care professions has been established. No previous study has investigated the prevalence of IP in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. Subjects. Five hundred ninety-three US-based, entry-level, DPT students were recruited in the study. Methods. An anonymous, electronic survey of demographic data and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) were distributed. Doctor of Physical Therapy students who scored ≥ 62 on the CIPS demonstrated feelings of IP. Results. Four hundred thirty-nine (74.03%) respondents demonstrated feelings of IP. Female students (78.9%) experienced greater feelings of IP than male students (59.7%). A smaller proportion of African Americans (59%) demonstrated feelings of IP compared with students of other races (75.1%), although this association was no longer significant when considering gender. Discussion and Conclusion. Nearly three-quarters of the DPT students enrolled in US-based, entry-level PT education programs who participated in this study met the criteria for IP, with female students more likely to report IP compared with male students. Doctor of Physical Therapy students reported lack of resources or decreased awareness of resources to support IP. Physical therapist education programs should consider identifying students with IP and develop methods to support student success.

Exploring communication apprehension in nursing and healthcare education: A scoping review

AbstractCommunication among healthcare professionals is critical to optimizing patient outcomes, and communication education is incorporated into the educational programs of healthcare professions students. Communication can be a source of stress for new healthcare professionals, however, there is a lack of research on communication apprehension (CA) in healthcare students, especially in nursing education. This scoping review sought to explore CA and factors associated with CA among healthcare professions students. This scoping review report was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (Tricco et al., Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018, 169, 467–473). Twenty studies of healthcare professions students were included for analysis. The percentage of health professions students with high CA ranged from 0.7% to 27%. Five out of seven intervention studies demonstrated a significant decrease in CA after the intervention. This review identified inconsistent associations between CA and various individual and educational factors. More research is needed utilizing rigorous research designs, designs employing qualitative methodology, and studies to investigate the impact of language on CA in health professions students who speak English as a second language.