Perceptions Of Professional Role Research Articles

Attitudes of the first cohort of student groups trained together at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy towards dental interprofessional education

This study explored, and compared, the attitudes of student groups trained at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy (UPDA) in 2010/2011 towards dental interprofessional education (IPE). The study population consisted of fifth-year student dentists (n = 80) from King's College London Dental Institute, second- and third-year dental hygiene and therapy (n = 38) and first-year dental nursing (n = 14) students from UPDA. A 19-item, validated and dentally modified questionnaire, 'Readiness for Inter-Professional Learning Scale (RIPLS)', was administered. RIPLS contains three subscales: teamwork and collaboration, professional identity and roles and responsibilities. Mean (x¯) and standard deviation (SD) of the scores were calculated, following reversal of negative items. All the analyses were carried out using SPSS version 20 and STATA version 11. An overall response rate of 71% (n = 94) was achieved. In reference to teamwork and collaboration, all groups strongly indicated that IPE can contribute to learning teamwork skills (x¯ = 24.98, SD = 3.5) and improving relationships with team members (x¯ = 12.93, SD = 1.63); however, the scores did not differ between the groups (P = 0.09 and P = 0.16, respectively). Concerning professional identity, student dentists had significantly higher preference for a discipline-based approach (P = 0.002); were more likely to agree that 'it is not necessary for undergraduate dental and dental care professional students to learn together' (P = 0.01); and perceived that 'clinical problem-solving skills can only be learnt effectively with other students from their own discipline' (P = 0.02) than dental hygiene and therapy students. In relation to roles and responsibilities, participants demonstrated a strong sense of their own professional role. Student dentists reported that they had 'to gain more knowledge and skills' than dental hygiene and therapy (P = 0.01) and dental nursing (P = 0.01) students. Dental hygiene and therapy students were less likely than student dentists to agree that 'the role of dental nurses and hygienists was to mainly provide support for dentists' (P = 0.001). The findings suggest that IPE was perceived as beneficial in relation to teamwork; however, the study raises issues regarding professional identity and roles. Educators should consider differing perceptions of professional roles and identities when planning and delivering interprofessional programmes.

Natural Health Products: Practices, Perceptions and Training Needs of Registered Dietitians

Canadians have access to thousands of authorized natural health products (NHPs) and are also surrounded by many unauthorized NHPs, which may place them at risk of adverse effects. Consumers expect health professionals, including nutritionists, to be a source of information on NHPs. Current training programs suggest that registered dietitians may have little knowledge about NHPs. The Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Quebec (OPDQ) sent an electronic survey to registered dietitians who are members of the OPDQ to document their use, referral habits and sources of information for NHPs. The survey also explored respondents’ perceptions of professional roles regarding NHPs as well as their perceptions of the effectiveness of specific NHPs. It measured their need for training on specific NHPs and on the health conditions that may be improved by NHPs. Data were analyzed with SPSS, through which descriptive statistics were obtained. A qualitative analysis was performed on the open-ended questions from the survey. A total of 295 questionnaires were analyzed. Among nutritionists, 93% have received requests for information about NHPs, 91% use or have used NHPs and 94% have recommended them. Also, 95% need training on NHPs and for various health considerations. Overall, they have a positive perception of their roles regarding this subject, with 77% indicating that the nutritionist should be a reliable source of information for NHPs. The major findings of our study are that the roles of Quebec nutritionists relating to NHPs are not clearly defined. Nutritionists need training on NHPs to provide sound nutritional advice for NHP users and, therefore, should develop a new area of nutritional practice.

Professional self-efficacy and role perception of school librarians and their impact on the development of students' information literacy


 
 
 The current study evaluated the degree to which school librarians are involved in two different dimensions of their work that directly relate to developing information literacy (IL): (1) providing students with basic and advanced reference work services (RWS); and (2) assisting students at different stages of their research process assignments, as defined by the Big6 model. In addition, to examine factors that may affect the degree of involvement in these two dimensions, the professional self-efficacy of the librarians and their perceptions of their role within the school community were assessed. Data was collected from 71 Israeli school librarians through online questionnaires and analysed quantitatively. This analysis reveals that school librarians provide primarily basic RWS, which require a low degree of professional and technological skills and little collaboration with school teachers. Similarly, school librarians are mainly involved with two specific stages of the students’ research processes, namely, the seeking and evaluation of information, which again reflect a low degree of IL training. The degree of involvement of librarians in these dimensions of their work is significantly and positively correlated with (a) the perception of the librarians of their own self-learning ability and professional updating level; and (b) their perceptions of their role as co-teachers or leaders within the school community. These findings should increase the awareness of the IL community to the work of school librarians, to their role in shaping information-related processes in young students, and to possible means of achieving these goals.
 
