In-service Days Research Articles

227 An evaluation of pharmacist-delivered medication education in a frailty at the front door interdisciplinary team

Abstract Background Adverse Drg Events (ADEs) are a significant cause of Emergency Department (ED) visits, with a major impact on healthcare resource utilisation. An Inter-disciplinary Team (IDT) in-service day identified pharmacy-delivered education as a priority. Education suited to the diversity of the team is key. This study aimed to evaluate pharmacist-delivered medication education to a Frailty at the Front Door (FFD) interdisciplinary team and assess the degree of importance the FFD team place on medication education. Methods Pharmacist–delivered medication education was conveyed via i) daily board rounds, where issues arising in relation to medication are discussed and ii) the ‘medication minute’, where education topics pertinent to frail older people are presented in a micro learning style applicable for all members. An anonymised, mixed methods questionnaire (open/closed questions) was distributed to the members of the FFD, which consisted of: Consultant Geriatrician, Registrar, Physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, Dietician, Speech and Language Therapist and Clinical Nurse Manager. The questionnaire ranked the effectiveness of the pharmacist mediated medication education using a Likert scale ranging from not at all effective/relevant to extremely effective/relevant. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results Eight (89%) FFD members completed the questionnaire. 37.5% (n = 3) respondents rated board round education as effective or extremely effective. 87% (n = 7) respondents rated the ‘medication minutes’ as extremely effective. 100% (n = 8) respondents said medication education led to improved patient outcomes. 100% (n = 8) of respondents said that understanding patient’s medication was either very or extremely relevant within their role on the interdisciplinary team. Conclusion There is no published evaluation of medication education for IDTs. This IDT agreed that medication education is both relevant and effective for all members, leading to improved patient outcomes. The most effective method was the ‘medication minute’. Work is needed to develop a National model of medication education for IDTs.

Outcomes of a Peer Mentoring Circle: An Innovation to Improve Academic Physician Career Advancement in a Community Hospital Setting.

Faculty retention is a prominent topic in academic medicine. Investment in faculty career development supports faculty vitality, advancement, and retention. Academic physicians in community-based settings far from their academic affiliate may find identifying local career advancement mentorship challenging. In June 2018, a career advancement in-service day at The Children's Hospital of San Antonio and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston was convened to design a peer mentoring circle (PMC). Using self-determination theory, this program aimed to help PMC members develop goals; schedule and attend regular meetings; format, review, and critique member curricula vitae and portfolios; and hold one another accountable to submitting award and promotion applications. Eleven inaugural PMC cohort members attended regular monthly meetings from July 2018 to June 2019 (median, 6 members per meeting). All members were competent in accessing the PMC repository of materials. Statistically significant improvement ( P < .01) was seen in self-reported knowledge and skills relevant to award or academic promotion support and resources. Compared with no patient care or teaching awards and 1 academic promotion among non-PMC faculty, 5 PMC members (45.5%) earned a patient care award, 4 (36.4%) earned a teaching award, and 5 of 10 faculty members (50.0%) achieved academic promotion ( P < .001 for all). On the retrospective pre-post survey, members endorsed several PMC strengths, including personal and emotional support, professional support, and accountability. Next steps include establishing a local faculty development office, convening a second cohort, revising evaluation methods, expanding membership, and offering 1-on-1 career counseling. Community-based academicians who aim to replicate this program should organize a career advancement and faculty development in-service day, identify local faculty members to manage meetings, retain a repository of resources, set deadlines and hold one another accountable to them, and celebrate achievements and support one another in failure.

CORRELATION BETWEEN THE INSPECTION MANUAL SEVERITY CODES AND MOMENT COEFFICIENT FOR DETERIORATED CONCRETE BEAMS

Bridges form a vital part of any countries transport network. Roads users expect that these structures remain safely in-service day after day to enable travelers to complete their intended road journey without disruption. Concrete bridges in particular suffer deterioration due to the harsh environment that they are subjected to such as chloride attack from de-icing salts or carbonation attack due to the atmosphere. Inspection is, therefore, required to ensure that these structures are fit for purpose and safe to use. The UK Bridges Board has developed a comprehensive Inspection Manual to ensure all structures are uniformly inspected and to a high standard. The inspection process involves completing a proforma where defects are graded between 1 (no defect) to 5 (collapse). The inspector is able to use a table (Table G. 10) within the Inspection manual, which provides guidance on severity descriptions for different construction materials. However, for reinforced concrete beams exhibiting main steel corrosion, the relationship between severity of defect and loss of strength is not quantitatively obvious. The paper gives the bridge inspector an appreciation of the loss of strength as a result of corrosion to reinforced concrete simply supported beams. The analysis is mainly concerned with the predicted loss at severity code 3 from the manual, which assumes moderate defect/damage, with some loss of functionality.

