Part-time Staff Research Articles

The Impact of Career Development on Employee Commitment of Part-Time Faculty (PTF) in Hong Kong’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Sector

Aims: The development of knowledge-based economy in Hong Kong requires employees with higher education level and more up-to-date knowledge. Information and communication technology (ICT) industry has been growing rapidly which is important for building a knowledge-based economy by providing higher mobility of information, more efficient communication network and sharing of knowledge between business partners. In 2002 the HKSAR Government has set up a Continuing Education Fund to encourage employees in Hong Kong to improve their education and update their knowledge by enrolling into continuing professional development courses. This policy provides opportunities to courses providers to offer continuing professional development (CPD) courses. Since these CPD courses are provided after work so the courses are conducted by part-time faculty (PTF) and there is a need to recruit part-time staff in delivering these courses. Recruitment of PTF gives course providers the benefit of meeting their teaching needs economically and flexibly but educators have often expressed concern over whether Research Article British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 4(1): 52-73, 2014 53 the performance of PTF is in anyway affected by the absence of career development opportunities. Study Design: This study was a quantitative study which used [1] five-component commitment model to examine the effects of the perception of value of career development (VCD) on the commitment components of PTF. Place and Duration of Study: The study was taken in Hong Kong between June 2011 and June 2012. Methodology: Sample data from a population of PTF working at the 450 registered CPD course providers in Hong Kong was collected from an online questionnaire. Finally 270 set of data collated together was analyzed by factor analysis, correlation tests and multiple regression respectively. Results: The results of this study suggest that perceived VCD was affirmed to have a significantly positive influence on employee commitment, while perception of the availability of career development opportunities was found to have a moderating effect on the association between perceived VCD and employee commitment. Conclusion: This study has both theoretical and managerial implications. The examination of the complicated relationship between career development and employee commitment of PTF in Hong Kong’s CPD industry can therefore serve as a useful reference point for both academic researchers and education managers. The findings can also help CPD institutes to formulate suitable human resource strategies for attracting and retaining well-qualified practitioners to become PTF.

The potential of online academic communities for teaching staff: findings from a pilot study of the SocialLearn platform

The purpose of this paper is to offer some insight from an evaluation that explored the viability, usefulness and potential of the online platform SocialLearn in providing an online community for Open University Associate Lecturers (part-time teaching staff). Findings from two focus groups and a staff survey highlighted both the potential of an online community and the barriers to successful implementation. In applying a qualitative analysis of the 'Communities of Inquiry' (CoI) framework, the pilot project highlighted the importance of social presence and cognitive presence, with minimal elements of a teaching presence within the online staff community. Key learning outcomes around privacy, usability and multi-level communications were found to be central in creating a successful online academic environment for teaching staff.

