Part-time Staff Research Articles

Human Resource Management Relate d Facto rs Affecting Performance among Part-time Academic Staff in Ugandan Public Universities

Part-time academic staff form a significant proportion of the academic staff force in Ugandan public universities. However, their performance is reportedly poor, despite the fact that they are comparable to their fulltime counterparts in terms of academic qualification and relevant work experience. Grounded on the propositions of Frame of Reference Theory, therefore, this study probed the impact of the way the part-time donsare managed, relative to their fulltime counterparts, on their performance. Data were collected, from a sample of 298 part-time academic staff, on how they are recruited, selected, appointed, deployed and compensated; and on the extent to which they would agree that these ways affect their performance. The findings were that majority of them were selected through their personal contacts in the respective universities; were notappointed by the universities’ directorates of human resources; were not given detailed job descriptions; were not usually given notice of meetings; and felt that their rewards are not equitable, relative to those of their fulltime counterparts, all of which have affected their performance. Thus, it is recommended that, to improve their part-timers’ performance, the universities should endeavour to depersonalize their appointment;provide them with detailed job descriptions; and align their rewards with those of their fulltime counterparts.

An alternative tactic to deal with the contingency of driver absenteeism

On any given workday, unexpected absence of drivers calls for emergency operational tactics to ensure completion of planned deliveries of merchandise to customers. A typical tactic in the workforce scheduling literature is to rely exclusively on a pool of workers who were not scheduled for work; that is, full-time off-duty drivers and part-time drivers. Concerns about the expense of maintaining a staff of part-timers prompt consideration of alternative tactics. This study proposes one such alternative. It minimizes the part-time pool by reassigning routes among drivers who show for work. In multi-route vehicle routing problems, the prospect of this alternative arises because cost-minimizing patterns of travel distances across routes often allow one driver to do extra work by handling more than one route (subject to time-window and workload constraints). By considering costs such as overtime rates when drivers perform extra (emergency) driving duties and the cost to maintain part-time staff, this study tests the efficacy of the aforementioned alternative. Its efficacy is confirmed by the fact that it is less costly than the typical tactic: while the typical tactic adds just over 22% to driver payroll, the proposed alternative adds a noticeably smaller cost of just under 15%.

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.

Anxiété et coping des soignants : la prison est-elle un facteur de protection ?

Anxiety and stress are current and real human issues. These may worsen in certain situations whereas mechanisms known as coping mediate the effect of stress and anxiety, state-anxiety more specifically. The aim of this study concerns this issue, via a research on state-anxiety and coping among nursing staff in French prisons. The nursing staff of prisons was chosen for two major reasons. First, nursing is typically described as a stressful occupation, consequently stress, coping and anxiety have been widely studied in this population. Second, prisons are generally considered as “tough” places in which the inmates are perceived as “dangerous”. Indeed, assaults occur frequently in prison. Therefore prison nursing staff should in all probability report stress and anxiety and the ways in which they try to cope with them. Consequently, the author assumed that state-anxiety levels should be high for nursing staff due to the unpredictable prison setting. The author also assumed that this staff should report emotion-focused coping instead of problem-focused coping because of the high levels of state-anxiety. The research comprised two steps. The first one was an exploratory study comprising interviews of 13 members of the nursing staff (physicians, nurses, caregivers, etc.) working in a French prison in the north of France. The author reviewed all stressful events and how the staff coped with them. Then a coping inventory was designed on the basis of the “Way-of-Coping Check-List”. This was accomplished by a re-transcription of the coping cases collected during the interviews. The second study was experimental. Fifty other members of the nursing staff working in other prisons in the north of France were involved. They were asked to fill out the “state form” of the STAI-Y and the Coping Inventory. The effects of demographic and “prison-inmate” variables on state-anxiety and coping were analysed. The results do not support the author's assumptions. First of all, state-anxiety levels remained low in the sample. There were no significant differences between the subjects’ state-anxiety levels according to demographic and prison-inmate variables. Second, contrary to the assumptions, nursing staff used problem-focused coping more frequently than emotion-focused coping. Coping frequencies used did not differ according to the demographic variables but according to the prison-inmate variables. In fact, nursing staff in jail more frequently use problem-focused coping than prison nursing staff. In fact, permanent prison nursing staff use problem-focused coping more frequently than part-time nursing staff. Moreover, nursing staff who work with inmates every day use problem-focused coping more frequently than nursing staff who work with inmates part-time. The author discusses and explains the results on the basis of the cognitive-transactional theory of stress and coping, and of anxiety and the cognitive construction of danger (cognitive evaluation of the prison and the inmates). The results are likely to have implications on psychotherapy and staff training.

Job dissatisfaction among retail employees: a study of three leading UK retailers

Despite the general awareness that working in retailing is unattractive to many workers, relatively little is known about which aspects of retailing are actually disliked, or how that varies across groups within the workforce, employers, or types of store. Initial analyses from an extensive survey of UK retail employees show that statistically significant variations exist in terms of dislike of retail employment and particular aspects of that employment. Exploratory factor analysis shows that while a general dimension of discontent is identifiable, there are also specific concerns, such as among more senior staff who are particularly concerned about long hours, and younger employees frustrated at a perceived lack of career progression. However, there is also a dimension of relative contentment with work circumstances among large numbers of female part-time workers and older staff.