Leading Staff Development from the Bottom Up: Penn State Libraries In-Service Days

When Pennsylvania State University Libraries’ administration invited library staff to take leadership in planning an in-service day, what resulted was a rich training experience for both participants and planners, one that has become institutionalized. Now approaching its twelfth year, University Libraries’ Discovery Day continues to grow and develop. This author recounts the genesis and growth of the annual event and articulates the valuable outcomes of staff training and development.

Why do kids get into trouble on school days?

Previous literature highlights a robust relationship between schools and longer term criminal outcomes. The research presented here examines the short term effects of school being in-session on crime. We begin by confirming the findings of Jacob and Lefgren (2003) that teacher in-service days lead to a reduction in violent crime, consistent with a role for social interactions in school. We extend this result by showing that schools populated with more high crime risk students have larger decreases in crime on teacher in-service days but that this effect is reversed for schools with mostly low crime risk students. These results provide evidence that concentrating high crime risk students into particular schools increases local crime.

The Impact of a Professional Development Program on Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, Instruction, and Student Achievement

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we describe findings from a three-year evaluation of a well-developed mathematics professional development program that is commercially available on a wide scale. The professional development is designed to improve teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching and to enable them to elicit more student thinking and reasoning during mathematics lessons. Specifically, it focused on helping teachers (a) learn more mathematics, (b) understand how children learn math, (c) use formative assessment to develop insight into what specific students know and do not know, and (d) develop effective classroom instructional strategies that enable student problem solving. Participants included 105 fourth- and fifth-grade teachers teaching in 19 low-income schools within a single district. Teachers were randomly assigned within schools either to a “business as usual” control group or to receive the professional development. The training consisted of a week-long summer institute and four to six in-service days during the school year. The training was run by full-time trained associates. We find some limited evidence of positive impacts on teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, but no effects on instructional practice or student outcomes.

Are middle school physical education teachers receiving effective professional development?

Professional development is key to effective teaching in any subject and can be achieved through opportunities such as preservice and inservice days, national and regional conference attendance, and involvement in professional organizations. Sears, Edgington, and Hynes (2014) sought to identify how middle school physical educators access and use professional development opportunities and how these experiences affect their teaching practice.

What We Have Done, What We Have Failed to Do by Kevin Irwin

214 Antiphon 18.2 (2014) Chapters 11–13 are a lucid and helpful presentation of how Catholics read and interpret Scripture. Much of what is found here is, unsurprisingly, what is found in Dei Verbum, arguably the most important document of Second Vatican Council. But Hahn presents it in a way that makes it less a system of techniques or a methodology and much more the natural flowering of what he has established in his earlier chapters. How one reads (or, as he notes, hears – for the first millennium and half of its life, the Church encountered the Scriptures not as text to be pored over in a library or private study, but as a text encountered aurally in the context of liturgy and sacrament) the Scriptures is rooted in the living relationship with Christ risen and glorified and encountered in and through his Body, the Church as it engages in its most fundamental and defining act: the worship of God in Christ. For a lengthy account of the historical and philosophical reasons why this is no longer the predominant way that Scripture is read (what he terms its “secularization”), one can now consult Hahn’s latest volume, co-authored with B. Wiker, Politicizing the Bible: The Roots of Historical Criticism and the Secularization of Scripture 1300–1700 (2013). This is a wonderful book and an easy read. It would be most appropriate for use in RCIA, adult faith formation, and even high school catechesis. Hahn provides an orientation to the properly liturgical nature and context of God’s Word, a Word made flesh in Jesus, who continues to feed his people in both Scripture and sacrament. Michael Heintz University of Notre Dame South Bend, Indiana Kevin Irwin What We Have Done, What We Have Failed to Do New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2013 264 pages. Paperback $24.95. One time at a national liturgical conference I was approached by someone who asked whether I was a liberal or conservative. I had the presence of mind to do something I do more rarely than I care to admit: I asked him what he meant. He replied, “You know, liberal , like putting goldfish in the font for ecology Sunday.” Msgr. 215 Book review Irwin has chosen a title for his book that invites us to that same presence of mind. “What We Have Done.” Is it a liberal book? Is he going to celebrate turning the altar, the vernacular, lay liturgical ministers, and full, conscious and active participation? “What We Have Failed to Do.” Is it a conservative book? Is he going to urge greater reverence, familiarity with Latin, chant, more dignified translation? His own answer is to say that “the purpose of this modest book is to shed some light on, and to invite discussion about, the experience in which Catholics have been engaged since the Second Vatican Council in implementing and praying the liturgy as reformed after the Council… [T]he intended tone here is meant to be reverential yet not uncritical of what has been done to implement the reformed rites” (2). I began with my goldfish story because I imagine that even after a day of posturing by the left and the right, in the evening, over drinks, they would discover neither approve of goldfish in the baptismal font. There would be a common ground, even if it was for different reasons. The trick is to find it. Suppose you were in a quiet conversation about the state of liturgy today, and its challenges, would you be willing to broadcast the full range of your thoughts on the liturgical reform, both positive and negative ? This is the act of nerve that Irwin makes, intending this book less for academics and more for the informed Catholic participant and minister of the liturgy. It is neither a how-to book, he says, nor a speculative treatise; rather he envisions it being used at study days or renewal programs, convocations, in-service days, and courses in pastoral liturgy. The Introduction contains a working definition of liturgy a full page in length in order to do justice to the complexity of the mystery. It then proceeds to ask twenty startup questions. I...