The State of Health and Medicine Museums

144 EXHIBITION REVIEWS The State of Health and Medicine Museums Megan Hicks ‘Health and medicine museums’ is a broad term that covers a range of collecting organisations all of which have in common the aim of preserving the material heritage of some aspect of health care. The parent bodies and funding sources of these museums vary greatly, from state government departments to historical societies, from educational institutions to commercial and not-for-profit businesses. Many of them are volunteer-managed or have a single paid part-time staff member working with or without the assistance of volunteers. In New South Wales they include, for example, hospital museums run by trained nurses associations; archives and display rooms at professional associations, such as the Australian Society of Anaesthetists and the College of Nursing; and museums in historic buildings or sites, like the Quarantine Station at Sydney’s North Head and the Bush Nurse Cottage at Lightning Ridge. There is also medical material in large and small museums with wider collections—the Powerhouse being a notable example, the Army Museum at Victoria Barracks another. When a gathering of custodians from health and medicine museums met for a seminar in February 2014, many of them came away with renewed hope for the future of their collections. The initial mood had been gloomy and the title of the seminar, ‘Surviving in difficult times’, had been chosen to reflect the challenges that some museums in New South Wales are currently facing, including the imminent demise of several.1 But the theme on the day became ‘What makes a really good health and medicine museum?’ after two guests from New Zealand asked that this question be discussed. Margaret Horsburgh and Robin Norris are on a committee for the formation of a medical museum in Auckland and after listening to the afternoon’s speakers they – and other attendees—left with notebooks full of ideas to take home. To some extent the seminar was a reunion of the Health and Medicine Museums Special Interest Group (HMM).2 I organised it after one former member of HMM expressed an interest in catching up with colleagues. As a past secretary of the group I had access to the contact details of many relevant museums and collections, and the event was attended by over thirty people—representing at least sixteen collections—eight of whom gave presentations.3 A sad Health & History ● 16/2 ● 2014 145 absence on the day was Judith Cornell, who was too ill to attend. Judith had been president of HMM since 1998 and was intending to talk at the seminar on the status of collections in NSW and ACT hospitals, bringing up to date a survey she had undertaken for NSW Health several years ago.4 The problems faced by such museums come in various forms. ‘Inadequate funding’ may be the perennial cry of all museums but it is a very real concern nevertheless, with few museums of any sort in Australia having access to money from philanthropic foundations. So health and medicine museums often do not have the means to properly catalogue, preserve and store their collections or maintain their premises. They lack sufficient trained staff or do not have the resources to send volunteers on training programs. And despite the enthusiasm and dedication of paid and unpaid staff, some of them may not have the skills to mount polished displays, develop programs of events, or devise marketing strategies that will attract new visitors and supporters. Uncertainty about tenure in the buildings they occupy is another worry for health and medicine museums. As healthcare facilities grow, shrink, change their function, or get sold as valuable real estate, museums are often the last occupants to be considered. Kenmore Hospital Museum is a case in point. A vast psychiatric asylum built in 1895 on 75 hectares near Goulburn, Kenmore Hospital now exists as a small mental health facility in a corner of the original site. The Kenmore Hospital Museum was located in an old ward within the original complex of sandstone buildings. It was founded by a group of dedicated staff and ex-staff who ran tours, mounted a new exhibition each year, and were successful in gaining grants...

A Critical Challenge: The Engagement and Assessment of Contingent, Part-Time Adjunct Faculty Professors in United States Community Colleges

In 2011, according to a National Center for Education Statistics report, part-time instructional staff in all higher education institutions exceeded full-time faculty members for the first time, accounting for 50% of all instructional staff (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2012). The same report indicates part-time faculty in community colleges exceeds 70% of instructional staff. Perhaps more alarming are the numbers of contingent instructional staff—faculty without long-term employment commitments. According to this measure, nearly 70% of faculty members in all areas of higher education have little-to-no job stability (American Association of University Professors [AAUP], 2013; Schuster & Finklestein, 2006). However, limited research exists on the working experiences of this major subpopulation of United States professors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of part-time contingent community college faculty regarding the assessment processes their institutions implemented. Through interviews, researchers gathered data identifying what 20 part-time contingent faculty professors reported regarding teaching conditions and institutional assessment procedures. Participant interviews revealed two major themes centered on a lack of institutional engagement and meaningful assessment policies or procedures.

Skills training of junior medical students: Can peer teaching be the solution?

Background. The system-based curriculum of the Medical College of Alzaiem Alazhari University, Sudan, entails skills training for pre-clerkship students. The increased demands on full-time trained clinical teachers cannot be solved by employing part-time staff owing to the poor financial incentives that are offered. Objectives. To verify the feasibility of implementing a peer tutor model for skills training of junior students and to establish whether this model can overcome the shortage of clinical teachers. Methods. Eight selected and trained peer tutors participated in teaching certain aspects related to the basic skills module to 2nd-year students ( N =144). Three sessions were prepared, conducted and implemented by peer tutors. The effectiveness of the experience was evaluated by an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and two questionnaires. Results. Junior students received the peer teaching sessions favourably and requested a continuation of the process. The performance of the tutees was good. Peer tutors enjoyed and benefited from this teaching method without it negatively affecting their own learning. Discussion. Our study demonstrated that a peer teaching educational model is feasible and can contribute to solving the problem of skills training of junior medical students. The peer teaching model is effective, provided the tutors are well trained and the educational experience is supervised. Conclusion. Peer-assisted learning is effective and beneficial for both tutors and tutees in resource-limited environments. It can contribute towards addressing the problem of skills training of junior medical students where there is a shortage of trained clinical teachers.

