Occupational Background Research Articles

Physician Assistant Job Satisfaction: A Narrative Review of Empirical Research.

To examine physician assistant (PA) job satisfaction and identify factors predicting job satisfaction and identify areas of needed research. With a global PA movement underway and a half-century in development, the empirical basis for informing employers of approaches to improve job satisfaction has not received a careful review. A narrative review of empirical research was undertaken to inform stakeholders about PA employment with a goal of improved management. The a priori criteria included published studies that asked PAs about job satisfaction. Articles addressing PA job satisfaction, written in English, were reviewed and categorized according to the Job Characteristics Model. Of 68 publications reviewed, 29 met criteria and were categorized in a Job Characteristics Model. Most studies report a high degree of job satisfaction when autonomy, income, patient responsibility, physician support, and career advancement opportunities are surveyed. Age, sex, specialty, and occupational background are needed to understand the effect on job satisfaction. Quality of studies varies widely. Employers may want to examine their relationships with PAs periodically. The factors of job satisfaction may assist policymakers and health administrators in creating welcoming professional employment environments. The main limitation: no study comprehensively evaluated all the antecedents of job satisfaction. PAs seem to experience job satisfaction supported by low attrition rates and competitive wages. Contributing factors are autonomy, experienced responsibility, pay, and supportive supervising physician. A number of intrinsic rewards derived from the performance of the job within the social environment, along with extrinsic rewards, may contribute to overall job satisfaction. PA job satisfaction research is underdeveloped; investigations should include longitudinal studies, cohort analyses, and economic determinants.

Party affiliation rather than former occupation: the background of central bank governors and its effect on monetary policy

We find that tenures of central bank governors who are affiliated with a political party are characterized by a relatively dovish monetary policy stance. In general, party affiliation is more important than occupational background for the degree of hawkishness.

The Declining Dominance of Lawyers in U.S. Federal Politics

While the ubiquity of lawyers in U.S. electoral politics is well known, there has been almost no research on how their prevalence has changed over time, why these changes might have occurred, or the consequences of any such shift. This article helps address these gaps. Using a unique data set that extends over two hundred years of the occupational background of members of the U.S. Congress, it confirms widespread perceptions that lawyers have long dominated Congress. However, it also finds that this dominance is in slow, but steady, retreat. In the mid-19th century almost 80% of members were lawyers. By the 1960s this had dropped to under 60%, and by 2015 it was less than 40%. The article puts forward a set of arguments about why lawyers have traditionally had such success in U.S. electoral politics, including their affinity for lawmaking, the politicization of the U.S. justice system, and advantages in terms of career flexibility and access to resources. It claims lawyers’ electoral decline is largely the result of changes within the legal profession as well as new electoral competition, particularly from an emerging professionalized political class comprised of political aides and members of civil society that have made politics a career. The article argues lawyers’ prevalence in Congress has had at least three effects. First, it has impacted Congressional outcomes. While lawyer legislators generally have similar voting records as other members, evidence is presented here for the first time that members of the House of Representatives who are lawyers have been more likely to support the funding of civil legal aid, potentially pointing to a larger set of behavioral differences between lawyer and non-lawyer legislators, especially in their approach to policies related to the legal system. Second, law, as a “gateway” occupation into politics, has affected Congressional diversity. The article presents new evidence that lawyer members of Congress have historically been less likely to be women, indicating that the hurdles women have faced in law have possibly reduced their representation in Congress. Third, lawyers’ prevalence in Congress has impacted the legal profession and the larger legal system. Lawyers’ decline in Congress, and politics more generally, has likely reduced the number of politically oriented students who enter law and contributed to perceptions that the profession has become less civic-minded. The even more precipitous decline in Congress of former judges may be helping depoliticize the judiciary even more quickly than the bar. The article concludes by claiming that law schools and the profession need to more actively address diversity challenges as well as provide better training in leadership if they want lawyers to remain central to and be as positive a force as possible in electoral politics in the United States.

