Identify Role Models Research Articles

Nursing students' processes of taking role models and being role models: A descriptive phenomenological study

BackgroundRole models are frequently viewed as a means of motivating people to adopt new behaviors and inspiring them to establish ambitious targets. Role models play a significant role in the characters of individuals and can be effective in shaping their career choices, education, and identities. Within the nursing profession, role models are integral to nursing students' journey towards understanding the nursing role and professional responsibility. For this reason, it is very important for nursing students to identify role models that support the development of students growth and development. ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the qualities of nurses who serve as role models for senior undergraduate nursing students in shaping their professional attitudes and behaviors, identify the motivations behind selecting these individuals as role models. DesignA descriptive phenomenological research method was used. SettingsThe research was conducted at a state university nursing school. ParticipantsThe study was conducted with the participation of 16 senior nursing students. MethodsData collected from one-on-one interviews. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. ResultsStudent nurses mostly took clinical nurses and lecturers as professional role models. They were most impressed by their role models' knowledge, strong communication skills, and respect for human beings. To imitate their role models, students were willing to work in the clinic to improve their communication and psychomotor abilities and engaged in research and inquiry in areas where they felt insufficient. However, they also reported that most clinical nurses were not positive role models. They avoided taking nurses as role models because they had low communication skills, did not guide the student, and did not value human beings. ConclusionsThe study's findings indicated that student nurses were primarily influenced by clinical nurses and viewed them as both positive and negative role models, and they aspired to emulate the qualities of the nurses they considered positive role models while actively avoiding behaviors and traits associated with those seen as negative role models. Clinical nurses, who are in contact with prospective nurses the most, have an important role in guiding them.

Bringing an EU Joint Action to TikTok: the case of eCAN

Abstract Issue The Joint Action (JA) on strengthening eHealth including telemedicine and remote monitoring for health care systems for cancer prevention and care (eCAN) is a project co-funded by the European Union from 2022 to 2024. The Work Package on Communication (WP2) disseminates the JA's activities and outputs. Social media (SM) is one of the pillars of the communication strategy to promote eCAN and engage target audiences. Although the health sector is often present on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, there are few examples of TikTok use in this area, making it difficult to identify role models. Description of the problem After reviewing other JA's communication channels, eCAN opens six SM accounts and divides them into two groups: written-content focused (Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter) and audiovisual-content focused (Instagram, YouTube & TikTok). The TikTok account aims at innovating the way EU initiatives communicate and disseminate results. At the same time, it is meant to try to achieve a broader scope of audiences by exploring original means to reach them. Results Main results of eCAN's TikTok account for the period mid-January to mid-April 2023*: Followers: 18; Likes: 181; Comments: 1; Nº of posts: 10; Views: 3.355 * Data to be updated with results up to mid-October at the conference. Lessons WP2 faces the barrier of reducing the gap existing in bringing healthcare literacy and scientific accuracy into the much less rigid format TikTok is, particularly regarding cancer and telemedicine outreach. Besides, this social network's rules and algorithms might be challenging in terms of achieving visibility. The success of dissemination strategy depends on an adequate planification of what contents need to be communicated altogether with what the best formats should be used to widen the audiences while maintaining the project's reliability. Key messages • The eCAN JA is the first initiative to incorporate TikTok as a platform for disseminating the projects updates, outcomes and issues related to telemedicine, cancer and digital transformation. • This project explores new tools to be used in the health sector and within EU initiatives for reducing the gap in bringing health literacy and scientific accuracy to broader audiences.