An evaluation of Employee Commitment of Part-Time Faculty (PTF) in Hong Kong’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Sector

Economic crises in recent years have exposed the presence of a large number of poorly educated workers who can barely meet the needs of Hong Kong’s knowledge-based economy. In response, in April 2002 the HKSAR Government set up a HK$5 billion Continuing Education Fund to encourage and subsidize those who want to improve themselves through continuing education. This policy presents unprecedented opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) course providers. To grasp these opportunities, they must act quickly to develop program mixes that match the education needs of potential students and demonstrate excellence in teaching quality by recruiting and retaining well-qualified faculty. As the majority of the courses are designed for those who seek to improve themselves after work, most of the courses are extramural courses conducted by part-time faculty (PTF). Recruitment of PTF raises an employee commitment problem which might affect their performance in teaching and also subsequently the effectiveness of those part-time courses. In addition, the various backgrounds of PTF also might affect the effectiveness of delivering of those CPD courses. So the objectives of this study are to examine the extent of employee commitment of those part-time staff and also the relations of their background towards the employee commitment. A quantitative study was used by applying Wang’s (2004) five-component commitment model to test employee commitment of PTF in Hong Kong. An online questionnaire was used to collect sample data from a population of PTF working at the 450 registered CPD course providers in Hong Kong. The data were analyzed and tested by means of factor analysis, correlation tests and structural equation modeling (SEM). Based on the data collected from 270 respondents, the study suggests that Wang’s five-component model is better than other models for explaining employee commitment in Hong Kong’s CPD industry. All five components of employee commitment of PTF and demographic variables were concluded to have no association with passive continuance commitment, but have varying levels of influences on different components of employee commitment.

Survey of pharmacy staffing levels and vacancy rates in small and rural hospitals in Illinois

The results of a survey evaluating pharmacy staffing and vacancies in small and rural hospitals in Illinois are reported. Questionnaires were mailed in November 2011 to pharmacy directors at 86 small and rural hospitals in Illinois. The survey included several items regarding human resources and staffing, and it used work-force items and methods similar to surveys conducted in 1991 and 2001. Descriptive analyses were used to assess differences in staffing and vacancies across different hospital sizes (number of staffed beds), and inferential statistics were used to compare selected hospital characteristics. A total of 40 responses were received, yielding a response rate of 46.5%. Most rural hospitals reported having no vacancies in their pharmacy work force (62.5%, n = 25). Vacancy rates in 2011 were very low for pharmacists (1.8%), pharmacy technicians (2.5%), and pharmacy staff overall (2.1%). For several specific occupational titles, vacancy rates were zero. Nonetheless, adverse consequences (sites could report more than one effect) of vacancies included longer hours worked by part-time staff (27.5%, n = 11), reduced time to provide clinical pharmacy services (20.0%, n = 8), job dissatisfaction of remaining staff (17.9%, n = 7), and reduced time to provide drug distribution services (10.0%, n = 4). The shortage of pharmacists in small and rural hospitals in Illinois largely subsided from 2001 to 2011, with many hospitals reporting no vacancies at all. The total number of actual full-time equivalent pharmacy staff has sizably increased since 2001.

Patient Care Staffing Levels and Facility Characteristics in US Hemodialysis Facilities

