Professional Excellence Research Articles

Medical Ethics According to Avicenna's Stance: A Synopsis

Medical ethics has been contemplated upon by practitioners since ancient times. Avicenna’s notes on medical ethics are presented in the third chapter of the manuscript “Fi Bayan al-hajat Ela al-Teb va al-Atteba va Vasayahom” (meaning: “on needs to medicine and physicians and their recommendations”) by Qutb al-Din Shirazi’s (1236-1311 CE), one of the main commentators on Avicenna Canon of Medicine. Avicenna refers to several ethical subjects which can be expressed in three main domains: considering patient interests, communication skills, and adhering to the characteristics of professional excellence. Although there are similarities between the classical medical ethics recommendations and ethics recommendations raised by Avicenna, significant moral differences can be considered between the two views [GMJ.2017;6(4):261-7]DOI: 10.22086/gmj.v6i4.768

Do doctors have a moral duty to work in the public health sector? Ethical considerations regarding the social obligations of medicine.

This article discusses whether physicians have social obligations and whether these obligations imply a moral duty to work in the public sector. The article focuses on the context of the Chilean health system, which has an unequal distribution of physicians to the detriment of the public sector, thus making the issue a particularly pressing one. After addressing arguments from different ethical theories and some empirical evidence, the article concludes that the physician has some social obligations in relation to a fair distribution of health resources, and that professional excellence should incorporate cultivating virtues related to social justice. In addition, it is argued that the moral duty to work in the public sector can be placed in the context of prima facie obligations which admit exceptions and allow the possibility of conflict with other professional obligations.

Making News Soviet: Rethinking Journalistic Professionalism after Stalin, 1953–1970

This article challenges the assumption, frequently made in scholarship on Soviet media, that news was absent in the Soviet Union. Working across press, radio, and television, the article shows how after 1953 reform of Soviet news became a priority for journalists, editors and media professionals. The article focuses on discussions among journalists and officials about the future of journalism, arguing that journalists’ notions of professional excellence played a crucial role in shaping news coverage. In a climate of Cold War competition with western radio, new technological possibilities and changing political priorities, journalists gradually overcame their condescension towards news, emphasising its civic potential as an agent of social ‘democratisation’, and the artistic nature of reportage. This new configuration was precarious, however, and collapsed after the Czechoslovakian crisis of 1968. As the Party placed new restrictions on the flow of information, news lost its professional prestige.

Medical Professionalism: the Effects of Sociodemographic Diversity and Curricular Organization on the Attitudinal Performance of Medical Students

ABSTRACT Introduction: Socioeconomic and demographic diversity in the educational environment and the development of professional attitudes enhance the quality of health care delivery. Despite the importance of diversity for equity and accessibility to health care, its repercussions for students’ attitudinal learning have not been adequately evaluated. Purpose: Evaluate the influence of academic sociodemographic diversity and curricular organization in the development of professional attitudes in different phases of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Method: In 2012, the attitudinal performance of 310 socioeconomically diverse medical students was evaluated by the administration of a five-point professional attitudes scale. The participants were at different points in their education at a Brazilian public school of medicine in Brasília, Federal District. The scale comprised 6 factors: communication, ethics, professional excellence, self-assessment, beliefs, social determinants; and a general factor called medical professionalism and was validated for the purpose of this research. The reliability coefficients (aCronbach) ranged from 0.65 to 0.87, according to different scale dimensions. Student diversity was analyzed according to differences in gender, age, religious affiliation, system of student selection and socioeconomic background. Results: The authors observed a decline in the mean attitude scores during the clinical phase compared to the preclinical phase of the curriculum. Female students displayed more positive attitudes than male students, and the students who declared a religious affiliation recorded higher attitude scores compared to those who declared themselves atheist, agnostic or non-religious. There was no correlation between family income or the system of student selection and the students’ attitude scores. The students who had attended public schools expressed a greater interest in working in the public health system compared to the other students. Age and marital status had no relevant effect on attitude scores. Conclusions: The attitude scores of medical students declined as the curriculum progressed. Female students had more positive attitudes than male students. Religious affiliation appeared to positively influence the observed attitude scores.

An Interview with William A. Barnett

An Interview with William A. Barnett

Vicarious Experience: A Neglected Source of Career Identity Among Indigenous Hospitality Graduates in Uganda

ABSTRACTThe study investigates measures of vicarious experience and examines the relationship between vicarious experience and the career identity of Ugandan hospitality graduates. Questionnaires were administered to indigenous hospitality graduates (n = 248). Phenomenological findings on the concept of vicarious experience were obtained from 10 respondents. The results showed that among indigenous hospitality graduates, vicarious experience comprises two factors: professional functional excellence and social welfare construction experiences. Both factors are significant predictors of career identity among Ugandan hospitality graduates. When hospitality graduates engage in observational learning, then their career identity is enhanced. The findings thus suggest observational learning (vicarious experience) as an alternative route to stimulating a particular form of career motivation (career identity). Therefore, hotel managers who wish to build career identity may foster an atmosphere in which vicarious experiences are appreciated and valued by all.