Efficiency benchmarking of wastewater service providers: An analysis based on the Portuguese case

Sustainability is increasingly important in the wastewater treatment sector, and benchmarking studies are needed to identify the best practices in using resources efficiently. This work addresses this need by characterizing and benchmarking this sector in Portugal. Data from around 120 service providers, from 2015 to 2019, regarding inputs consumption, desirable and undesirable outputs, are used in a data envelopment analysis to benchmark these operators and to determine improvement potentials. A productivity change analysis revealed an increase from 2015 to 2019, essentially due to an increased technical efficiency. On the other hand, no real technological change seems to have occurred. A positive effect of the service providers dimension and certifications (quality, environmental and energy) on efficiency was found. Service providers with concessionary governance models and urban typology presented the highest efficiencies, whereas treatment plants underuse contributed negatively to efficiency. These results can inform the definition of strategic policies for the water sector, namely concerning the aggregation of small providers. The proposed methodology, based on the use of a comprehensive new set of studied variables and explanatory factors, allowed to determine the best characteristics regarding the techno-economic efficiency of Portuguese service providers, and can potentially be applied to identify role models in other countries.

The Impact of Role Models, Mentors, and Heroes on Academic and Social Outcomes in Adolescents

BackgroundIdentity formation is a dynamic process and key developmental task that begins in adolescence. During this time, children look to adults as role models and mentors. These adults can have a significant impact on adolescents’ decisions of appropriate or inappropriate behaviors, potentially causing a positive or negative change. Little research has been performed to identify these role models and understand how they affect the development of physical and mental health of children. ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to see if there is a relationship between identified role models, mentors, and/or heroes and adolescents' interest in education, participation in risky behavior, confidence level, happiness, safety, violence-related behaviors, and physical activity. MethodsIn this study, 198 children aged 11-18 years were identified on the scheduling platforms at various Hershey Medical Center sites to take a 10-minute survey via RedCap. The survey identified their role model, mentor, and/or hero and followed up with outcome questions from validated tools.ResultsThe results show that 140 participants (70.7%) identified having a role model compared to 88 (44.4%) having mentors and 61 (30.8%) having heroes, and family members were the most identified figures for each category. There were significant differences between identified categories of role models, mentors, and heroes, and interest in education, happiness, risky behavior, and safety, while no significant differences were found for violence-related behavior, physical activity, and confidence level. Adolescents with family heroes had safer behavior (2.39 ± 0.70) than those with celebrity heroes (3.16 ±1.86, p=0.0277), and those with peer heroes (11.3 ± 2.31) had more risky behavior than those with celebrity heroes (9.16 ± 1.98, p=0.0347). However, children with adult peer heroes had a higher interest in education (2.00 ± 0) compared to those with celebrities (3.79 ± 1.03, p=0.0246) or public figures (3.78 ± 1.09, p=0.0333) as their heroes. Additionally, those with family (3.48 ± 1.05) or adult peers (3.32 ± 1.38) as their mentors had a higher interest in education compared to those with same-age peer mentors (5.80 ± 1.30, p=<0.0001). Adolescents with family mentors also had higher happiness scores (3.25 ± 0.33) than those with same-age peer mentors (2.59 ± 1.47, p=0.0358) and also engaged in safer behavior (2.52 ± 0.80) compared to all other categories (3.03 ±1.59, 0.0462). ConclusionThese results point to the idea that who adolescents choose to look up to has effects on various aspects of their life that could affect both their physical and mental health status, with family members having the most impact. Further research could explore differences between which family members are chosen as role models, mentors, and heroes and what effect they might have on adolescent development.

Promoting the Pipeline of Diverse Individuals Within Gastroenterology: Reflections From AGA FORWARD Program Scholars

Promoting the Pipeline of Diverse Individuals Within Gastroenterology: Reflections From AGA FORWARD Program Scholars

A sports-based intervention for pupils excluded from mainstream education: A systems approach to intervention acceptability and feasibility