 

Professional role perceptions among Iraqi Kurdish journalists from a ‘state within a state’

Twenty years after a foreign intervention in Iraqi Kurdistan during Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian rule, this study found that Kurdish journalists’ professional role perceptions appear, to an extent, to reflect liberal democratic news media values. The study used the hierarchy-of-influences framework to examine determinants of professional role perceptions among Iraqi Kurdish journalists ( N = 175), who interacted with democratic institutions more than a decade longer than the rest of the country. The ‘Watchdog’ role perception model was the strongest of eight models in the study with influences including Western news media training, Internet use frequency, and ‘democrat’ political ideology over ‘Nationalist’. Furthermore, the ‘Islamist’ ideology had a stronger influence than ‘democrat’ on ‘Watchdog’ role perceptions, potentially indicating these perspectives, at times, may be embraced by groups not within the ruling parties.

Norwegian nursing and medical students' perception of interprofessional teamwork: a qualitative study.

BackgroundLittle is known about the ways in which nursing and medical students perceive and understand their roles in interprofessional teamwork. A 2010 report by the World Health Organization highlights the importance of students’ understanding of teamwork in healthcare, and their ability to be effective team players. This study aims at describing nursing and medical students’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork, focusing on experiences and recommendations that can be used to guide future educational efforts.MethodsThe study uses a qualitative research design. Data were collected from four focus group interviews: two homogenous groups (one with medical students, one with nursing students) and two mixed groups (medical and nursing students).ResultsThe results show that traditional patterns of professional role perception still prevail and strongly influence students’ professional attitudes about taking responsibility and sharing responsibility across disciplinary and professional boundaries. It was found that many students had experienced group cultures detrimental to team work. Focusing on clinical training, the study found a substantial variation in perception with regard to the different arenas for interprofessional teamwork, ranging from arenas with collaborative learning to arenas characterized by distrust, confrontation, disrespect and hierarchical structure.ConclusionsThis study underlines the importance of a stronger focus on interprofessional teamwork in health care education, particularly in clinical training. The study results suggest that the daily rounds and pre-visit “huddles,” or alternatively psychiatric wards, offer arenas suitable for interprofessional training, in keeping with the students’ assessments and criteria proposed in previous studies.

Investigation of Simulated Pharmacist Decision Making Involving Prescriptions With a High Probability of Causing Patient Harm.

Background: Medication errors pose a significant risk to patients, resulting in morbidity, mortality, and unnecessary health care utilization. Pharmacists, using their professional judgment, have an important role as a final check for identifying and resolving these problems. Little is known, however, about pharmacist perspectives and experiences with dispensing or withholding potentially dangerous prescriptions. Objectives: To (a) evaluate the extent to which pharmacists would not dispense a likely harmful prescription which has been confirmed by the prescriber and (b) assess pharmacist attitudes and experiences with dispensing likely harmful prescriptions. Methods: An anonymous, self-administered, 25-item survey was emailed to members of a state pharmacy association and a pharmacy college alumni list. A series of static prescription vignettes (1 reasonable and 4 likely dangerous doses) were presented and asked if they would fill each prescriber-confirmed prescription. Pharmacists also were asked a series of Likert-type, open-ended, multiple choice, and demographic items regarding their professional experiences and role perceptions. Results: There were 497 usable responses. Three of the 4 dangerous prescriptions were withheld by the majority of pharmacists (sumatriptan as the exception). No demographic variable was universally associated with filling dangerous vignette prescriptions; rather, there were vignette-specific differences. The majority of pharmacists reported refusing to fill a potentially harmful prescription during their career. Conclusions: There appears to be meaningful variation in how pharmacists react when presented with likely harmful prescriptions. More research is needed to better understand this role, its determinants, and the potential effects on patient safety.

Media Credibility and Journalistic Role Conceptions: Views on Citizen and Professional Journalists among Citizen Contributors

This study identifies citizen journalists' role conceptions regarding their news contributing activities and their perceptions of professional journalists' roles. Specifically, the ethical criterion of media credibility was assessed to identify predictors on their perceptions of roles. Analyses reveal citizen journalists perceive their roles to be generally similar to professional journalists and even rated certain roles more prominently for themselves. Further, their perceptions of media credibility were found to function as a core belief in how they assessed their roles and also those of professional journalists, which has implications for a system of open ethics.

