Higher Proportion Of Graduates Research Articles

Public Health and General Preventive Medicine Training: A National Survey

Little is known about the current experiences of Public Health/General Preventive Medicine (PH/GPM) residents and graduates in the United States. This cross-sectional study of PH/GPM residents and graduates examined their knowledge of the field and career choices after graduation. We developed a questionnaire to address medical education, graduate medical training prior to Preventive Medicine (PM), current PM training, and post-graduation goals.Data was stratified by residency status (resident vs graduate), and board-eligibility (dual-eligible vs solely PH/GPM). Bivariate analysis of quantitative data was performed using Fisher’s test. Qualitative data were organized into themes and analyzed quantitatively. Of those invited to participate, a total of 153 (18.25%) PH/GPM residents and graduates responded to the survey. We found diversity in prior medical education/training among respondents. Overall, debt burden at the start of training was low compared to national trends. Compared to residents, a higher proportion of graduates were board-eligible in another specialty (p<0.001). Most respondents felt that their programs provided them with opportunities to acquire skills essential for a career in PM. Ninety-one percent of graduates were board-certified in PH/GPM. Respondents expressed a wide range of career interests, including government work and academia. Difficulty with marketing themselves as PM physicians was frequently cited as a reason for the difficulty in securing a PM job.The results inform the PM community with current trends in PH/GPM training and career obstacles faced by PM graduates.

Interventional rheumatology: the competence of Brazilian rheumatologists

ObjectivesDescribe Brazilian rheumatologists's competence in interventional rheumatology; assess the association between this ability and demographic and training variables. MethodsA cross-sectional study with 500 Brazilian rheumatologists. Participants were assessed by self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographics, training, practice in office and knowledge in interventional rheumatology data. Results463 participants had their data analyzed. The mean age was 40.2 years (±11.2). 70% had performed periarticular injections and 78% had performed intra-articular injections. The sample was divided into three groups: non-interventionist, little interventionist and very interventionist. The non-interventionist group showed (p<0.001–0.04) higher mean age, lower proportion of university bond, lower training history, higher proportion of graduates in the Southeast country, and higher proportion of graduates in the 1980s to 1989. The very interventionist group showed higher (p<0.001–0.018) proportion of adult rheumatologists, higher proportion of university bond, longer training time with greater practice of complex procedures, and higher proportion of graduates, trained and with private practice in the South country. Variables most associated with the very interventionist subgroup are performing axial intra-articular injections (OR: 7.4, p<0.001), synovial biopsy (OR: 5.75, p=0.043), image-guided IAI (OR: 4.16, p<0.001), viscosupplementation (OR=3.41, p<0.001), joint lavage (OR=3.22, p=0.019), salivary gland biopsy (OR=2.16, p=0.034) and over 6-month training (OR: 2.16, p=0.008). ConclusionsPerforming more complex invasive procedures and over 6-month training in interventional rheumatology were variables associated with enhanced interventional profile.

Reumatologia intervencionista: competência dos reumatologistas brasileiros

ObjectivesDescribe Brazilian rheumatologists's competence in interventional rheumatology (IR); assess the association between this ability and demographic and training variables. MethodsA cross‐sectional study with 500 Brazilian rheumatologists. Participants were assessed by self‐administered questionnaire consisting of demographics, training, practice in office and knowledge in IR data. Results463 participants had their data analyzed. The mean age was 40.2 years (± 11.2). 70% had performed periarticular injections (PAI) and 78% had performed intra‐articular injections (IIA). The sample was divided into three groups: non‐interventionist, little interventionist and very interventionist. The non‐interventionist group showed (p<0,001–0,04) higher mean age, lower proportion of university bond, lower training history, higher proportion of graduates in the Southeast country, and higher proportion of graduates in the 1980s to 1989. The very interventionist group showed higher (p<0,001 ‐ 0,018) proportion of adult rheumatologist, higher proportion of university bond, longer training time greater practice of complex procedures, higher proportion of graduates, trained and with private practice in the South country. Variables most associated to the very interventionist subgroup: performing axial IIA (OR: 7.4, p<0.001), synovial biopsy (OR: 5.75, p=0.043), image‐guided IIA (OR: 4.16, p<0.001) viscosupplementation (OR=3.41, p<0.001), joint lavage (OR=3.22, p=0.019), salivary gland biopsy (OR=2.16, p=0.034) and over 6‐month training (OR: 2.16, p=0.008). ConclusionsPerforming more complex invasive procedures and over 6‐month training in IR were variables associated with enhanced interventional profile.