Higher numbers of registered nurses (RNs) per patient have been associated with improved patient outcomes in acute-care facilities. Variation in and associations of patient care staffing levels and hemodialysis facility characteristics have not been examined previously. Cross-sectional study using Poisson regression to examine associations between patient care staffing levels and hemodialysis facility characteristics. 4,800 US hemodialysis facilities in the 2009 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) End-Stage Renal Disease Annual Facility Survey (CMS-2744 form). Facility characteristics, including profit status, freestanding status, chain affiliation, and geographic region, adjusted for facility size, capacity, functional type, and urbanicity. Patient care staffing levels, including ratios of RNs, licensed practical nurses (LPNs), patient care technicians (PCTs), composite staff (RN + LPN + PCT), social workers, and dietitians to in-center hemodialysis patients. After adjusting for background facility characteristics, ratios of RNs and LPNs to patients were 35% (P < 0.001) and 42% (P < 0.001) lower, respectively, but the PCT to patient ratio was 16% (P < 0.001) higher in for-profit than nonprofit facilities (rate ratios of 0.65 [95% CI, 0.63-0.68], 0.58 [95% CI, 0.51-0.65], and 1.16 [95% CI, 1.12-1.19], respectively). Regionally, compared to the Northeast, the adjusted RN to patient ratio was 14% (P < 0.001) lower in the Midwest, 25% (P < 0.001) lower in the South, and 18% (P < 0.001) lower in the West. Even after additional adjustments, the large for-profit chains had significantly lower RN and LPN to patient ratios than the largest nonprofit chain, but a significantly higher PCT to patient ratio. Overall composite staffing levels also were lower in for-profit and chain-affiliated facilities. The patterns hold when hospital-based units were excluded. Nursing hours were not available. Two part-time staff were counted as one full-time equivalent, which may not always be accurate. The significant variation in patient care staffing levels and its associations with facility characteristics warrants inclusion in future large-scale hemodialysis outcomes studies. End-stage renal disease networks and hemodialysis facilities should attend to quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives that maximize licensed nurse staffing levels in hemodialysis facilities.

Recruitment and retention of participants in a pragmatic randomized intervention trial at three community health clinics: Results and lessons learned

BackgroundObesity and hypertension and their associated health complications disproportionately affect communities of color and people of lower socioeconomic status. Recruitment and retention of these populations in research trials, and retention in weight loss trials has been an ongoing challenge.MethodsBe Fit, Be Well was a pragmatic randomized weight loss and hypertension management trial of patients attending one of three community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts. Participants were asked to complete follow-up assessments every 6-months for two years. We describe challenges encountered and strategies implemented to recruit and retain trial participants over the 24-month intervention. We also identify baseline participant characteristics associated with retention status. Retention strategies included financial incentives, contact between assessment visits, building relationships with health center primary care providers (PCPs) and staff, and putting participant convenience first.ResultsActive refusal rates were low with 130 of 2,631 patients refusing participation (4.9%). Of 474 eligible persons completing telephone screening, 365 (77.0%) completed their baseline visit and were randomized into the study. The study population was predominantly non-Hispanic Black (71.2%), female (68.5%) and reported annual household income of less than $35,000 (70.1%). Recruitment strategies included use of passive approval of potential participants by PCPs, use of part-time staff, and outsourcing calls to a call center. A total of 314 (86.0%) people completed the 24-month visit. Retention levels varied across study visits and intervention condition. Most participants completed three or more visits (69.6%), with 205 (56.2%) completing all four. At 24-months, lower retention was observed for males and the intervention condition. Retention strategies included building strong relationships with clinic staff, flexibility in overcoming participant barriers through use of taxi vouchers, night and weekend appointments, and keeping participants engaged via newsletters and social gatherings.ConclusionWe were able to retain 86.0% of participants at 24-months. Recruitment and retention of high percentages of racial/ethnic minorities and lower income samples is possible with planning, coordination with a trusted community setting and staff (e.g. community health centers and RAs), adaptability and building strong relationships.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00661817

