Opportunities For Further Training Research Articles

Perceptions of preparation for further training: how our medical schools prepare graduates and the perceived factors influencing access to training

To investigate the specific factors that graduates perceive to influence their success in obtaining primary training in a chosen field. The New South Wales Medical Registration Board provided data on doctors who were registered to practise between 1995 and 2006. A brief, paper-based survey was sent to a random selection of 2000 doctors. Doctors' self-reported perceptions on the impact of demographic details, specialty training applied for, university training and other factors on opportunities for further training after medical school. Of the 375/1915 doctors (19.6%) who responded, most had completed a 6-year undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney, University of NSW or University of Newcastle, and most were at registrar level. Of 242/321 doctors (76%) who had applied for a training position, 240 (99%) had been accepted. The support of a mentor was considered the most positive influence on meeting long-term career goals (255/318 [80%]). Learning how to communicate with patients was valued as the most helpful aspect of medical school (270/318 [85%]). The personal attributes of graduates were considered more influential in achieving career goals and accessing further training than perceived features of a medical program. This suggests that more emphasis and research should be devoted to selecting the most appropriate candidates, rather than restructuring medical curricula to meet a presumed need for more content knowledge before graduation.

Looking Beyond Political Qualifications of Councillors in Managing Urban Councils of Zimbabwe

The urban areas in developing countries are rapidly developing and the situation is punctuated by a number of major problems that range from lack of provision of clean water, good roads, housing, sewer drainage and reticulation systems, good storm drains, street lights and solid waste management systems. This situation demands for councillors with high academic and professional qualifications who could comprehensively understand urban problems and developmental needs. The current problem in Zimbabwe is that urban councils have highly educated and qualified employees and semi-literate or illiterate creating an abnormal situation that is tantamount to bringing mismanagement of all sorts in these institutions. Councillors are peoples’ representatives and policy makers who at the same time are supposed to supervise the activities of the employees. The objectives of the research were to articulate from the Urban Councils Act the qualifications required of councillors to hold public office. Councillor qualifications influence the way urban councils are administered. From a total population of 139 that included 99 councillors a sample of 48 respondents was chosen from Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Bindura. Employees were involved for comparative and triangulation purposes only. The results indicated that individuals elected as councillors have very low academic and professional qualifications. Some of the councillor do not even have O-Levels and are semi-literate. It was also found out that employees have better opportunities for further training than councillors. However, the respondents were of the opinion that the councillors need have diplomas and degrees to function effectively and efficiently in the current complex urban environment. The recommendations included the need to encourage political parties to choose candidates for election as councillors who have higher qualifications, the need to amend the current Urban Councils Act and go beyond political demands and demand higher academic and professional qualifications, the need for councils to have a systematic training programme to use as a tool to improve the qualifications of those councillors who enter the system with basic required qualifications and to encourage political parties to training their candidates or representatives so that they are able to articulate the parties agendas when they are engaged in council businesses.

Searching for a Productive Worker: A Survey of the Implications of Appointed Staff’s Qualifications to Urban Councils’ Governance in Zimbabwe

The paper focuses on the Zimbabwean scenario. The country arguably had one of the best systems of decentralized local government in Africa. However, from the year 2000 because of political, economic and social disturbances the public institutions in general degenerated. The deterioration was multi-faceted because it covered issues like; loss of qualified personnel, lack of adequate funds, recentralisation of political, fiscal and economic power and responsibilities previously decentralized to local governments and poor working conditions. The theme of this paper however is the need for urban councils to employ qualified and competent personnel with the ultimate goal of providing efficient and effective goods and services too the citizens. Employees with higher qualifications could comprehensively understand urban problems and developmental needs. The current situation in Zimbabwe of underplaying the importance of training and at the same time employing officers with very basic or no qualifications is a misnomer considering the demands of good governance and complex problems being generated currently in urban areas especially in Third World Countries. The research focused on qualifications required for effective and efficient implementation of urban councils’ business. Form a total population of 139 who were Heads of Departments a sample of 68 respondents was chosen from Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Bindura. Purpossive sampling was used in selecting respondents. The results indicated that individuals elected as councillors and permanent employees of urban councils have very low academic and professional qualifications. It was also found out that employees have better opportunities for further training than councillors. However, the respondents were of the opinion that the councillors need to have diplomas and degrees to function effectively and efficiently in the current complex urban environment. The recommendations included the need to encourage employees to acquire higher qualifications, the need to amend the current Urban Councils Act so that higher qualifications for employees and councillors are demanded, the need to have systematic training and recruitment oft highly qualified people in the urban councils.

Factors influencing students' choices in considering rural radiography careers at Makerere University, Uganda

Introduction The Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University is the oldest health professions training institution in East Africa having started in 1924. The radiography degree course started in 2001 and Makerere remains the only institution in the East African region offering this degree course. The faculty adopted a Problem based Learning/Community based education curriculum in order to stimulate students' interests to consider working in rural areas. Attracting and retaining radiographers and other health professionals in rural areas is a recognized problem in Uganda and overseas and strategic actions to enhance the rural health workforce and its ability to deliver the required services are paramount. A range of factors in different domains can be associated with recruitment and retention. By consulting students, some of these factors can be identified and addressed. Methodology It was a descriptive exploratory study involving 31 students. Data was collected through a questionnaire and focus group discussions. Results 58% of the students reported that they would consider rural radiography practice while 42% would not. Key motivational factors cited to work in rural areas were; attractive salaries/incentives, community based training curricular, opportunities for further training and well equipped rural health facilities. Conclusion This study has shown that students would consider working in rural areas provided the working conditions are improved upon.