The Liver and Intestinal Research Centre: Bridging Clinical Research and Community Practice

The Liver and Intestinal Research Centre: Bridging Clinical Research and Community Practice

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 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 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, Greater Cincinnati Chapter, is Professor of Nursing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky, and part-time Staff Nurse, University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Double play: creating the sport customer experience using an interdisciplinary framework for managing service employees

This study investigated high-performance Human Resource Management (HPHRM) practices and social identification processes among part-time frontline service staff of five professional sport clubs. Significant effects of HPHRM practices and employees' identification with club and with customers emerged, influencing employees' customer orientation. We discuss managerial tactics to enhance identification and HPHRM practices as well as future research directions directed at developing techniques for enhancing customer orientation.

In the community

I am a healthcare assistant working in a rural community in North Wales. The district nursing team I work alongside comprises three part-time staff nurses and one full-time team leader. I have been in this post for almost four years now, but my background is in mental health nursing, working in the local Elderly Mentally Infirm (EMI) unit in the community hospital which I did for five years. I hope very soon to begin my second NVQ having already completed an NVQ in care at level 3.

Role of Health Care Professionals in Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Facilities in Canada

To examine the role of health care professionals in multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities (MPTF) for the treatment of chronic pain across Canada. MPTF were defined as clinics that advertised specialized multidisciplinary services for the diagnosis and management of chronic pain, and had staff from a minimum of three different health care disciplines (including at least one medical specialty) available and integrated within the facility. Administrative leaders at eligible MPTF were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire on their infrastructure as well as clinical, research, teaching and administrative activities. A total of 102 MPTF returned the questionnaires. General practitioners, anesthesiologists and physiatrists were the most common types of physicians integrated in the MPTF (56%, 51% and 32%, respectively). Physiotherapists, psychologists and nurses were the most common nonphysician professionals working within these MPTF (75%, 68% and 57%, respectively), but 33% to 56% of them were part-time staff. Only 77% of the MPTF held regular interdisciplinary meetings to discuss patient management, and 32% were staffed with either a psychologist or psychiatrist. The three most frequent services provided by physiotherapists were patient assessment, individual physiotherapy or exercise, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The three most common services provided by psychologists were individual counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and psychodynamic therapy. The major roles of nurses were patient assessment, assisting in interventional procedures and patient education. Different health care professionals play a variety of important roles in MPTF in Canada. However, few of them are involved on a full-time basis and the extent to which pain is assessed and treated in a truly multidisciplinary manner is questionable.

The Effects of Organizational Flexibility on Nurse Utilization and Vacancy Statistics in Ontario Hospitals

Social and economic changes in industrial societies during the past quarter-century encouraged organizations to develop greater flexibility in their employment systems in order to adapt to organizational restructuring and labour market shifts (Kallenberg 2003). During the 1990s this trend became evident in healthcare organizations. Before healthcare restructuring, employment in the acute hospital sector was more stable, with higher levels of full-time staff. However, in the downsizing era, employers favoured more flexible, contingent workforces (Zeytinoglu 1999). As healthcare systems evolved, staffing patterns became more chaotic and predicting staffing requirements more complex. Increased use of casual and part-time staff, overtime and agency nurses, as well as alterations in skills mix, masked vacancy counts and thus rendered this measurement of nursing demand increasingly difficult. This study explores flexible nurse staffing practices and demonstrates how data such as nurse vacancy statistics, considered in isolation from nurse utilization information, are inaccurate indicators of nursing demand and nurse shortage. It develops an algorithm that provides a standard methodology for improved monitoring and management of nurse utilization data and better quantification of vacancy statistics. Use of standard methodology promotes more accurate measurement of nurse utilization and shortage. Furthermore, it provides a solid base for improved nursing workforce planning, production and management.

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 McCoy, Kentucky Chapter, is a Professor of Nursing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky, and Part-time Staff Nurse, University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Part-Time Faculty and Gerontology Programs

This article presents an overview of the use of adjunct faculty generally and within gerontology programs and discusses the benefits, drawbacks and possible solutions for both adjunct faculty and gerontology programs to utilize part-time teaching staff. The benefits reported for being a part-time faculty member include wanting to be in academia and supplementing an income. The reasons gerontology programs hire adjunct faculty members include their being less costly and bringing new skills to the programs. There are also practical and substantive drawbacks faced by part-time faculty. Practical issues include confusion with the pay schedule and last-minute class cancellations. Substantive issues include a lack of both respect and opportunities for professional development. The solutions to these issues include assigned space and support to part-time faculty members, maintaining peer and student evaluations, and affirming diversity in gerontology by recruiting adjunct faculty with knowledge and research capabilities for tenure-track positions as a strategy for successful gerontology program development.