Part-Time Versus Full-Time Work: The Case of Nurses in Spain

Nursing has been described as a stressful occupation with nursing staff reporting high levels of job dissatisfaction in many countries. For various reasons an interesting paradox exists; on the one hand there is a global shortage of nurses which has potential adverse effects on nursing staff job satisfaction and the quality of patient care. On the other hand, many nurses opt for working on a part time basis, which adds to the shortage issue. Some nursing staff have opted to work part-time by choice or out of necessity while some full-time nursing staff would prefer to work part-time. This research explores antecedents and factors related to the decisions of nursing staff to work part time with the intention of identifying reasons that might be addressed and result in their choosing to work full-time and reduce nursing shortages. Data were collected from 2094 nurses in Spain using anonymously completed questionnaires, of which 290 indicated they were currently working part-time. Respondents indicated how important a role in their decision to work part time was played by each of the items. Most common reasons for working part time were: caring for others, personal health issues, losing a full-time job, staying active in the profession, and exploring a new career or occupation. Factor analysis of 15 items yielded Part-time versus full-time work: The case of nurses in Spain 4 a five-factor solution: job loss, career and income benefits, personal needs (caring for others, health issues), exploring new career options, and the unavailability full-time jobs. Full-time and part-time nursing staff were then compared on a number of personal demographic and work situation characteristics, job demands, sources of support, work outcomes and indicators of psychological well-being. Generally, part-time nursing staff was younger, had fewer years of nursing-related tenure, fewer job resources, and indicated lower levels of job involvement, affective commitment and work engagement. Part time and full-time nurses were similar on levels of work and extra-work social support, burnout, psychological well-being and accident propensity. Efforts to encourage and support the transition of part-time nursing staff to full-time nursing staff are offered.

It’s all in the mix: Determinants and consequences of workforce blending in call centres

Supplementing the full-time permanent workforce with part-time staff is a widespread practice among firms. To better understand this dynamic, we evaluate how work organization choices influence the degree of part-time use by analysing North American survey data from call centre establishments. We also evaluate the effect of part-time use on the voluntary turnover behaviour of the full-time permanent workforce. For example, firms with greater reliance on a high involvement approach to work organization relied less on part-time use than those pursuing a low involvement approach. For firms that choose to rely heavily on part-time use, we find that this decision has consequences for their full-time permanent workforce, namely higher voluntary turnover among their full-time permanent staff. Interestingly, greater reliance on a high involvement approach appears to weaken the positive relationship between part-time use and voluntary turnover among the full-time employees.

Neighborhood poverty, park use, and park-based physical activity in a Southern California city

A rich literature indicates that individuals of lower socio-economic status engage in less leisure time physical activity than individuals of higher socio-economic status. However, the source of the difference is believed to be, in part, due to differential access to resources that support physical activity. However, it has not been shown as to whether equal access to parks can mitigate differences in leisure time physical activity. Using systematic direct observation, we quantified physical activity in neighborhood parks in a large Southern California city located in areas with high, medium, and a low percentage of households in poverty. We documented how neighborhood parks are managed and programmed and also interviewed both a sample of park users and a random sample of households within a mile radius of the parks. We found that parks are used less in high-poverty areas compared to medium- and low-poverty area parks, even after accounting for differences in size, staffing, and programming. The strongest correlates of park use were the number of part time staff, the number of supervised and organized programs, and knowing the park staff. Perceptions of safety were not relevant to park use among those interviewed in the park, however it had a small relationship with reported frequency of park use among local residents. Among park users, time spent watching electronic media was negatively correlated with the frequency of visiting the park. Future research should test whether increasing park staffing and programming will lead to increased park use in high-poverty neighborhoods.

Aurora CMHC Immediately Puts Crisis Plan Into Action

Aurora CMHC Immediately Puts Crisis Plan Into Action

The impact of bullying on health care administration staff

Investigations of workplace bullying in health care settings have tended to focus on nurses or other clinical staff. However, the organizational and power structures enabling bullying in health care are present for all employees, including administrative staff. : The purpose of this study was to specifically focus on health care administration staff and examine the prevalence and consequences of workplace bullying in this occupational group. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on questionnaire data from health care administration staff who work across facilities within a medium to large health care organization in Australia. The questionnaire included measures of bullying, negative affectivity (NA), job satisfaction, organizational commitment, well-being, and psychological distress. The three hypotheses of the study were that (a) workplace bullying will be linked to negative employee outcomes, (b) individual differences on demographic factors will have an impact on these outcomes, and (c) individual differences in NA will be a significant covariate in the analyses. The hypotheses were tested using t tests and analyses of covariances. A total of 150 health care administration staff completed the questionnaire (76% response rate). Significant main effects were found for workplace bullying, with lower organizational commitment and well-being with the effect on commitment remaining over and above NA. Main effects were found for age on job satisfaction and for employment type on psychological distress. A significant interaction between bullying and employment type for psychological distress was also observed. Negative affectivity was a significant covariate for all analyses of covariance. The applications of these results include the need to consider the occupations receiving attention in health care to include administration employees, that bullying is present across health care occupations, and that some employees, particularly part-time staff, may need to be managed slightly differently to the full-time workforce.