Pupil diameter, working distance and illumination during habitual tasks. Implications for simultaneous vision contact lenses for presbyopia

PurposeTo determine working distance, pupil diameter and illumination in real life conditions in a sample of presbyopic participants performing habitual tasks. MethodsA total of 59 presbyopic subjects (aged between 45 and 63 years) with different occupational backgrounds participated in the study. Participants were first interviewed regarding their habitual tasks with the aid of an ad hoc questionnaire, following which in-office photopic and mesopic pupil diameter was determined. Pupil diameter was also evaluated while participants conducted each of the self-reported habitual tasks by taking a photograph, which was later submitted to image analysis. In addition, working distance was determined with a measuring tape and the illumination that reached the pupil during each of the different tasks was measured, in lux, with a light meter. ResultsThe four most common habitual tasks were computer use, reading, sewing and sports. A high intersubject variability was found in pupil diameter, working distance and illumination conditions while conducting the same task. Statistically significant differences were found between the in-office measured photopic and mesopic pupil diameters and those obtained while participants were conducting their habitual tasks in real life conditions (all p<0.001). ConclusionsPotential multifocal contact lens users may present with different ages, different jobs or hobbies and different preferences regarding lighting conditions and working distances. This results in different pupil size, even within the same task. This information may be critical when selecting a particular lens design and add power. Eye care practitioners are therefore advised to assess pupil diameter in real life conditions.

What would encourage help-seeking for memory problems among UK-based South Asians? A qualitative study

ObjectivesPeople from Minority Ethnic groups tend to present late to dementia services, often in crisis. Culture-specific barriers to help-seeking seem to underlie this. We sought to determine these barriers to...

Epidemiological data on airborne contact dermatitis - results of the IVDK.

Airborne contact dermatitis (AirbCD) is not uncommon, according to a large number of published case reports and review articles. Epidemiological data on AirbCD based on larger clinical samples have not yet been published. To investigate demographic characteristics and patch test reactivity in patients diagnosed with both occupational and non-occupational AirbCD. A retrospective analysis of data from the Information Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK), 1994-2013, including 201 344 consecutively patch tested patients, was performed. One thousand two hundred and three patients (0.6%) were diagnosed with AirbCD, 421 (35.0%) of these with an occupational background. Occupational dermatitis and face involvement were more prevalent than in patients without AirbCD (n = 200 141). Sensitization to epoxy resin and sensitization to methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI)/methylisothiazolinone (MI) were significantly associated with AirbCD, and there was a trend for sensitization to Compositae mix and/or sesquiterpene lactone mix to be associated with AirbCD. Adhesives, plastics, construction materials, paints and varnishes in occupational cases, and plants in non-occupational cases, were the most commonly documented culprit product categories. AirbCD is more common in patients with occupational dermatitis than in patients with non-occupational dermatitis. In our clinical sample, components of epoxy resin systems, MCI/MI and Compositae allergens were the most important contact allergens associated with AirbCD. Patch testing with additional allergens is important.

Why Librarianship? A Comparative Study Between University of Tsukuba, University of Hong Kong, University of British Columbia and Shanghai University

Career decisions are motivated in part by our internal values, but also are influenced strongly by innumerable external forces perceived in the context of our lives. In the research reported here, we explore various social, cultural, economic and educational factors, as well as personal and professional reasons that influence students in choosing Library and Information Science (LIS) professions as a career. Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students from four universities located in four different countries were invited to take part in an online questionnaire survey. The universities were Shanghai University (SHU), the University of British Columbia (UBC), the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the University of Tsukuba (UT). In total, 175 self-completed questionnaires were collected. Survey results indicated that students enrolled in MLIS programmes were predominately female. Differences and similarities were encountered for the different sites. For example HKU and UBC had the largest number of students with graduate-level qualifications prior to entering the MLIS programme; and students at HKU and UBC tended to vary widely in terms of their educational and occupational backgrounds. For the majority of the HKU and UBC respondents, the decision to obtain a professional qualification in LIS was driven by the desire to maximize the benefits of a career change or for career advancement, while the majority of respondents at the UT and SHU did not have a job or much work experience. While the total surveyed populations are small; the study will be of interest and value to LIS educators and administrators responsible for recruiting MLIS graduates and hiring LIS professions.

Antecedentes ocupacionales documentados en la historia clínica de pacientes con diagnóstico de cáncer pulmonar

ObjetiveThe purpose of the research is to describe the type of information relating to the working lives of patients diagnosed with lung cancer, recorded in their medical histories and explore possible behaviours or events associated with the documentation of this information. MethodsUsing a cross-sectional study, 367 medical records of patients diagnosed with lung cancer were analysed for the period 2007-2010 from the National Cancer Institute in Bogota (Colombia), in which information of registered job type was identified. Descriptive analyses of the data reported were performed, as well as a multiple correspondence analysis to explore possible associations between variables and the occupational information report. ResultsOf the medical records analysed, 32% reported information related to occupational background. The main variable registered was the name of occupation or job, 29,7% of the total records analysed. Recording occupational information does not seem to provide relevant elements to the diagnosis of occupational lung cancer.Similarly, the demographic characteristics of patients and documentation of any information that may suggest exposure to carcinogens in the workplace does not appear to influence the depth of occupational history. ConclusionRegistration of occupational background in the medical records of patients with lung cancer of the INC is scarce and imprecise and does not provide any evidence that it provides a deeper understanding.

