Professional Skills Training Research Articles

Acute Effects of Online Mind-Body Skills Training on Resilience, Mindfulness, and Empathy.

Some studies have begun to show benefits of brief in-person mind-body skills training. We evaluated the effects of 1-hour online elective mind-body skills training for health professionals on mindfulness, resilience, and empathy. Between May and November, 2014, we described enrollees for the most popular 1-hour modules in a new online mind-body skills training program; compared enrollees' baseline stress and burnout to normative samples; and assessed acute changes in mindfulness, resilience, and empathy. The 513 enrollees included dietitians, nurses, physicians, social workers, clinical trainees, and health researchers; about 1/4 were trainees. The most popular modules were the following: Introduction to Stress, Resilience, and the Relaxation Response (n = 261); Autogenic Training (n = 250); Guided Imagery and Hypnosis for Pain, Insomnia, and Changing Habits (n = 112); Introduction to Mindfulness (n = 112); and Mindfulness in Daily Life (n = 102). Initially, most enrollees met threshold criteria for burnout and reported moderate to high stress levels. Completing 1-hour modules was associated with significant acute improvements in stress (P < .001), mindfulness (P < .001), empathy (P = .01), and resilience (P < .01). Online mind-body skills training reaches diverse, stressed health professionals and is associated with acute improvements in stress, mindfulness, empathy, and resilience. Additional research is warranted to compare the long-term cost-effectiveness of different doses of online and in-person mind-body skills training for health professionals.

On the Cultivation Mode of Petroleum Engineering Professionals in Higher Vocational Education

In this essay, the author points out several problems during the cultivation of petroleum engineering professionals in higher vocational education, and brings up an innovative training model which involves “platform + module” in theoretical teaching and “basis + innovation” in practical teaching. Analysis are made on the reform of curriculum system, improvement in students’ professional accomplishment, strengthening of teaching staff construction featured as “double-Identity instructor with double capabilities”, acceleration in practice bases construction, improvement of teaching method of skills training , enhancement in professional skills training, etc..

INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) IN INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY AMONG LECTURERS OF PART-TIME POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA

The advancement which ICT resources offer in university education can be evidenced through instructional delivery. Productive instructional delivery enhances learner’s creativity and intellectual development through the use of ICT resources. The level of utilization of ICT in the field of information management education is still low; recent studies have shown that many lecturers hardly comprehend the benefits of ICT in the teaching of information professionals. This study examined the state of ICT integration in instructional delivery of the part-time postgraduate program in the Department of Library and Information Science, ABU-Zaria. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study while, Survey research design was adopted, Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from nine lecturers selected from the department of library and information science, using Random sampling technique. The study found that ICT, when used for Instructional delivery, brings about the high standard of communication between lecturers and students in understanding themselves, saving time during instructional delivery and leads to quick and faster understanding of the topics taught. It is recommended that lecturers should always deploy and use ICT in instructional delivery as it enhances recall and retention of what has been taught and facilitates the development and training of information professional skills towards greater human resource development.

P52 Prisms: A Systematic Review Of The Mrc 'phase Iv' Evidence On Implementing Asthma Self-management