Keeping Up With Research

Keeping Up With Research

By the people, for the people: The Oregon State University Libraries annual In-Service Day

On September 10, 2008, the Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries shut its doors . . . for the annual In-Service Day event. Eighty employees from all three OSU libraries gathered at the Valley Library on the OSU main campus. Karyle Butcher, university librarian, strongly supports this annual event planned by library staff for library staff and states that “the goal is to learn, to have fun and to develop better relationships and understanding of the departments and units with the OSU Libraries. My belief is that in doing so, we all work better and have a shared view of what . . .

Why Teacher Networks (Can) Work

Communities of practice, in which learning and teaching are interwoven in social networks, may someday lead to a movement to put thoughtful professional expertise back into schooling. ********** DURING my first month of graduate school, I read that Japanese teachers' school days included time to discuss their practice and plan lessons with their colleagues. Many years have gone by since I came across that information, but sometimes I still think about it. The reason that image of teacher collaboration made such an impression on me, I think, is because I had recently left elementary school teaching after only a few months as a long-term substitute teacher. An important factor in my decision had been that I felt so isolated from other teachers who might have goals similar to mine. The experience of isolation was especially profound because I had just graduated from a small, alternative teacher preparation program called that was based on social theories of learning. The program practiced what it preached. We preservice teachers were engaged in learning in the social context of a community; we studied and discussed practice together, co-taught, supported one another, formed friendships, and developed ongoing collaborations and conversations with colleagues with similar interests. Less than one year after graduating from the Learning Community program, I was in my first teaching job--alone and starved for the kinds of connections I had had and the ideas and support that they had provided. It was only in hindsight, once I began to study teacher networks as a researcher, that I recognized why I was so struck by that article about teaching in Japan. Researching school change in an urban middle school in Philadelphia, I met Jennifer and Ellen, two teachers who were exceptionally well connected to networks of educators drawn together around common interests. These interests included multicultural education, community service learning, teacher research, teaching writing for English-language learners, and more. I was struck by the way Jennifer and Ellen were revitalized by meeting outside the school day with other educators who shared their passions. They were excited by the new ideas that they brought to the school from their networks, and they could trace their own changing practice in terms of those ideas. As was the case for the Japanese teachers and for me in Learning Community, for Jennifer and Ellen, learning and teaching were interwoven in social networks. Since the completion of my research project, I have read the growing literature on teacher professional development networks and have learned that Jennifer and Ellen are not alone. In recent years, teacher networks--defined here as groups of teachers organized for purposes related to teacher learning, inquiry, support, or school improvement--have been embraced by researchers and practitioners alike for their approach to teacher professional development. (1) In contrast to such traditional professional development approaches as workshops or inservice days, networks often reflect a social or constructivist orientation to teacher learning. Many are based on the premises that contexts for teacher learning should endure over time, build on teachers' knowledge and experiences, provide opportunities for critical dialogue and inquiry, and foster the public sharing of practice and understandings. Turning to learning communities outside of their schools, teachers can find everything that schools, too often, are not. NETWORKS AS COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE Researchers and advocates of teacher networks have suggested that one of the reasons that there is so much excitement about this approach to teacher professional development is that networks are examples of communities of practice, (2) a concept developed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. (3) In my view, the power of this idea is in the conceptualization of learning-as-social-participation, which begins with the assumption that engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we learn and so become who we are. …