Pupil referral units educate young people excluded from mainstream education within England, UK. Exclusion is related to reduced continuation with education and training, unemployment, and an increased likelihood of entrance into the criminal justice system. Sport has been consistently used to improve reintegration into education. However, evidence surrounding sports interventions in this setting is sparse and/or lacks detail surrounding acceptability and feasibility. Systems-based approaches highlight the complexity of multi-component interventions. The current study aimed to independently evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a co-produced sport-based intervention. The intervention used sport, mentorship, education, reflection, and role models to promote health, pro-social, behavioural, and educational outcomes. Conducted in one local authority pupil referral unit within the midlands, England, a sample of 38 pupils (n = 3 females), five support staff, eight teachers, eight mentors and three stakeholders participated in the evaluation. The intervention was evaluated through a multi-method approach which incorporated observation, interviews, visual methods, a pre-experimental study, and examination of school-level data. Data were analysed through an iterative process framed through inductive reasoning, and descriptive statistics. Layers of data were triangulated to produce a systems-map. Within a complex system of social networks and individual differences, the intervention components interacted to influence pupil health and behaviour. Findings suggested that sport is an acceptable and feasible conduit to support mentorship. Participation in sport can mitigate some challenges to engaging in reflection, education, and identifying role models. Challenges relating to acceptability and feasibility could be improved through adopting a robust co-production process beyond simple design centred ‘co-creation’, consideration of emotional and health literacy of pupil cohorts, and deliberation of the factors which shape long-term implementation and sustainability. Research should understand the extent to which our systems-map is replicable in a range of settings.

Role models as a factor influencing career choice among female surgical residents in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Background and purposeRole models in the medical field are professional and experienced persons whose actions unconsciously inspire juniors to strive to be like them. To our knowledge, no studies have examined whether having a female surgical role model has influenced women to pursue a surgical career in Saudi Arabia. Hence, we sought to evaluate whether identifying role models in surgery influences career choice and defined the ideal qualities of a surgical role model as perceived by newly qualified doctors.MethodsWe employed a cross-sectional, survey- based study design, conducted between June 2020 and January 2021, in which female surgical residents completed a questionnaire about their perceptions and influence of role models in general surgery specialty at the time they pursue a career in surgery.ResultsA total of 51 respondents completed the questionnaire. The majority of them (78.4%) had a role model and (19.6%) indicated that their role model was a female. Of those who had a role model, (67.5%) agreed that they experienced a positive influence on their surgical career choice. Clinical and operation skills were reported as the most remarkable factor to be considered in their role models. Working directly with a male surgical consultant and female surgical residents imprinted a positive influence but this did not reach a statistical significance.ConclusionThe findings of this article contribute empirically to the strong effects of the same-sex role models and highlight the curial role of surgical residents in influencing female’s career choices in general surgery as an achievable and attainable domain. Which encourage the creation of national mentorship programs and exploring more in barriers for pursuing a surgical career.

Role Model Characteristics and Impact of Role Models on Medical Students’ Specialty Choices (difficult to catch the concept! can it be “Medical teacher’s role model characteristics and their impact on student’s carrier choice”?)

This was a descriptive type of cross-sectional study conducted to identify the Characteristics /qualities of role model/ medical teachers as perceived by medical students and to identify the influence of role models in selecting subjects for their future career. This descriptive type of cross-sectional study was conducted during July 2019 to June 2020. A semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 868 medical students of phase III and phase IV were the respondents of the study. All available students who were willing to participate in the study were selected and medical colleges were selected purposively. Study revealed that out of 868 respondents 741 (85.4%) had identified role models during the course of their studies and 127 (14.6%) respondents could not identify any role models. It was observed that 91% students opted for clinical subjects while 9% opted for preclinical and para-clinical subjects. With regards to their subjects of choice for future career 21.0% of the students preferred Medicine, followed by Surgery (20.0%), Gynecology (9.2%) and Orthopedics (3.8%).Two hundred and thirty-two (26.7%) of the students did not choose any subject for their future career. Regarding the influence of role models in selecting subjects for future career it was revealed that 334 (61%) respondents felt that role models had influence. Maintaining integrity and neutrality by role models was given the highest importance and general appearance of role model was considered least important by the respondents. (Not clear! is it Role Model Characteristics?).The academic institutes should make an effort to develop the role modeling of faculty by highlighting positive attributes of role models. Teachers should be made aware of the influence of role models on their future colleagues Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.13(1) January 2022: 3-9