Educating the dental team: exploring perceptions of roles and identities

Interprofessional education (IPE) should help to promote a team-based approach to professional practice but there are barriers to its implementation including professional identity. The aim of this study was to use a qualitative research methodology to explore dental and dental care professional (DCP) students' perceptions of professional roles and identities in the dental team. Data were collected by means of focus groups from a purposive sample of dental and DCP students and were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using an explanatory framework. Five common themes emerged around the issue of professional roles and identity in the dental team. The results indicate that professional identity was an important factor in team development and was determined by direct responsibility for patient care and by the amount of clinical experience acquired. Professional identity within a team context was perceived as different from professional identity per se. Dental students were found to lack confidence in their role as team leaders which was related to their lack of knowledge of team roles, responsibilities and experience. The role of the dental technician was perceived as 'outside' the dental team due to lack of patient interaction.

A Content Analysis of Evaluation & the Health Professions Over 32 Years

It is an honor to begin my role as Editor of Evaluation & the Health Professions (EHP). I will have a difficult path to follow. R. Barker Bausell began this journal 32 years ago along with Carolyn F. Waltz. The journal has become a home for a wide variety of topics and in 2008 achieved an impact factor of 2.683. While learning to take on the role as Editor, I have attempted to place the many specific topics into general themes that the journal has addressed over the years. I identified 20 general topics. These included evaluations of professional competence and student achievement, and ethics. These also included program evaluations in medical, educational, and community settings, policy evaluations, and health education, prevention, or promotion topics. Issues of training professionals were included along with explication of types of professional roles, professional role perceptions, and satisfaction. Patient adjustment and self-care, and consumer satisfaction were examined as well. Various analytic approaches including cost-effectiveness analyses, implementation methods and context issues, research designs, and statistical approaches were examined. Finally, translation issues and global health were addressed. In total, 953 articles have appeared in the journal since it began. Next, I examined proportions of each topic covered by articles over the duration of the journal and also in approximately 10-year increments to assess trends of prevalence of different topics. I did the coding myself, did not establish interrater agreement with a second rater, and many peculiarities are missing in the categories formed (e.g., the December 2009 issue of the journal presents complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) issues, which I simply grouped under program evaluation in medical or clinical services). Still, the data I coded provide a heuristic look at the history of the contents of the journal. The results of this exercise are shown in Table 1. Table 1 Prevalence of Topics That Have Appeared in EHP by and Across Years The most popular areas covered over 32 years are professional competence–related issues (12%), statistical techniques or test validation studies (11%), program evaluation in medical or other clinical settings (10%), implementation methods and context (9%), and student evaluations (done by or of students; 8%). Looking at changes comparing 1978–1989, 1990–1999, and 1978–2009, professional competence-related issues have been printed less frequently (14%, 14%, and 8%, respectively), as have program evaluations in educational settings (8%, 4%, and 3%) and in health education/prevention/promotion (7%, 8%, and 4%). Program evaluation in home or other community settings became more popular for a while and then less popular (2%, 6%, and 2%). Translation issues (0%, 0%, and 6%), global health issues (1%, 1%, and 10%), and data collection/attrition issues (2%, 2%, and 6%) have become more popular over time. It is likely that these same 20 general topics will be covered by the journal in years to come, with continued emphasis on such recent issues as translation and global health. As the health professions continue to evolve due to changes in science, technology, culture, and economics, the journal will reflect these changing trends. As in the past, EHP will attempt to provide a balanced perspective on contemporary and often controversial issues. For example, in March of 2011, the journal will provide a Special Issue on data analytic issues in prevention research. Such topics as when to use one-versus two-tailed tests, notions of “cherry picking” results, how to deal with the shape of data distributions, and covariates within multilevel designs, all will be addressed. In addition, there will be a statement regarding the perspective the consumer might take considering evidence-based program results. Further, issues pertaining to the causation and statistics will be discussed. The journal will be a home to health-related profession evaluation issues for years to come. I greatly appreciate the mentorship that Barker Bausell has provided to me, and I am glad to be the second Editor at the helm.