Assessment of work postures and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among porcelain industry workers

Background: Today, the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is considered as a vital issue and one of the highest national priorities. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating occupational postures and the prevalence of MSDs among porcelain industry workers of the city of Rasht, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in 2015 on 66 workers, active in different factory units and chosen through stratified random sampling. To determine the frequency of MSDs symptoms in different body parts of the workers, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used. To evaluate the risk of MSDs, the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method was utilized. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent t-test, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Based on the data obtained through the questionnaires, 36% of the studied population had experienced pain at least in one body part in the last 12 months. The frequency of pain in the waist, hand and wrists, and neck was the most. According to the data collected through JCQ, the total score of job content had a statistically significant relationship with subjects age and their occupational background (P less-than 0.001, r = -0.549, and r = -0.704, respectively). Mean REBA scores of workers suggested that printing, carpentry, engineering, and material supplement units (scores: 6-6.5) were the most dangerous units, and the enameling unit (score: 4) had the least amount of risk in the porcelain industry. Conclusions: The present study indicated that, in the studied industry, work posture correction with the help of correction stations and appropriate training is absolutely necessary.

Do Patients Want to Know about Surgeon Experience?

IntroductionWe assess patient interest in obtaining information on surgeon training as part of informed consent before undergoing a “new” procedure. MethodsAfter receiving institutional review board approval a survey was administered by neutral third parties to patients at 2 outpatient settings. Exclusion criteria were reading level below sixth grade, nonEnglish speakers and pregnancy. Demographic data included age and race as gender was controlled for only females. Occupational health care background was investigated at clinic 2 only. The survey included the 3 components of the REALM-SF (rapid adult literacy estimate based on 7 medical words), STAI-X2 (trait anxiety questionnaire) and a specifically designed observer questionnaire with yes/no answers. This questionnaire included question 1 (Q1)—Should the consent form include the number of times a surgeon has performed this type of new surgery? and question 2 (Q2)—Should a consent form include when the surgeon started to perform this new surgery? Descriptive statistics were used. ResultsThere were 22 patients at location 1 and 97 at location 2 who met the study inclusion criteria. Overall 77.3% of patients from both locations wanted to obtain this information (ie answered yes to Q1 and Q2). Age (p=0.0153) and race (p=0.0250) were statistically significant factors for Q1 but not for Q2. REALM-SF and STAI-X2 scores did not significantly affect responses at either location, nor did occupational health care background at clinic 2. ConclusionsThree-quarters of the women queried would like to know more about their surgeon’s expertise with a new type of procedure before consenting to it.

Symbol and Image Worship in Jainism

The history of Jainism in Mathura has been reconstructed largely on the basis of donative inscriptions and the remains of temples, stūpas and tīrthaṅkara images unearthed in this area. The āyāgapaṭas—an integral part of Mathura art and extremely important for the understanding of Jaina art and religious practice—have been relatively neglected. The āyāgapaṭas reflect the simultaneous existence of symbol and image worship in Jainism. The practice of donating these carved slabs started in the first century BCE and continued till the third century CE. The āyāgapaṭas were intended for worship as the inscriptions specify that they were set up for the worship of arhats ( tīrthaṅkaras). This article aims to understand the āyāgapaṭa inscriptions in the context of their relief carvings. The religious imagery on these slabs represents various foci of Jaina worship, namely the stūpa, the dharmacakra and the Jina image. The evidence of the Jina image carved on the āyāgapaṭas as early as the first century BCE, points towards the prevalence of image worship in Jainism even before the first century CE. The analysis of the āyāgapaṭa inscriptions highlights the varied occupational background of donors and the active role played by women donors. The article explores the probable reasons for the discontinuation of āyāgapaṭas after the third century CE at Mathura. Finally, it clearly establishes that āyāgapaṭas were installed in temples and monasteries and were objects of worship and an important component of Jaina religious practice.

Anchoring Vignettes in the Health and Retirement Study: How Do Medical Professionals and Disability Recipients Characterize the Severity of Work Limitations?