Effective Time Management in Ensemble Rehearsals

One of the most common problems for school music ensembles is the lack of rehearsal time to prepare for public performances. Many rehearsals are cancelled or shortened due to in-service and vacation days. In addition, because of illness, field trips, and athletic events, not all students attend any one rehearsal. Music directors all too often feel they need to eliminate various parts of the rehearsal-such as proper warm-up, tuning, sight-reading, or exercises for developing students' musicianship-so that more time can be spent on rehearsing performance literature. This approach can be shortsighted, however, because it doesn't necessarily help students improve their ensemble performance. Many factors contribute to an effective rehearsal. The single greatest factor that affects rehearsal success is pacing-the teacher's ability to effectively manage time during the teaching period. Ensemble directors should strive for a learning environment characterized by a consistent level of positive effort and concentration from students, with a proper balance of time allocated for teacher actions (usually verbal feedback) and for student actions (performance of music).

Are Idle Hands the Devil’s Workshop? Incapacitation, Concentration, and Juvenile Crime

This paper examines the short-term effect of school on juvenile crime. To do so, we bring together daily measures of criminal activity and detailed school calendar information from 29 jurisdictions across the country, and utilize the plausibly exogenous variation generated by teacher in-service days. We find that the level of property crime committed by juveniles decreases by 14 percent on days when school is in session, but the level of violent crime increases by 28 percent on such days. Our findings suggest that both incapacitation and concentration influence juvenile crime.

In-Service Day: An Award-Winning Forumla for the University Library

In-Service Day: An Award-Winning Forumla for the University Library

TEACHING NOTES

The text of the article is available in the PDF.

Problems in the early careers of biology teachers and progress beyond the probationary year

Forty-two newly-qualified biology teachers were surveyed about problems encountered in the early years of their careers, in-service opportunities, responsibilities and promotion. Lack of support by colleagues and by heads of biology departments was cited as a major problem, as well as class discipline. Most teachers in this small sampte had accepted responsibility for specific tasks, usually within the biology/science department. The advent of GCSE training and designated in-service days were seen to have had a targe impact on the professional development opportunities offered to new teachers. Suggestions are made for schools, experienced and recently-qualified teachers of biology as well as trainee teachers.

The Unemployment Game

This simulation had its origins in the response to a number of game design workshop sessions which the presenters ran as in-service days for teachers and lecturers. The simulation was conceived as an exercise designed to give the participants empathy with those in the population who are unemployed or have been made redundant. The embryonic simulation is described in outline. The participants in the session were asked to make comments on the experience and to offer suggestions for the final version of the exercise. The response of the participants is discussed.

The Texas Teacher Test

The TECAT, the Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers, is a test of basic literacy that was given to Texas teachers in March, 1986. The test, seen as politically essential to leverage a tax increase and pay raise for teachers, was intended to raise the public esteem of teachers by weeding out incompetents. Teachers expended massive effort in reviewing basic skills and drilling on test format. After two tries 99% of the 210,000 who took the test had passed. Shop teachers, special education-teachers, and coaches were overrepresented among the failures. The costs of district-sponsored workshops and the in-service day to take the test brought its public cost to a sum 10 tunes greater than policy makers had anticipated. Though most teachers agreed that literacy skills are prerequisite to good teaching, paradoxically, most also reported that being threatended by a low-level test of fundamental skills was demoralizing. Ironically, many think that the TECAT damaged public esteem for teachers because stories about incompetence in teaching and portrayals of teachers’ trepidation appeared alongside examples from a very easy test.

The Texas Teacher Test

The TECAT, the Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers, is a test of basic literacy that was given to Texas teachers in March, 1986. The test, seen as politically essential to leverage a tax increase and pay raise for teachers, was intended to raise the public esteem of teachers by weeding out incompetents. Teachers expended massive effort in reviewing basic skills and drilling on test format. After two tries 99% of the 210,000 who took the test had passed. Shop teachers, special education-teachers, and coaches were overrepresented among the failures. The costs of district-sponsored workshops and the in-service day to take the test brought its public cost to a sum 10 tunes greater than policy makers had anticipated. Though most teachers agreed that literacy skills are prerequisite to good teaching, paradoxically, most also reported that being threatended by a low-level test of fundamental skills was demoralizing. Ironically, many think that the TECAT damaged public esteem for teachers because stories about incompetence in teaching and portrayals of teachers’ trepidation appeared alongside examples from a very easy test.

In-service day care training programs: A review and analysis

Fourteen in-service day care training programs for child day care workers are reviewed in this paper. The objectives, training strategies, teaching methods, content evaluation procedures, funding sources and sponsors of the various programs are summarized. An analysis is made of the common features, program differences and general trends. The emergent issues and trends which have implication for the training of child day care workers are discussed.