The influence of a clinical rural placement programme on the work location of new dental graduates from the University of Sydney, NSW, Australia

In Australia, as in many other countries there is a disparity in the number of dentists working in rural locations compared with metropolitan areas, and this is a growing problem. The aim of the research was to monitor the location of recent graduates who undertook a rural clinical placement whilst in the final year of Sydney Dental School, to determine whether it influenced their choice of job location. Students who graduated in 2008 and 2009 were followed up to ascertain their working location. Forty per cent of the 2009 graduates participated in a rural placement during their undergraduate degree and 60% did not. In 2008, none of the students went on a rural placement as the scheme had not been implemented. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) internet website was used to find the working location of the graduates. The rural, remote and metropolitan areas (RRMA) classification system was used to classify which areas of Australia were metropolitan, regional, rural and remote zones. The graduates of 2008 and 2009 were followed up in 2011 and 2012 to ascertain their working location. In 2011, 12.7% of the 2008 graduates were employed in a rural location compared to 27.6% of the entire 2009 graduating class. In 2011, of those 2009 graduates who participated in the rural placement programme, 44.8% were working in a rural or remote region compared to 17% of the graduates who did not participate. In 2012, the second follow-up found that 18.6% of the 2008 graduates were working in a rural location compared to 25.9% of all the 2009 graduates. In 2012, 43.3% of the 2009 rural placement participants were found to be working in a rural location compared to 14.9% of the non-participants. The study followed up recent dental graduates' working locations to provide longitudinal evidence of the influence of an undergraduate rural placement programme on their work choices. It was found that a higher proportion of graduates who participated in the rural placement programme were working in a rural location when compared with those who had not been offered a placement.

Academic and professional career outcomes of medical school graduates who failed USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt

This study sought to determine the academic and professional outcomes of medical school graduates who failed the United States Licensing Examination Step 1 on the first attempt. This retrospective cohort study was based on pooled data from 2,003 graduates of six Midwestern medical schools in the classes of 1997-2002. Demographic, academic, and career characteristics of graduates who failed Step 1 on the first attempt were compared to graduates who initially passed. Fifty medical school graduates (2.5 %) initially failed Step 1. Compared to graduates who initially passed Step 1, a higher proportion of graduates who initially failed Step 1 became primary care physicians (26/49 [53 %] vs. 766/1,870 [40.9 %]), were more likely at graduation to report intent to practice in underserved areas (28/50 [56 %] vs. 419/1,939 [ 21.6 %]), and more likely to take 5 or more years to graduate (11/50 [22.0 %] vs. 79/1,953 [4.0 %]). The relative risk of first attempt Step 1 failure for medical school graduates was 13.4 for African Americans, 7.4 for Latinos, 3.6 for matriculants >22 years of age, 3.2 for women, and 2.3 for first generation college graduates. The relative risk of not being specialty board certified for those graduates who initially failed Step 1 was 2.2. Our observations regarding characteristics of graduates in our study cohort who initially failed Step 1 can inform efforts by medical schools to identify and assist students who are at particular risk of failing Step 1.

Creating diversity in the healthcare workforce. The role of pre-registration nurse education in the UK.

It has been suggested that the introduction of first the diploma pre-registration course and then the three-year degree pre-registration course are likely to have an impact upon the diversity of the future nursing workforce in the UK. Using findings from three large-scale projects, this paper assesses the nature of these changes by comparing the diversity within recently qualified cohorts of graduate, diplomate and certificate-qualified nurses. Findings indicate little difference between the three groups in terms of gender and ethnic origin. A higher proportion of graduates had academic qualifications, which were generally higher than the qualifications held by the other groups of nurses. However, diplomates were the most diverse group overall, being older and more likely to have children, and also having greater previous working experiences. The overall conclusion is that, despite qualification differences, the level of diversity amongst degree-qualifiers was a return to the lower levels associated with qualifiers from certificate courses. Thus the introduction of degree courses may dilute the relative success of the diploma course in terms of the recruitment of a more diverse workforce. The findings are considered in the context of current debates about the future shape of nurse education in the UK.

Undergraduate public health education: a workforce perspective.