Case management: an up-to-date review of literature and a proposal of a county utilization.

The current phase of development of health services is characterised by multiple changes that affect the organisational models of primary production lines (hospital, clinics, etc.) and the method of use by users. The clinical governance is a "strategy by which healthcare organisations are responsible for continuous improvement in the quality of services and achievement-maintaining high professional standards, stimulating the creation of an environment that fosters professional excellence". In this perspective of clinical governance, the role of the case manager with its clinical and managerial and financial skills becomes a key figure to ensure quality as a set of aspects of efficiency, effectiveness, safety, appropriateness, participation and equity. Case management fits perfectly in the context of assistance, to promote an increased quality of care, resulting in improved life, through coordination, integrating different professional contributions and ensuring continuity of care through all stages of treatment. In conclusion, preliminary results indicate that the increase of this organisation could be more functionally to reduce some team's gap.

Aprendizado autorregulado em contabilidade: uma análise comparativa entre discentes de modalidade presencial e a distância

Esta pesquisa realizou uma análise comparativa do perfil de estudantes de Ciências Contábeis da modalidade presencial e a distância quanto ao uso de estratégias autorreguladas na aprendizagem. Por meio de uma amostra de 302 estudantes de duas Instituições de Ensino Superior privadas, localizadas na Bahia, foi verificado como a modalidade de ensino, semestre, idade e gênero podem ser associados à utilização de estratégias de aprendizado autorregulado. Os dados foram tratados por meio de testes de médias (teste t), análises descritivas e análise fatorial. Os resultados apontaram que as estratégias mais empregadas pelos estudantes de contabilidade foram as de estabelecimento de objetivos e planejamento e a de memorização. Ao explicar as estratégias autorreguladas, por meio da modalidade de ensino, semestre, idade e gênero, os resultados indicaram que as médias são significativamente diferentes para a modalidade de ensino e idade. O estudo contribui para repensar os modelos de ensino-aprendizagem pautados no armazenamento de informações com o propósito de que exista fomento ao desenvolvimento de habilidades autônomas que promovam o aprendizado permanente fundamentado no ensinar a aprender ou aprender a aprender, características indicadas por órgãos internacionais e necessárias na excelência profissional.

The Reform and Practice Exploration of Teaching Method of Signals and Systems Course

The signals and systems are professional core curriculum of information science and electrical engineering, which are directly related to the teaching quality of the follow-up courses. At present, according to basic situation of teaching practice in the signals and systems in our university, and combined with the training objectives of professional excellence project, according to the teaching content and teaching methods of the signals and systems, we make the corresponding reform measures, take the course group as the teaching unit, combine theory with practice as teaching scheme, and understand the abstract concept of the physical. In addition, the network teaching section is added, which is complementary to the classroom teaching and improves the efficiency and flexibility of the study.

Promoting Professional Excellence through National Certification and Education

Starting in 2010, Arkansas Children’s Hospital began an organizational initiative to promote professional excellence while embarking on their Magnet journey. Recognizing American Nurse’s Credentialing Centers (ANCC) Forces of Magnetism core characteristics to support professional development, PeriAnesthesia leadership developed a strategic plan to increase the number of professional certifications and bachelor-prepared nurses within the PeriAnesthesia areas. These professional advancement goals were set in accordance with ASPAN position statements, and the Institute of Medicine’s report on the Future of Nursing. Organizational expectations were communicated and the nursing ACHieve clinical ladder was updated to reflect nursing’s commitments to education and certification.