Gender balance and impact of role models in secondary science education

Exposure to inspirational and relatable role models is crucial towards fostering engagement of learners with scientific disciplines. However, the representation of scientists in popular culture is still far from being adequately gender- and race-inclusive. This study evaluated the gender balance and impact of scientific role models using a two-pronged experimental approach. The gender balance was investigated in search engines, online databases, and school curricula. A survey was used to investigate English secondary students’ awareness of role models and intentions to pursue further scientific studies. Our findings revealed a widespread female underrepresentation amongst scientific role models in all the analysed online sources and in high school curricula provided by the three main English exam boards. The survey (n = 356) revealed that students were considerably more likely to identify famous male than female scientists. While awareness of female role models was significantly associated with students’ gender, this was not the case for male role models. A statistically significant correlation was also observed between the number of identified role models and intentions to pursue scientific studies in Key Stage 4 girls. This study reinforces the urgency of ensuring school curricula and online resources provide a more modern and inclusive representation of scientists.

Effects of Training to Improve Novice Nurses’ Sense of Coherence

Background: Our previous research concerned the relation between Sense of Coherence, workplace stress, and burnout for nurses in their first three years of work. We found that their psychological state in the first three months on the job was particularly critical to their success and retention. As workplace stress increased over their first three years, their Sense of Coherence declined, and their burnout increased. Follow-up interviews after five years revealed the importance of identifying role models early on and feeling their own growth in the responses of their patients. Based on these findings, in 2015 we instituted a program to improve new nurses’ Sense of Coherence. The present research was to evaluate the effectiveness of this training program. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program in raising Sense of Coherence. Method: From June of 2015 to March of 2017, we surveyed Sense of Coherence of 137 new nurses who completed our training program, comparing them to a cohort of 960 nurses whom we had studied in 2010-11 without such a training program. We analyzed their responses using SPSS Version 24.0, taking a probability of less than 5% to be significant. Results: In terms of Sense of Coherence, the training program improved new nurses’ “comprehensibility” and “manageability” in the first three months, but both dropped to levels comparable to the untrained nurses after six months. There was no significant difference in “meaningfulness”, which dropped over the first year in both groups. Categorized into three groups according to SOC score at the time of employment in the intervention group, 36 participants were classified into the low score group, 41 participants were classified into the medium score group, and 44 participants were classified into the high score group. Then changes in SOC in each group were then compared. In the LOW group, the scores for “comprehensibility”, “manageability”, and “meaningfulness” increased significantly throughout the year, while in the HIGH group, scores decreased significantly. Conclusions: Our training program did raise new nurses’ sense of growth over the first year, and significantly improved their “comprehensibility” and “manageability” over the first three months. However, the fact that their Sense of Coherence dropped to control group levels after six months suggests the need for further intervention to maintain “comprehensibility” and “manageability” over the longer term. In the LOW group, the scores for “comprehensibility”, “manageability”, and “meaningfulness” increased significantly throughout the year, however, the total SOC score for the LOW group remained low throughout the year. Thus, additional support is needed over-and-above the training presented in this study for those nurses with low SOC scores at time of employment.

Psychosocial resilience among left-behind adolescents in rural Thailand: A qualitative exploration.

When parents migrate, they often leave children behind with relatives. Despite being at higher risk of socio-emotional problems, many left-behind children have good health and social outcomes, suggesting their resilience. We sought to understand how adolescents with internal and international migrant parents build resilience in Thailand. We conducted qualitative interviews with 24 adolescents aged 10-19, and six caregivers, parents and community leaders. Interviews were transcribed, translated and analysed, drawing on techniques from grounded theory. We found that resilience was built in a context where for many families, migration was a financial necessity and the parent-child relationship was mainly phone-based. Adolescents built resilience using three key 'resources': warmth (love and understanding), financial support and guidance. Adolescents with insecure parent or caregiver relationships, or with caring responsibilities for relatives, were less likely to have access to these resources. These adolescents sought emotional and financial independence, prioritised friendships and identified role models to obtain key resources and build resilience. The findings indicate practical and psychosocial barriers to building resilience among left-behind adolescents in Thailand. Further work could explore pathways to mental illness in this population, interventions that build peer networks and caregiver-child relationships and the use of technology to support remote parenting.