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 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 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 McCoy, Greater Cincinnati Chapter, is Professor of Nursing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky, and Part-time Staff Nurse, University Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Improving communication using an electronic bulletin board

Q: How can communication be improved within a large pharmacy department that provides continuous pharmaceutical services and includes full-time, part-time, and as-needed staff? A: Communication is critical in today’s world. Computers have changed the way we communicate. Although some innovations

Comparison of Productivity and Cost of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty Members in an Academic Department of Radiology

To compare financial productivity and employment costs of full-time and part-time faculty members and to assess qualitative factors related to part-time employment. Financial productivity and employment costs were compared for full-time and part-time staff members on the basis of a review of financial records from fiscal year 2005. Part-time and full-time faculty members were interviewed to determine reasons for working part-time and to assess the attitudes of both full-time and part-time faculty members toward part-time status. Part-time radiologists working an average 65% schedule constituted 13% of the total full-time equivalent faculty complement and performed 14% of the clinical work at an average of 0.88 physicians' component total relative value units while more than covering their costs. Part-time radiologists were more productive while interpreting examinations of lesser relative value unit value than full-time radiologists. Part-time radiologists are an important resource for the specialty and should be nurtured to stay in practice.

Who Gets Ahead?

This article reports the results from a 12-month study of teachers’ career progress in schools in England and the ways in which headteachers and teachers perceive that age, disability, ethnicity and gender affect teachers’ career prospects. Many teachers thought that they had been promoted because of their personal traits, such as drive, confidence and ability, and there was little evidence of direct discrimination. However, certain groups of teachers, for example part-time and supply staff, mature entrants to teaching, members of minority ethnic groups, teachers with disabilities, older male and female teachers, female teachers with children, all believed that their personal characteristics had disadvantaged their career progression. The study offers some insight into the structural constraints that hinder teachers’ careers and how greater diversity among promoted staff in schools might be achieved. The implications for school leaders are highlighted.

Conservatoire student and instrumental professor: the student perspective on a complex relationship

This article examines the special relationship between students and their instrumental teachers in UK conservatoires. Conservatoires in the UK provide a higher education for aspiring performers and composers and the students' choice of conservatoire will often be guided by their desire to study with a particular ‘professor’ who will teach them their major or ‘principal study’ instrument. Many such professors are visiting part-time staff whose teaching commitment represents only a small proportion of their wider professional lives. Here, the relationship between student and professor is revealed through the perceptions of piano students at a UK conservatoire and a picture emerges of partnerships which are remarkably productive, but vary widely in the degree and range of musical and personal support that students ideally hope to receive from them.

A survey of food safety training in small food manufacturers

A survey of food safety training was conducted in small food manufacturing firms in South Wales. Structured interviews with managers were used to collect information on the extent and level of food hygiene and HACCP training and the manager's perceptions of and attitude towards training. All the businesses surveyed had undertaken some hygiene training. Hygiene induction programmes were often unstructured and generally unrecorded. Low-risk production workers were usually trained on the job whilst high-care production staff were trained in hygiene to Level 1. Part-time and temporary staff received less training than full-timers. Regular refresher training was undertaken by less than half of the sample. None of the businesses made use of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) qualifications. Over half of the managers/senior staff had undertaken higher levels of hygiene training and half had attended a HACCP course. Managers trained the workforce to operate the HACCP system. Formal training-related activities were generally only found in the larger businesses. Few of the manufacturers had made use of training consultants. Managers held positive attitudes towards training but most regarded it as operating expense rather than an investment. Resource poverty, in terms of time and money was perceived to be a major inhibiting factor to continual, systematic training.

Consent to cataract surgery performed by residents

Background: Surgical teaching seems to be in conflict with the contract between surgeon and patient. We carried out a study to determine the prevalence of consistent disclosure to patients that a resident will perform part or all of their cataract surgery procedure.A second objective was to investigate the effect of such disclosure on patients' willingness to undergo the procedure.Methods: We sent a survey to all 20 ophthalmologists working in our university-affiliated hospitals, inquiring about their practice of disclosure to patients regarding residents' involvement in surgery. Staff physicians were also asked to record their patients' consent to an operation performed partly or entirely by a trainee while under supervision.Results: Of the 20 surveys sent, only 5 (25%) were returned.Those who declined to participate in the study mentioned several reasons, including that such disclosure might increase a patient's anxiety level, that they might lose potential patients as patients might be reluctant to have trainees perform their surgery, and lack of time to talk to patients about these issues. Of the five ophthalmologists who completed the survey, four were part-time affiliated staff and one was a geographic full-time physician working in our institution. Four of the five ophthalmologists said that they do not consistently disclose residents' involvement to their patients. Of the 49 patients enrolled, only 8 (16%) agreed to undergo the procedure after being informed that a trainee would be actively involved.Interpretation: It is crucial to inform patients that residents may be involved in their surgery in order to avoid possible litigation. However, our results suggest that such disclosure may have a negative effect on surgical education because it could limit the number of cases available to trainees.