Aim Asthma self-management is effective in clinical trials, widely recommended by guidelines but poorly implemented. We aimed to synthesise the evidence from implementation studies of asthma self-management support interventions to inform delivery in routine clinical practice. Methods Using systematic review methodology (Cochrane Handbook) we searched eight electronic databases, performed snowball and manual searches, and searched research databases for unpublished and on-going work. We included studies with a range of methodologies, and which evaluated the introduction of an asthma self-management support intervention in routine clinical practice. We assessed included papers for quality (Downs and Black), extracted and synthesised data on process (e.g. number of action plans issued) and clinical outcomes (e.g. measures of asthma control, unscheduled healthcare). Narrative synthesis used the whole systems approach as a framework. [PROSPERO registration: CRD42012002898]. Results We included 18 studies (7 randomised trials, 8 longitudinal database studies, 3 uncontrolled studies) from primary, secondary, community and managed care settings in six countries. Interventions which explicitly addressed patient, professional and organisational factors (n = 7 studies) showed the most consistent improvement in both process and clinical outcomes. Targeting professionals (n = 2 studies) improved process but not clinical outcomes. Targeting patients (n = 6 studies) had inconsistent impact on process/clinical outcomes. Targeting the organisation (n = 3 studies) improved process, and had a small effect on clinical outcomes. Authors highlighted the importance of a healthcare system committed to supporting self-management, skills training for professionals, patient education programmes supported by regular reviews, and on-going evaluation of the implementation process. Conclusion Effective interventions were complex: actively engaging patients, and training and motivating professionals within the context of an organisation which prioritised supported self-management. Commissioners and providers of services for people with asthma should consider how they can promote a culture of supporting self-management as a normal, expected, monitored and remunerated aspect of the provision of care. Funding NIHR HS&DR programme (project number 11/1014/04). The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Hs and DR programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health.

Communication skills training for health professionals working with people who have cancer.

Communication skills training for health professionals working with people who have cancer.

Experiences in Social Innovation

Convergence is an opportunity to determine the possibility to train students in social skills, assuming that our universities provide valuable training in specific technical and professional skills. This study presents the strategy followed in the Mines and Energy Engineering School of the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM from its name in Spanish) to enhance social learning through a program based on the assembly of training practices on Mentoring, Service Learning and social consciousness (Ethics and values in engineering). In this article we discuss about social motivation through social collaboration with qualified entities in the Spanish social landscape such as Tomillo Foundation, Congregation Mary Immaculate as well as looking to a future collaboration with the Ana Bella Foundation.

Tennessee Valley Authority EnergyRight Solutions for Higher Education Intern Program at Maryville College

Among the ways students in higher education prepare for the ever-changing fields of energy efficiency analysis and workplace sustainabil ity, few experiences match the strong learning outcomes found when students work alongside professional organizations currently engaged in finding sustainable energy solutions. The Ten nessee Valley Authority (TVA) EnergyRight Solutions for Higher Education® (ERSHE) Intern Program is such an experience. TVA ERSHE has hired students as interns from four East Tennessee colleges or universities to participate in the program. The schools are expected to focus on generating real energy savings and promoting campus awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy through student/staff-focused projects that the interns propose, research, and implement. Staff from TVA, the nation’s larg est public utility, and consultants from Willdan Energy Solutions, working with campus faculty sponsors, train and communicate with the interns. Program benefits include tangible campus energy savings, student professional career and team-building skills training, along with learning of content knowledge in the field of sustainable energy auditing. Student communication with energy industry professionals, writing and submission of progress reports and project updates, and development of energy project scopes of work all develop individual skill-building in such areas including, but not limited to, data analysis and interpretation, collaborative communication, and self-assessment towards meeting goals to succeed in an energy-related career. One college’s student intern cohort, representative of diverse majors including design, environmental studies, business and management, and biochemistry, exhibited strong collaborative team work, and utilized their wider educational experiences to help inform them of the energy issues on their campus and provide holistic, productive solutions to a variety of campus and workplace energy problems.

Cervical cancer screening and psychosocial barriers perceived by patients. A systematic review.