How to Promote Career Advancement and Gender Equity for Women in Gastroenterology: A Multifaceted Approach

How to Promote Career Advancement and Gender Equity for Women in Gastroenterology: A Multifaceted Approach

Helping Undergraduates Generate Internship Opportunities Through Relationship Marketing: A Case Report

Undergraduate students often seek summer or academic-year internships as part of their academic and professional development. This case report illustrates a systematic self-marketing approach to generating internship opportunities, based on the theory of diffusion of innovations, and insights from the field of relationship marketing. Steps in the process for obtaining job or internship offers include: identifying areas of desired contribution; enlisting allies; identifying role models; interviewing role models; and demonstrating your value and joining the team. This case report illustrates how one student followed these steps to generate an internship opportunity. Overall, relationship marketing skills can help students improve their career prospects. Diverse students from under-resourced backgrounds may face barriers to accessing allies and role models. Such students should seek out pipeline programs that provide mentoring and other connections. These programs will improve student ability to engage in relationship marketing by expanding their network of allies, role models, and mentors. Employers should also identify pipeline programs and partner with them to assure greater inclusion of students from under-resourced backgrounds in their internship programs.

ROLE MODEL OF AGING AND ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING IN ASIAN AMERICANS

While having a role model for successful aging may have a beneficial influence and promote successful aging throughout the course of one’s life, very little empirical research has examined role models for successful aging, particularly among Asian Americans. The current study examined Asian Americans’ role models for successful aging and their link with attitudes toward own aging with a sample of 135 individuals aged 18 to 74 years (Mage = 36.76, SD = 14.73; female, 71.9%). Participants were asked whether they had a specific role model for successful aging and, if they had, the reasons why the role models were chosen. Participants’ open-ended answers were then analyzed using qualitative content analysis using a coding scheme drawn from a prior study on role models for successful aging (Jopp et al., 2016). The categories most often mentioned were public figures, followed by parents, other relatives, non-specific persons, grandparents, non-family acquaintances, and self. Participants with at least one family role model were more likely to have positive attitudes toward aging, and this effect was strong even after controlling for ethnic identity, filial obligation, self-rated health, and other demographic variables. The present study suggests that Asian Americans identify role models for successful aging both within their immediate families and among public figures, while family role models are more likely to promote the development of positive attitudes toward own aging. The implications for understanding Asian Americans’ role models on motivating, promoting, and facilitating positive aging processes will be discussed.

‘I wish I was someone else’: complexities in identity formation and professional wellbeing in veterinary surgeons

BackgroundThere is widespread concern surrounding veterinarians’ mental health. Upon entering the profession, early career veterinary surgeons encounter colleagues with diverse and conflicting identities, manifesting in their differential prioritisation of definitive...

Midwifery students’ perspectives on how role models contribute to becoming a midwife: A qualitative study

BackgroundThe dynamics of maternal and newborn care challenge midwifery education programs to keep up-to-date. To prepare for their professional role in a changing world, role models are important agents for student learning. ObjectiveTo explore the ways in which Dutch and Icelandic midwifery students identify role models in contemporary midwifery education. MethodsWe conducted a descriptive, qualitative study between August 2017 and October 2018. In the Netherlands, 27 students participated in four focus groups and a further eight in individual interviews. In Iceland, five students participated in one focus group and a further four in individual interviews. All students had clinical experience in primary care and hospital. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. ResultsDuring their education, midwifery students identify people with attitudes and behaviors they appreciate. Students assimilate these attitudes and behaviors into a role model that represents their ‘ideal midwife’, who they can aspire to during their education. Positive role models portrayed woman-centered care, while students identified that negative role models displayed behaviors not fitting with good care. Students emphasized that they learnt not only by doing, they found storytelling and observing important aspects of role modelling. Students acknowledged the impact of positive midwifery role models on their trust in physiological childbirth and future style of practice. ConclusionRole models contribute to the development of students’ skills, attitudes, behaviors, identity as midwife and trust in physiological childbirth. More explicit and critical attention to how and what students learn from role models can enrich the education program.