Psychological Pedagogical Aspects of an Individual’s Professional Career

The research consists in the exposure of a core of the individual’s professional career psychological pedagogical aspects along with the theoretical analysis of the 'professional career' notion. There are studied the career types, intra-organizational career directions, professional excellence levels and professional career stages. Special attention is paid to consideration of the individual’s professional development periodization.
 As a result of the research, it was determined that one of the individual’s life boost factors is his/her own professional growth. That what has been identified as a professional life way, professional self-determination, professional activity before means the notion of an individual’s professional career now. The increasing competitive conditions of the modern labor market enlarge the role of individual career planning. There is studied a fine line between the development of a particular personality as a careerist and social interests.
 Career development implies professional socialization and professional individualization of a personality. Professional development in a selected profession takes place on the basis of professional activity, professional maturity, real self-concept, 'Me-concept' formation according to expectance and achieved results at all stages, phases and periods of individual’s professional development. It is also quite essential to take into account individual and social factors concerning the accordance of person’s career development with real social economic requirements and needs in the context of effective interaction with social and professional surroundings, depiction of corresponding goals and motives.
 The research materials gave an opportunity to define that the development dynamics problems of a modern individual’s professional career are connected with insufficient advance of his/her career orientations regarding active professional self-actualization, awareness of one’s own identity and professional potential peculiarities.
 The research methods used in the process of theoretical study are the analysis, synthesis, concrete definition, comparison. The research results also gave a chance to find out that there is a range of unsolved issues which have a significant impact on successful formation and further development of an individual's professional activity as well as career phenomenon development in general. Thus, the prospects of further research surveys are considered to be the research of the formation peculiarities of career orientations in the process of professional socialization.

Evaluación clínica objetiva y estructurada (ECOE) en la maestría de Enfermería Ginecobstétrica y Perinatal: una sistematización de la experiencia

En busca de la excelencia profesional, la maestría en Enfermería Ginecológica, Obstétrica y Perinatal de la Universidad de Costa Rica, se mantiene a la vanguardia respecto de los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. La inclusión de la simulación clínica forma parte de estas innovaciones educativas desde el año 2012; sin embargo esta es la primera vez que se incluye los procesos evaluativos de tipo ECOES los cuales, en experiencias internacionales, han demostrado pertinencia en el cumplimiento de los objetivos de enseñanza. Esta experiencia se sistematiza, según los cinco tiempos que Óscar Jara establece en su libro Para sistematizar experiencias, con el objetivo de definir la pertinencia del ECOE en cuanto a cumplir los objetivos de aprendizaje del curso. La profesora del curso y la autora recopilaron la experiencia en un diario de registro que incluye la elaboración de los escenarios, y la creación de las rubricas de evaluación. Además las estaciones fueron grabadas. La evaluación se llevó a cabo con la totalidad de estudiantes matriculados, en el curso de Enfermería Ginecoobstétrica y Perinatal I. Se estableció tres estaciones que permitirían evaluar aspectos teóricos, habilidades técnicas y sociales en la atención de las personas. Además, se creó rúbricas de evaluación, basadas en guías clínicas procedimentales y en protocolos de atención de la seguridad social costarricense. Se concluye que la experiencia demuestra clara pertinencia de los ECOEs, para evaluar la aplicación de conocimientos teóricos y habilidades psicomotoras, sociales y de comunicación en estudiantes que cursan la maestría y evidencia su preparación para continuar con los niveles más complejos de la carrera.

In-Service Teachers’ Training Program: A step towards quality Education

Teachers are the key factor in promoting quality of education at grass root level. They ought to be kept themselves abreast with the modern approaches in promoting quality of education and get acquainted with professional training for the effective teaching-learning process. The primary aim of the study was to explore the effectiveness of in-service teacher training programs on professional excellence of teachers in promoting quality of education. A total of 75 respondents constitute the sample of the study. A close-ended questionnaire with five point Likert scale was designed and subjected for data collection. The collected data was treated with chi-square statistics. Result indicated that the objectives of the in-service teacher programs were not clearly articulated to teachers, teachers we problem-solving to enroll in in-service teacher programs, the institutes offering in-service teacher training programs lacks the provision of physical facilities, majority of the courses fails to ensures creativity among in-service teachers regarding problem solving approach, A.V. aids were not subjected in teaching-learning process, in-service teachers were not involved in transactional approaches during the training, and organization among theory and practice were lacking. In the light of results, it was recommended that proper articulation of objectives of the program ought to be done to all in–service teachers, proper allocation of funds may be elicited to avoid lacks of physical facilities, and gaps between theory and practice may be removed that the actual crux of the program may be achieved in real sense.