Roles and responsibilities of pharmacists with respect to natural health products: Key informant interviews

Background Although many pharmacies sell natural health products (NHPs), there is no clear definition as to the roles and responsibilities (if any) of pharmacists with respect to these products. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore pharmacy and stakeholder leaders' perceptions of pharmacists' professional NHP roles and responsibilities. Methods Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with pharmacy leaders (n = 17) and stakeholder (n = 18) leaders representing consumers, complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, conventional health care practitioners, and industry across Canada. Results All participants believed a main NHP responsibility for pharmacists was in safety monitoring, although a one challenge identified in the interviews was pharmacists' general lack of NHP knowledge; however, stakeholder leaders did not expect pharmacists to be experts, but should have a basic level of knowledge about NHPs. Conclusion Participants described pharmacists' professional roles and responsibilities for NHPs as similar to those for over-the-counter drugs; more awareness of existing NHP-related pharmacy policies is needed, and pharmacy owners/managers should provide additional training to ensure front-line pharmacists have appropriate knowledge of NHPs sold in the pharmacy.

Caring for abused women: impact on nurses’ professional and personal life experiences

This article is a report of a study of the impact of caring for abused women on nurses' professional and personal life experiences. Encountering abused women can have emotional, cognitive and behavioural influences on nurses, known as vicarious traumatization. They may feel incompetent to deal with such an overwhelming problem and may avoid screening survivors of abuse. Thus, nurses treating these survivors need to be aware of their attitudes, emotions and differential responses during these interactions. A phenomenological study was carried out in 2005 in Israel. The data were collected using in-depth, interviews with 22 female Israeli nurses in hospitals and community healthcare clinics. Data analysis revealed one main theme, 'Struggling on work and home fronts', based on two subthemes: 'Encounter with domestic violence: a challenge to nurses' professional role perception' and 'Between work and home'. Nurses experience perplexity regarding abused women and their professional care. Encounters with these women challenge nurses' personal and professional attitudes, as well as influencing their personal lives (intimate relationships, parenthood and gender attitudes). These encounters induce empathy and compassion, but also anger and criticism towards abused women, creating emotional labour for the nurses. The dissonance between personal values, attitudes and emotions and the desirable professional intervention procedures might impede nurses' performance in caring for abused women. Implementing training programmes for screening and intervening with abused women might reduce the emotional labour required, enhance nurses' responses to domestic violence, and enable personal growth.

PROFESSIONAL ROLE PERCEPTION IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS FROM UNIVERSITY OF CONCEPCION, CHILE

The aim of this descriptive exploratory research is to describe the professional role perception the undergraduate nursing students attending University of Concepción (CHILE) have, in their different instructional levels, during academic year, 2000. An intentional sample, 250 students were chosen and grouped as follow; being A: First year, B: Third year, C: Fifth year. A questionnaire made up by the authors, based on previous role trials among professionals, was applied. The information was descriptively analyzed for each group (separately) and a comparative analysis from the groups. Statistical analysis with Chi2 was used for groups B and C. As for the role image, most of the students perceive the nurse as a teamwork coordinator and only 18% consider the nurse as caregiver. As far as the representation of the role concept that emerges from situations related to professional exercise is concerned, most of the students identify the role as caregivers. In both, statistical analysis using Chi2 turned out to be not significant. In level B and C, the expressive role character is preferentially indicated by the students, being the differences, statistically significant. The role perception the nursing students have, changes according the level they are attending, with the special consideration upon some key educational factors, such as teacher’s models, nurses models and/or clinical settings.

Patients, doctors, and therapists perceptions of professional roles in spinal cord injury rehabilitation: Do they agree?

Spinal cord injury is a devastating condition, requiring extensive rehabilitation from a range of health care professionals. However, it is unclear if patients view the professionals' input into their rehabilitation in the same way as those professionals. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study into patient participation in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. The aim of the part of the study reported here was to identify whether there is agreement between health care professionals and patients perceptions of professional roles in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Results are presented from semi-structured interviews conducted with five doctors, five physiotherapists, three occupational therapists and 20 patients in a spinal cord injury unit in England. Findings suggest considerable agreement between professionals and patients about the role those professionals play in their rehabilitation. Physiotherapists are perceived to be key to rehabilitation, occupational therapists focus on hand function but physiotherapists and occupational therapists complement each other. Doctors coordinate the team yet reduce their input as patients move out of the acute phase into rehabilitation. There are some tensions but the early input of these professionals into patients' rehabilitation may help to develop understanding of roles. Congruence between patients and professionals may mean that patients have realistic expectations and encourage a more equal relationship between them.