Exploring Identity-Safety Cues and Allyship Among Black Women Students in STEM Environments

Black women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and report feeling unwelcome in STEM. A successful scientist exemplar or role model may signal to Black women they are valued in STEM environments. We investigated who acts as an identity-safety cue for Black women. In Study 1, Black women students who learned about a Black man or a Black woman professor in a hypothetical School of Science and Engineering reported greater anticipated belonging and trust, relative to those learning about a White man or a White woman professor. In Study 2, we recruited Black women STEM majors from a predominantly White institution and a women-only historically Black college. We examined how both groups identified role models in STEM and assessed how perceptions that role models were allies related to belonging in the institution and belonging in STEM. Across both educational environments, having Black women and Black men role models, and perceiving role models who lacked a common racial identity as allies, positively related to belonging in the institution. We encourage the use of Black exemplars and role models, as well as allies, in interventions geared toward increasing belonging among Black women in STEM. Additional online materials for this article are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/0361684319830926 and a podcast for instructors who want to use this article for teaching is available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index

Role Modeling for Female Surgeons in Japan.

Japan is still a patriarchal society. There is an increasing number of female doctors who wish to follow a career path in surgery. This new generation of female surgeons need support not only in their career but also in work-life balance, especially after they have a family. We founded the Japan Association of Women Surgeons (JAWS) with the aims to advance females in surgery by providing networking and to develop leadership, mentorship, education, expertise and advocacy. This article describes our philosophy and activities, and our concept of role modeling. To find a single perfect role model is impossible in Japan, because lifestyle and family situations are quite different among individuals. Many young doctors in Japan find difficulties in identifying role models appropriate to their own situations. Our concept of remote role modeling is to identify multiple outstanding persons with excellent roles that one wishes to emulate; classify them by field of work, lifestyle, family situations, and others; then select the parts that one needs and assemble them to customize one's own ideal role model. This type of role modeling is probably the most practical approach. While modern technology is good for communication, meeting role models in person at meetings and social occasions is important in building an ideal role model.

Mentorship Experiences of Early-Career Academic Radiation Oncologists in North America

Given concerns about attrition and career outcomes of academic radiation oncologists, we sought to gather empirical evidence regarding mentorship experiences. We surveyed academic radiation oncologists in the United States and Canada who were within 5years of board certification, using a pretested questionnaire that included 14 questions evaluating the following aspects of mentorship: relationship development, peer mentorship, satisfaction with mentorship, sponsorship, relationship nature, informal interactions, mentoring roles, presence of a primary mentor, and primary mentor characteristics. We described responses and evaluated associations with gender in separate multivariable regression models that adjusted for years in practice, nature of research, possession of higher degrees, and race. Of 347 faculty surveyed, 221 responded (64% response rate); 66% of respondents were men. Over half of respondents indicated difficulty in identifying role models (56%, n=124); just under half reported ease in developing mentoring relationships (49%, n=108). Peer-mentor use was commonly reported (62%, n=138). Most respondents (66%, n=145) spent ≤1hour per month meeting with mentors. Only 51% (n=112) reported having a primary mentor. Just under half of all respondents reported being very or somewhat satisfied with their mentorship experiences (49%, n=108). These findings suggest a need for academic radiation oncology departments to facilitate mentorship of all junior faculty through deliberate, structured programs, with training of mentors and mentees alike. It is heartening that substantial rates of sponsorship and peer-mentorship use were reported, which may serve as the grounding for further initiatives.

Inspiration from the “Biggest Loser”: Social Interactions in a Weight Loss Program

We investigate the role of heterogeneous peer effects in encouraging healthy lifestyles. Our analysis revolves around one of the largest and most extensive databases about weight loss that track individual participants’ meeting attendance and progress in a large national weight loss program. The main finding is that, although weight loss among average-performing peers has a negative effect on an individual’s weight loss, the corresponding effect for the top performer among peers is positive. Furthermore, we show that our results are robust to potential issues related to selection into meetings, endogenous peer outcomes, individual unobserved heterogeneity, lagged dependent variables, and contextual effects. Ultimately, these results provide guidance about how the weight loss program should identify role models.