Diseño de una suela para calzado femenino casual bajo parámetros de liviandad

La mujer actual se desarrolla en diferentes ámbitos, en los cuales se conjuga la excelencia profesional con la presentación personal. En este último aspecto el calzado es un elemento fundamental e indispensable. Con el propósito de ofrecer a la mujer no sólo un calzado estéticamente aceptable, sino también liviano y flexible, se desarrolló este trabajo en dos etapas: la primera validó la necesidad de diseñar zapatos cómodos y estéticos para la mujer actual, por medio de una encuesta a 50 mujeres de diferentes profesiones, que realizan largos desplazamientos en su rutina diaria y a las cuales se les contabilizó el número de pasos que regularmente ejecutan en el día, por medio de una banda de ajuste inteligente. Como resultado, se identificó que la altura del tacón del calzado y el número de pasos en el día son los factores relevantes que influyen en el nivel de dolor de los pies de estas mujeres al final de la jornada. De esta forma, en una segunda etapa se diseñó un calzado casual femenino ergonómico, que mitigue el dolor y que combine el desarrollo de una suela novedosa y unzapato característico de una empresa comercial

Influence of Gender on the Personal Values of Higher Secondary Students

Values play an important role in successful living. The presences of one’s values are reflected in the way one behaves talks and perceives things. It helps a person essentially to achieve the academic and professional excellence which will in return make them a good citizen of the country. To build a bright future, one must start the process from an early age itself. It is accepted fact that the values learned in childhood remain forever. It is not only helps one to distinguish from good and evil but also helps one to handle difficult situations easily and systematically. Therefore people with good values and ethics are given preference everywhere and are admired for their nature. The aim of present research is to find out the differences in personal values among boys and girls studying in Higher Secondary level. The researcher has used Personal Values Questionnaire (PVQ-SV) by Sherry G.P. and Verma R.P. as a tool. The present study was confined to 120 higher secondary students from Ahmedabad city. Even though, many factors influence personal values of an individual, the present study measures the values with regard to gender with ten different factors. After the analysis of the data, independent ‘t’ test was applied to check significance. The finding reveals significant difference in economic value, power value and health value with regard to gender. The girls desire more economic value whereas the boys choose power value and health value.

The Pursuit of Professional Practice Excellence and the Achievement of Peer Recognition.

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Achieving business excellence through self-assessment for personal and professional excellence

The purpose of the paper is to provide a novel personal excellence reference model that simultaneously integrates an individual’s personal and professional development in private life and work life as well as professional competence development in lean logistics. To support the methodical evaluation and continuous progress of personal excellence and lifelong learning of shop-floor workers in industry, major research efforts were undertaken which involved the transfer of the European Foundation for Quality Management approach for business excellence into a model and self-assessment methodology for personal excellence. To verify the developed reference model, a pilot application was implemented and reviewed at 12 organisations in Europe. The results find that continuous personal improvement of shop-floor workers leads to production optimisation and, thus, business excellence.

Dichotomy and dialogue in conceptualizations of competency in health professionals’ education

Most research on the definition of competency and its application in health professionals’ education programs is focused on semantic matters, while contextual influences are rarely discussed or solely presented as background context. The aim of this article is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issues raised by definitions of competency and to describe the contextual factors that have given rise to those definitions. This is achieved by presenting the results of a literature review that synthesized different conceptualizations of competency. We analyzed relevant literature listed in the CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases as of 2015. The results show that authors define competency based on two diverging driving forces: one aimed at professional regulation and the other at professional emancipation. The analysis revealed common grounds between these perspectives. From these common grounds we discuss the possibility of conceptualizing competency on a continuum instead of perpetuating the dichotomized discourses presented in the current literature. The integration of both perspectives gives the opportunity to rethink policies, structures and strategies of professional education toward an integrated perspective of professional development situated in a lifelong learning enterprise, achieving both minimal professional standards and excellence in healthcare practices from initial education throughout a career.

Feminization in the Professionalization of French Journalism: From La Fronde to F Magazine, or How Journalism Became a “Woman’s Job”

The model of French‐style journalism has historically been built around two figures: that of the writer and that of the politician. This model has also historically been built on male values. I will try to show in this article the effects of feminization on the very definition of journalism. To do so, I have chosen to observe three different moments in the history of journalism that are important steps in the process of journalistic professionalization. I have chosen to ”reread” three key moments in journalistic history—theturn of the twentieth century, the liberation from German occupation in 1944, and the end of the 1970s—in the light of editorial projects carried out by women and seeking to reconcile feminist or women’s interests and professional excellence. These three projects—La Fronde in 1897, Elle in 1945, F Magazine and Histoires d’Elles in the late 1970s—show how new entrants into a professional group succeed in imposing values in line with their trajectories and dispositions.

Women Police in India: Practical Issues, Problems and Solutions

The aim of policing is maintenance of peace, security and reduction of crime and conviction of the offender and ensuring protection in the community. Unfortunately, the number of women police personnel is inadequate in our country. There is need to integrate women police into the mainstream and create conditions for this. It is necessary to considerably enhance the strength of women investigating officers in State Police forces. Women in police, now have to aim to attain professional excellence. Policing might not sound to be an attractive or suitable career for women but their relevance in the police force cannot be undermined.