To describe the career paths of students who majored in public health at the undergraduate level and to assess the skills and knowledge these graduates believed were most useful to them in the public health workforce. A telephone survey was conducted of all graduates from Adelaide University's Bachelor of Health Sciences degree from 1992-99 who had majored in public health (124 graduates). The response rate to the graduate survey was 71%. Using the definition of public health functions from the National Delphi Study on Public Health Functions to delineate the public health workforce, 59% of respondents were employed in public health. Graduates working in public health valued generic skills such as communication and collaboration more highly than more specific public health skills and knowledge areas. However, they also believed their undergraduate course would have been improved by a more practical orientation. A high proportion of graduates from this generalist degree who major in public health find employment in the public health workforce. They greatly value the generic skills associated with their undergraduate public health education and believe their entry into the workforce would have been further facilitated by stronger links between their academic program and the working environment of public health professionals. Studies of workforce training programs in public health must differentiate between the educational needs of undergraduate and postgraduate students. In particular, strategies need to be developed to provide stronger links between undergraduate students and the public health workforce.

Survey of Doctoral Programs in Personality and Social Psychology, 1992

The size, admissions, support for students, requirements, curriculum content, completion rates, and student placements of 57 doctoral programs in personality and social psychology were surveyed in 1992. Programs offering more financial support were more selective in admissions and had higher completion rates. Larger programs attracted students with higher Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores but placed a smaller proportion of graduates into psychology departments. Programs with higher GRE scores and more placement success had a higher proportion of minority students. Comparisons with a similar survey conducted 6 years earlier showed that there were fewer programs in 1992 but that they offered their students more financial support and placed a higher proportion of graduates in academic or postdoctoral jobs. Programs in 1992 had more requirements but less curricular coverage of the content surveyed. Possible reasons for these changes, how to measure program quality, program types, and directions for future research are discussed.

CAREER MANAGEMENT AND THE CAREER PRODUCT: SUCCESS IN GRADUATE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

A high proportion of graduates expect to leave their first employer within four years or less, many using their first appointment as a “stepping stone”. Graduate retention is therefore a key issue, and a growing problem, in long‐term corporate success. The ways in which organisations should meet the development needs of graduates in order to improve future retention rates are discussed. The concepts of Career Management and the graduate Career Product and its analogy with the new product development process are described. It is shown why, and how, companies must fully develop the internal elements of their Career Product in order to attract and retain suitable graduates. The key elements, as perceived by engineering graduates, are opportunities for career development, together with the challenging nature, and the content of their work. These aspirations reflect the need for companies to focus on career and job‐related factors as opposed to company specific information in attracting and recruiting graduates. Having developed the Career Product to its full potential, these facts must be clearly communicated to the undergraduate population. In this respect, the importance of regular, face‐to‐face contact with applicants, through interviews, is stressed.

The Vocational Route to Higher Education

Plans to increase the number of students entering higher education are welcomed; although it is argued that student loans do not fit in with this policy, and that in reality higher education requires extra funding. The way to expand higher education is seen as through a high‐status vocational route. This is contrasted with current forms of vocational schooling. A good general education for students up to the age of 16 is proposed, with subsequent quality vocational training which encourages access to higher education. The increased status of the vocational route will follow and, in return, high quality vocational education will offer motivation for schools, a higher proportion of graduates and more highly qualified staff.

Training and career preferences of undergraduates majoring in psychology

Undergraduate students at three Australian universities (La Trobe, Melbourne, Monash) answered questions on their educational background, reasons for training in psychology, course preferences, and career objectives Most students had enrolled in psychology primarily through a desire to work for and with people. The preferred specializations for training and employment were counselling and clinical psychology. Teaching and social work were the most commonly identified career alternatives to psychology. Relatively few students are oriented towards employment in the private sector. Students are seeking to train and work in human services contexts at a time when potential employers are recruiting on a reduced scale. Universities may need to change not only their training practices but their basis for selecting students in order to produce a higher proportion of graduates who are oriented towards non-traditional employment.

The Uses of a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology: Careers of Recent Graduates of a Maritime University

What happens to sociology graduates? A mailed questionnaire follow-up study of 267 recent graduates of a maritime university revealed that most of them continue their education in a professional or semi-professional school, usually a school of education or a school of social work. A high proportion of graduates, especially women, become teachers. Many obtain jobs in social welfare agencies, whether or not they continue their education. A small percentage without further education get jobs as research workers for government departments. The women all seem to be oriented to work outside the home, even if presently unemployed. They tend, however, to be in traditional "women's occupations" or "semi-professions," and rarely in supervisory or administrative positions. The graduates in sociology of this maritime university come in high proportions from blue-collar backgrounds. They tend to see their own careers as being upwardly mobile through normal progression to administrative, supervisory, and managerial positions in the educational, social service, and public service sectors of society. They are also geographically mobile, but most migration is within the province or the region. The results are compared with the findings of another study of the careers of 1976 and 1977 graduates in other disciplines and faculties of the same university. Some of the policy implications of the study, (from the perspectives of students, teachers, administrators, and governments) are discussed.