Aim of the studyThis study aimed at integrating research discussing the role of perceived psychosocial barriers in cervical cancer screening (CCS) uptake. In particular, we analyzed the evidence for the associations between CCS uptake and perceived psychosocial barriers and frequency of psychosocial barriers identified by women.Material and methodsA systematic search of peer-reviewed papers published until 2011 in 8 databases yielded 48 original studies, analyzing data obtained from 155 954 women. The majority of studies (k = 43) applied correlational design, while 5 had experimental design.ResultsExperimental research indicated a positive effect of 75% of psychosocial interventions targeting barriers. The interventions resulted in a significant increase of CCS uptake. Overall 100% of correlational studies indicated that perceiving lower levels of barriers significantly predicted higher CCS uptake. 53 psychosocial barriers were listed in at least 2 original correlational studies: 9.5% of barriers were related to CCS facilities/environment, 67.9% dealt with personal characteristics of the patient, and 22.6% addressed social factors. As many as 35.9% of perceived barriers referred to negative emotions related to CCS examination procedures and collecting CCS results, whereas 25.7% of barriers referred to prior contacts with health professionals.ConclusionsLeaflets or discussion on psychosocial barriers between patients and health professionals involved in CCS might increase CCS uptake and thus reduce cervical cancer mortality rates. Communication skills training for health professionals conducting CCS might focus on the most frequently reported barriers, referring to emotions related to CCS examination and collecting CCS results.

Introduction: Austerity and the Alt-Ac

Introduction:Austerity and the Alt-Ac Veronica Austen (bio) and Clint Burnham (bio) This set of papers was developed in two Committee for Professional Concerns (cpc) sessions at the accute 2013 conference at the University of Victoria. Together, they offer an ungainly whole (or two halves that do not make a whole, as Adorno would say): on the one hand, the dire and less-dire job prospects both inside and outside the academy for our graduates; on the other hand, an analysis of how the politics of austerity have shaped that very academy. Marilyn Rose’s contribution helps to set the scene regarding the challenges and opportunities involved in developing professional skills training programs for our graduate students, programs that can promote a broad range of professional skills that will prepare students for possibilities “Beyond Academe.” Elizabeth Hodgson, Tiffany Potter, and Julie Walchli at University of British Columbia, for instance, outline one such strategy: a co-op program for PhD students. April McNeil similarly emphasizes the need to prepare graduate students for multiple possible career paths by arguing for the role career educators can play. Michael Lesiuk’s survey of the alt-ac literature (alt-ac equals alternatives to academic careers) is sobering, with the hopefulness of being drafted like a track star to a football team but also the reality of prospects of living on welfare while holding out for the mythic tenure-stream position. [End Page 1] The vexed question here, then, is the relationship between the abilities of institutions to train graduate students for the job market (a job market that is a dubious metaphor, if not outright myth, as Marc Bousquet argued ten years ago) and the conditions—austerity—under which these institutions now operate. Thus Heather Latimer takes issue with the very concepts of time and futurity that underwrite the ideologies of austerity, arguing that the hope for a good job in the future allows many of us to accept undesirable employment conditions in the present (short-term contracts, no support for research, no job security or benefits). If Latimer is inspired in part by the queer futurity of Lee Edelman’s No Future, Mervyn Nicholson’s critique is similarly positioned, arguing that the metaphor of austerity treats citizens (including students and academics) as children. Finally, Herb Wyile’s linking of austerity to the broader context of neoliberalism reminds us that the Thatcherite slogan “There is No Alternative” (tina) subvents much of university administrations’ Janus-faced protection of and gutting of traditional humanities programs. What our bringing together of these discussions of austerity and the alt-ac speaks to is the Catch-22 that humanities programs are currently facing. To embrace strategies for allowing our graduate students to pursue alt-ac paths may represent a positive step toward dealing realistically with our students’ dwindling chances of securing tenure-stream positions. Supporting our graduate students so that they can have many opportunities after graduation seems logically as if it could be a nicely positive evolution in our thinking about graduate programs. Not only does this shift in thinking suggest a means for promoting our students’ well-being and sense of fulfilment but also it can serve to justify the existence of graduate programs. If we can, by suggesting graduate programs lead to multiple career paths, bridge the assumed distance between academia and the so-called real world, then we may be better able to refute current waves of thought that stereotype academic pursuits as self-interested navel-gazing. In other words, by embracing the alt-ac, we may more firmly establish our relevance. And yet, jumping on the bandwagon of the alt-ac also could threaten to obscure the ever-increasing need to fight against the rhetoric of austerity that threatens the integrity, if not outright destruction, of our undergraduate and graduate programs. We can, and should, better train our graduate students for multiple postgraduation possibilities, but that does not mean that we should abandon the fight to see more possibilities for them within the professoriate. In the midst of an environment whereby budgets are informed by prioritization processes like that at the University of Guelph [End Page 2] where units like food services and residences...