PurposeRecent studies report systematic differences in how individuals categorize the severity of identical health and work limitation vignettes. We investigate how health professionals and disability recipients characterize the severity of work limitations and whether their reporting patterns are robust to demographic, education, and health characteristics. We use the results to illustrate the potential impact of reporting heterogeneity on the distribution of work disability estimated from self-reported categorical health and disability data.MethodNationally representative data on anchoring disability vignettes from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) are used to investigate how respondents with an occupation background in health and Social Security disability beneficiaries categorize work limitation vignettes. Using pain, cardiovascular health, and depression vignettes, we estimate generalized ordered probit models (N = 2,660 individuals or 39,681 person-vignette observations) that allow the severity thresholds to vary by respondent characteristics.ResultsWe find that health professionals (excluding nurses) and disability recipients tend to classify identical work limitations as more severe compared to non-health professional non-disabled respondents. For disability recipients, the differences are most pronounced and particularly visible in the tails of the work limitations distribution. For health professionals, we observe smaller differences, affecting primarily the classification of mildly and moderately severe work limitations. The patterns for health professionals (excluding nurses) are robust to demographics, education, and health conditions. The greater likelihood of viewing the vignette person as more severely work limited observed among disability recipients is mostly explained by the fact that these respondents also tend to be in poorer health which itself predicts a more inclusive scale.ConclusionsKnowledge of reporting scales from health professionals and disabled individuals can benefit researchers in a broad range of applications in health and disability research. They may be useful as reference scales to evaluate disability survey data. Such knowledge may be beneficial when studying disability programs. Given the increasing availability of anchoring vignette data in surveys, this is a promising area for future evaluation research.

Introduction to the Debate: Does Descriptive Misrepresentation by Income and Class Matter?

Introduction to the Debate: Does Descriptive Misrepresentation by Income and Class Matter?

Social networking and young adults' drinking practices: innovative qualitative methods for health behavior research.

Understandings of health behaviors can be enriched by using innovative qualitative research designs. We illustrate this with a project that used multiple qualitative methods to explore the confluence of young adults' drinking behaviors and social networking practices in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Participants were 18-25 year old males and females from diverse ethnic, class, and occupational backgrounds. In Stage 1, 34 friendship focus group discussions were video-recorded with 141 young adults who talked about their drinking and social networking practices. In Stage 2, 23 individual interviews were conducted using screen-capture software and video to record participants showing and discussing their Facebook pages. In Stage 3, a database of Web-based material regarding drinking and alcohol was developed and analyzed. In friendship group data, young adults co-constructed accounts of drinking practices and networking about drinking via Facebook as intensely social and pleasurable. However, this pleasure was less prominent in individual interviews, where there was greater explication of unpleasant or problematic experiences and practices. The pleasure derived from drinking and social networking practices was also differentiated by ethnicity, gender, and social class. Juxtaposing the Web-based data with participants' talk about their drinking and social media use showed the deep penetration of online alcohol marketing into young people's social worlds. Multiple qualitative methods, generating multimodal datasets, allowed valuable nuanced insights into young adults' drinking practices and social networking behaviors. This knowledge can usefully inform health policy, health promotion strategies, and targeted health interventions.

A study of the relationship between color-concept association and occupational background for Chinese

BackgroundThe use of colors in visual displays can facilitate visual search and perception, but their use may not be effective without consideration of differences in the interpretation of their connoted meanings between individuals of different occupational backgrounds. ObjectiveThis study examined color-concept associations for Hong Kong Chinese students and white-collar workers, and then compared their associations with those of two other occupational groups to assess whether occupational background is related to color-concept associations. MethodA questionnaire survey was used to examine color-concept associations among 100 university students and 100 white-collar workers in Hong Kong. The participants were presented with 16 safety-related concepts and were asked to choose one of 10 colors that best represented each concept. The associations reported by four groups with different occupations (the two groups in this study and the groups of managerial staff and steel workers examined in our previous study) were compared. A chi-square test was applied to determine whether significant color association(s) existed for each concept. ResultsOur results revealed that each concept was significantly associated with at least one color (p<0.01). The Hong Kong white-collar workers and managerial staff in mainland China both expressed the same color associations for 14 of the tested concepts, and differed only over which colors were associated with “strong,” and “radiation hazard.” These findings generally suggest that populations with similar occupations can have similar color perceptions. However, the students and the other three employee groups reported different color associations with the concepts “normal,” “off” and “potential hazard.” ConclusionsOccupational background is associated with how color is interpreted for its connoted meaning. One should consider occupational background carefully when choosing colors in product designs, especially for safety.