Airport check-in counter assignment: a proposed solution

The recent global economic recession and adverse environmental impact have seriously shocked the airline industry. An important task for many airlines is to increase competitiveness. An extremely time-consuming check-in process, especially during peak hours, can significantly degrade passenger perceptions of service quality. Thus, improving the efficiency of check-in counters at airport passenger terminals is a major concern of airport operators and airlines. For example, improving the efficiency of counter assignments by airline reservation systems would reduce manpower needs and enhance operational efficiency. The objective of this study was to establish the operating pattern for airport check-in counter assignments by minimising the operational cost from incurred by the airline and maximising passenger service level with considering the use of kiosk machine and full/part-time duty counter staff. According to the experimental results and sensitivity analyses of actual airline operations data, employing part-time counter staff and using kiosk machines would significantly reduce counter operation cost and improve passenger service quality.

From devastation to discovery of hope for tomorrow: efforts towards recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake of 11March 2011 resulted in an unprecedented level of damage to the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. Numerous vital records were submerged; many were only just salvageable or were left untouched. The prospect of restoration was far in the distance. The National Archives of Japan (NAJ) focused its support on the immediate recovery of the damaged public records in the disaster-stricken areas. In January 2012 after coordination and negotiation with the government and related organizations, NAJ launched a restoration project. This project has been implemented with financial support from the government and technical assistance of private conservators in collaboration with the disaster-stricken municipalities. NAJ sent its staff to the affected areas, provided necessary equipment and supplies free of charge, hired local people as part-time staff for the project, and provided them with technical training. In addition to outlining this project and other measures adopted...

Taking over someone else's design: implications for the tutor's role in networked learning

This paper reflects on the experiences of a particular tutor taking over a specific course. It is an example of a common situation found in higher education (HE) institutions, when newly appointed or temporary part-time or full-time staff are hired to teach courses that have been designed and developed by other members of teaching staff. The experience of this particular tutor may help us to illuminate the role that tutors have more generally in networked learning environments. For the purpose of clarification, we define networked learning as 'learning in which C&amp;IT is used to promote connections between one learner and other learners, between learners and tutors, between a learning community and its learning resources'.DOI:10.1080/0968776010090307

HIV Counseling and Testing in an Urban Reproductive Primary Health Clinic in South Africa

This letter to the editor focuses on the gender differences for HIV counseling and testing in South Africa. It describes the profile of men and women testing positive for HIV at an urban reproductive health facility in Durban and explains the methods and results of the study.

Knowledge Assessment and Preparation for the Certified Emergency Nurses Examination

With the current emphasis on credentialing in nursing, many nurses have committed to taking the CEN examination. The following questions have been developed to assist in the emergency nursing knowledge assessment and in preparation for the CEN examination. Questions, rationale for the correct answers, and references are provided here for your self-evaluation. ENA has developed educational materials that can be used as further resources for CEN preparation: Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum and CEN Review Manual. For further information on educational review materials, please contact the ENA Association Services Team at (800) 243-8362. With the current emphasis on credentialing in nursing, many nurses have committed to taking the CEN examination. The following questions have been developed to assist in the emergency nursing knowledge assessment and in preparation for the CEN examination. Questions, rationale for the correct answers, and references are provided here for your self-evaluation. ENA has developed educational materials that can be used as further resources for CEN preparation: Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum and CEN Review Manual. For further information on educational review materials, please contact the ENA Association Services Team at (800) 243-8362. Carrie A. McCoy, Member, Greater Cincinnati Chapter, is Professor of Nursing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, and part-time Staff Nurse, University Hospital, Cincinnati, OH.

Making the Leap from Coach to Leader

Making the Leap from Coach to Leader