An Evaluation of Provider Educational Needs in Geriatric Care

Providers of geriatric care in Arkansas were surveyed to determine the desire for more information on their specialty as well as opportunities for further training. Those in the nursing profession were most interested in further training, and the major area of interest for all providers was in cognitive decline and mental health information. Specifically, information was sought in the areas of dementia, depression, and memory loss. It is recommended that improvement in geriatric care in the future should focus on nursing education and on raising the level of knowledge and academic prestige in the treatment of elderly patients, especially in the mental health areas.

Pilot study of dental hygienists' comfort and confidence levels and care planning for patients with disabilities

A questionnaire assessing comfort levels and behaviors of dental hygienists concerning treatment of patients with special needs or disabilities was mailed to a random sample of 175 practicing dental hygienists in Idaho. All respondents had seen patients with disabilities, although 53 percent had never completed a formal course or received training directed specifically toward this population. Survey respondents were moderately to always comfortable treating special needs and disabled patients. Use of a wheelchair was the only disability in which clinicians were significantly more comfortable with treatment following completion of a course or receipt of training. Severity of a patient's disability and limited time were considered moderate to very high barriers to the provision of dental hygiene care. Recommended treatment planning techniques are being used to a limited extent, and respondents were slightly to moderately confident using alternative communication and treatment techniques. The findings suggest that although education or training was not strongly associated with comfort and confidence levels of these dental hygienists, they were interested in opportunities for further training in caring for patients with special needs.

Firm Size and Job Quality: A Survey of the Evidence from Germany?

Small firms provide and create a large proportion of jobs in Germany. Are these jobs worse than jobs in larger firms? The mosaic picture that emerges from a review of several recent empirical studies using German individual or firm level micro data shows that, all in all, wages are lower, non-wage incomes (fringes) are lower, job security is lower, work organisation is less rigid, institutionalized possibilities for workers' participation in decision making are weaker, and opportunities for skill enhancement are worse in small firms compared to large firms. The weight of evidence, therefore, indicates that, on average, small firms offer worse jobs than large firms. It is argued that there is no need for policy measures targeted to improve job quality in small firms, because higher incomes in large firms can in part be seen as compensating differentials for more rigid work organisation, and can follow from wage policies to reduce shirking and turnover that is more costly in large than in small firms. Furthermore, a lower level of remuneration, less protection against dismissals, a lower level of workers' participation, and less opportunities for further training all contribute to lower costs in small firms that might be needed to compensate for size-related cost disadvantages compared to large firms. Economic policy should concentrate on keeping barriers to entrepreneurs' entry to markets low to foster new firm formation and creative destruction.

Quality assurance from the perspective of health economics

SynopsisThere are two distinct views about the purpose of quality assurance by means of medical audit. The first is that it is a job requirement, to be backed by sanctions where necessary. The second is that it is a desirable attribute of professional practice, backed only by exhortation and opportunities for further training. This difference of view lies at the heart of much of the dispute as to how medical audit should be pursued in the UK at present. It explains why the medical profession insists that such audit should be conducted by peers, for peers, and accountable only to peers, whereas managers want some say in what is audited, how it is audited, and also want the reports of such audit made available to them, so that they can act upon the findings in their role as employers (e.g. in organising workloads, contracts, etc.). In this chapter the ‘job requirement’ view is supported, and its implications explored. It is argued that unless this route is chosen, it is unlikely that medical audit will deliver improvements in the health of the population that are commensurate with its costs.

Preparation for the Practice of law—the Views of the Practicing Bar

The competence of the practicing bar has been subjected to substantial criticism in recent years. Since law schools have a virtual monopoly over access to the bar and licensure is granted without further training, legal education has been a particular focus of attack and reform efforts. Yet there has been little systematic study of what skills and knowledge are important in the actual practice of law or the relevant contributions of legal education. This study of practicing lawyers in Chicago examines the nature of the competencies important to the practice of law and the sources lawyers credit for contributing to their development. Practitioners cite a broad range of skills, many of them not unique to the practice of law, with their importance varying by the predominant legal specialty practiced. The data further indicate that law schools play but a part in the development of skills and knowledge important to the practice of law and that experience, both prior and subsequent to graduation, plays a significant role. The evaluation of law schools' contributions is related to opportunities for further training, particularly in the context of law firm practice. There is, however, a strong general view that law schools rather uniformly concentrate on some skills to the exclusion of others and that the former are not necessarily those that lawyers think are most important to the practice of law.

The importance of “Referesher” work for individual and professional advancement

The Standard Dictionary defines "Ref resher" as follows : "1. One who, or that which, refreshes. 2. (Eng.) An additional fee paid to counsel in cases unexpectedly prolonged." (The new Oxford Dictionary gives a third meaning to the word; namely, the colloquial one ," a drink".) The Standard Dictionary further defines "Refreshment" as, "The act of refreshing, or the state of being refreshed; restoration of vigor or liveliness." I think that your director, Mrs. Slagle, in assigning to me this topic for discussion, must have gone back in memory to those faroff days when, before the United States entered the World War, she was assisting in the development of curative occupations for the disabled members of the Canadian Forces by her advice and counsel. At that time, as on many occasions since, we were discussing the question of the length of training courses for occupational therapists. As the immediate need for trained workers was urgent, the training courses then established were, of necessity, short and intensive. It was agreed, however, that whether the training courses be short or long, opportunities for further training from time to time should be provided. In our discussion I spoke of these opportunities for further training as "Refresher courses"; the term by which the short courses of training provided for British Army officers are known. The underlying idea of those courses is that although the officers have passed through one or other of the military colleges at the outset of their career, new discoveries and methods with which they must be familiarized occur from time to time. A further reason for providing the refresher courses was to guard against that tendency of the average human being, with