Morale and job perception of community mental health professionals in Berlin and London

Morale and job perception of staff in community mental health care may influence feasibility and quality of care, and some research has suggested particularly high burnout of staff in the community. The aims of this study were to: a) assess morale, i. e. team identity, job satisfaction and burnout, in psychiatrists, community psychiatric nurses and social workers in community mental health care in Berlin and London; b) compare findings between the groups and test whether personal characteristics, place of working and professional group predict morale; and c) explore what tasks, obstacles, skills, enjoyable and stressful aspects interviewees perceived as important in their jobs. In all, 189 mental health professionals (a minimum of 30 in each of the six groups) responded to a postal survey and reported activities per week using pre-formed categories. Perception of professional role was assessed on the Team Identity Scale, job satisfaction on the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale, and burnout on the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Seven simple open questions were used to elicit the main tasks, skills that staff did and did not feel competent in, aspects that they did and did not enjoy in their job, and obstacles and factors that caused pressure. Answers were subjected to content analysis using a posteriori formed categories. Weekly activities and morale varied between sites and professional groups. Some mean scores for groups in London exceeded the threshold for a burnout syndrome, and are particularly less favourable for social workers. Working in London predicted higher burnout, lower job satisfaction and lower team identity. Being a psychiatrist predicted higher team identity, whilst being a social worker was associated with higher burnout and lower job satisfaction. Male gender predicted lower burnout and higher team identity. However, professional group and site interacted in predicting burnout and job satisfaction. Psychiatrists in London had much more favourable scores than the other two groups, whilst this did not hold true in Berlin. Answers to open questions revealed universal aspects, such as enjoying direct patient contact and disliking bureaucracy, but also various views that were specific to a site or professional group or both. Burnout remains a problem for some, but not all, professional groups in community mental health care, and social workers in London appear to be a group with particularly low morale. Differences between professional groups depend on the location, and it remains unclear to what extent job-related and general factors impact on the morale of mental health professionals. Answers to open questions reveal general as well as specific aspects of the job perception of the professional groups, some of which may be relevant for service development, training and supervision. More conceptual and methodological work and more extensive studies are required to develop a better understanding of how community mental health professionals perceive their job and how morale may be improved.

A stimulating, practice-based job facing increased stress – Clinical supervisors’ perceptions of professional role, physiotherapy education and the status of the profession

The aim was to study perceptions of professional role, education and the status of the profession among clinical physiotherapy supervisors. Five focus group discussions were conducted with 15 super ...

The role perception questionnaire (RPQ): a tool for assessing undergraduate students' perceptions of the role of other professions

A systematic review of interprofessional education (Freeth et al., 2002) revealed that there were many weaknesses in the current body of knowledge of interprofessional education outcomes. One reason for this was the lack of good quality study designs for evaluating the outcomes of interprofessional education. This paper discusses the range of tools that were found in the literature and describes the production and validation of two questionnaires that can be used as part of an interprofessional evaluation strategy. Firstly, a Generic Role Perception Questionnaire which can be used for measuring the perception of the role of a range of professions and a Nursing Role Perception Questionnaire used specifically for measuring the perception of the role of a nurse. Repertory grid technique was selected to elicit constructs from a multiprofessional group of final year undergraduate students. This pool was then used to develop the two questionnaires. Factor analysis, internal consistency and test re-test measures are used along with evidence of validity. The questionnaires were found to have acceptable validity and reliability and could be used as part of an IPE evaluation strategy to measure changes in professional role perception in an undergraduate population.

Professional Role Perceptions of School Social Workers, Psychologists, and Counselors

Professional Role Perceptions of School Social Workers, Psychologists, and Counselors

A Non-Traditional Clinical Experience in Costa Rica

A Non-Traditional Clinical Experience in Costa Rica

Making Chinese Journalists for the Next Millennium

The study is based on a national survey of 1052 Chinese journalism students conducted in late 1996. It aims to develop a detailed profile of Chinese journalism students and to examine their professional socialization process in becoming the next generation of journalists in China. It also compares the professional values and attitudes of these students with those of practicing journalists in China. We find that, overall, Chinese students' college experiences play a more important role than their demographic characteristics in their professionalization, but the values that students bring to college interact with their socialization there to produce their professional values. Evidence from this survey shows some positive signs in Chinese students' perceptions of professional roles, but there are also some questionable trends in their professionalization. The article discusses some of these problems and their possible causes. It also provides some suggestions for future research on journalistic education in China.

Drug education: a study of different professional perspectives in one English county

A study was undertaken of over a hundred professionals working with drug users in one English county, drawn from health, community care, social services, the criminal justice system and a number of voluntary organisations. The study set out to discover perceptions of professional roles and in particular of the differing aims of drug education. Three distinct and conflicting models of education were described: education for prevention, education for harm minimisation and education for individual empowerment. Conflict of roles and responsibilities was evident and the favoured solution was clarification of aims.