Dissecting the brains of central bankers: The case of the ECB’s Governing Council members on reforms

Since 2009, European central bankers have supported some reforms, in order to draw roadmaps to get out of the euro debt crisis. This paper tests whether the educational and professional background of European central bankers matter for the type of reforms each of them advocated. Through a textual analysis of public speeches delivered by the European central bankers, we draw a cognitive map for each of them and, thus, of the reforms they propose as ways out of the euro debt crisis. Our results show that their occupational background is an important determinant of their respective economic reform proposals.

Dissecting the Brains of Central Bankers: The Case of the ECB's Governing Council Members on Reforms

Since 2009, European central bankers have supported some reforms, in order to draw roadmaps to get out of the euro debt crisis. This paper tests whether the educational and professional background of European central bankers matter for the type of reforms each of them advocated. Through a textual analysis of public speeches delivered by the European central bankers, we draw a cognitive map for each of them and, thus, of the reforms they propose as ways out of the euro debt crisis. Our results show that their occupational background is an important determinant of their respective economic reform proposals.

Changes in physical activity during the retirement transition: a theory-based, qualitative interview study.

BackgroundThere are considerable inter-individual differences in the direction and degree of change in physical activity (PA) levels during the retirement transition. There is currently a limited theoretical understanding of how these differences can be explained. This study aimed to explore and compare perceptions about how theory-based factors influence PA change during the transition from employment to retirement among individuals approaching retirement and recently retired.MethodsTheory-based, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 28 adults (15 retired) within 24 months of retirement. Participants were sampled to reflect a diverse range of socio-economic and occupational backgrounds. The interview was based on the 12 domains within the Theory Domain Framework and designed to elicit anticipated or experienced retirement-related changes in PA behaviour and perceived determinants. Interview transcripts were analysed using Framework analysis to explore intra- and inter-individual perceptions of how PA changes after retirement and the factors which may influence this change.ResultsThe majority of participants perceived retirement to be related to an increase in PA levels. Four themes emerged from the data regarding factors perceived to influence changes in PA behaviour after retirement: (1) resources for PA; (2) structure of daily life in retirement; (3) opportunities for PA; and (4) transitional PA phases after retirement. Retirement is associated with a number of inter-related changes and opportunities which can have a positive or negative impact on PA behaviour. The influence of these factors does not appear to be static and may change over time. A number of different transitional phases may be experienced after leaving work and each phase may have a differential impact on PA behaviour.ConclusionsThe findings of this qualitative study contribute to the theoretical understanding of PA change during the retirement transition. Each post-retirement PA trajectory is highly individual and personalised intervention approaches to increase PA during the retirement transition may be most successful. Future research should focus on the maintenance of PA change during the retirement transition and should develop and evaluate interventions to promote and maintain PA during retirement.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0186-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Coping with unemployment among journalists and managers

This study explores the relationship between occupational background and coping with unemployment in two occupational groups. Longitudinal qualitative data are analysed in a life-story context by classifying types of themes found in the narratives. The study is theoretically rooted in the latent deprivation hypothesis, the agency restriction hypothesis and the theory of social exclusion. Occupational background and identity constituted the key foundations in which the journalists and managers anchored their strategies for coping with the labour market in general and with long-term unemployment in particular. Being able to cope was experienced as supportive and even minor success in the labour market enhanced active behaviour. However, repeated failure was related to deterioration in mental well-being. Institutional support was the most beneficial when it provided the unemployed with tools that enabled them to understand the situation they were facing and the need to consider occupational change.

A Comparison of Float Ownership Issues for Construction Projects between Taiwan and China

Float ownership is a controversial issue in construction projects. This study, which focuses on Taiwan and China, finds that attitudes regarding float ownership differ among stakeholders with different national and occupational backgrounds. To avoid disputes, practitioners should notice these differences before signing contracts. This study uses surveys to identify the potential differences in attitude regarding three important float ownership issues. The results vary from a previous study undertaken in the United Kingdom. The major findings of the study include: (1) contracts need to include clauses related to float ownership; (2) Taiwanese contractors and Chinese owners tend to view the float as their own; (3) the concept that the party delaying the critical path should take full responsibility may not be practical in resolving inconsistent opinions between the contractor and the owner; (4) the idea of granting contractor time or compensation when owner uses up float is acceptable; and (5) viewpoints of Taiwanese and Chinese neutral parties have no significant differences.