Preparing for Life “Beyond Academe”: Professional Skills Development for Graduate Students in Canadian Universities

Preparing for Life “Beyond Academe”:Professional Skills Development for Graduate Students in Canadian Universities Marilyn Rose (bio) It is a well-known fact that the vast majority of today’s graduate students will need to find employment in non-academic settings. More specifically, it is currently estimated that as few as 20 percent to 25 percent of today’s PhD graduates are likely to find work as academics in the disciplines in which they have been trained.1 While some argue that we are simply preparing too many graduate students—especially doctoral students with their deep investment in years of advanced study—for too little available work, research suggests otherwise. Brent Herbert-Copley, Vice President, Research Capacity at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, for example, notes that the need for PhDs in Canada is actually growing but that our students are graduating into “an increasingly complex, globalized labour market” and universities have been slow to develop strategies that will “align doctoral studies more effectively with a range of jobs beyond academia,” which is where the opportunities are most plentiful at present. [End Page 4] One of those methods of alignment is the development of professional skills training for graduate students while they are completing their graduate programs. It is true that all too often students emerge from Canadian graduate programs without a clear sense of how to seek work beyond academic environments and particularly without awareness of how to present themselves as viable candidates with relevant expertise for positions in other kinds of workplace settings. However, universities have begun to address this issue, and my own recent research project, Graduate Student Professional Development: A Survey with Recommendations (2012),2 examines the range of professional skills training programming in place for graduate students in universities across Canada. That report, which was begun as my seven-year term as Dean of Graduate Studies was drawing to a close, arose from my own increasing concern— and that of both sshrc and the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, which sponsored the report—about whether or not we were doing enough in Canadian universities to help graduate students while they were completing their degrees to prepare themselves for finding meaningful work after graduation in workplace environments of all kinds. By “professional skills,” I refer to programming in universities that is dedicated to the acquisition of transferable skills and competencies, which is to say “carry-forward” or “work-ready” skill sets relevant to competing for positions within, but especially beyond, the academy. What I discovered is that there is a tremendous amount of activity in place at Canadian universities with respect to two kinds of skills training. The first is what I call “academic skills” training, which refers to research and teaching competencies—those areas that many universities have dedicated themselves to for some time, and do very well. The second type involves the acquisition of competencies sometimes referred to as “soft skills,” which have to do with self-development, self-management, self-presentation, communicating effectively to targeted audiences, and above all the ability to “translate” their achievements as graduate students—their knowledge, experience, and transferrable competencies—into language that can be understood and respected by potential employers outside the academic sector. [End Page 5] Terms such as “soft skills,” “interpersonal skills,” or “self-marketing skills” are not universally embraced by academics, given their own understandable focus on what they see as the “hard skills” relating to research and research dissemination that are their primary focus in supervising graduate students. Yet the challenge of marketing themselves to potential employers who might not speak the esoteric language of our cherished disciplines is a very real issue for students seeking meaningful work in other than academic settings where they can apply what they have learned through their highly-specialized graduate programs of study. As is to be expected, such programming takes different forms in our widely differing institutions. For some of the smaller universities with few graduate programs and few resources available for dedicated work with graduate students, programming is minimal: typically student service units offer some workshops or special guidance for graduate students focusing on work-readiness skills, and these offerings are supplemented...

Conceptualising doctoral researcher training through Bernstein's theoretical frameworks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretically-informed analysis of an exploratory study which included a focus on postdoctoral researchers' views of their training needs. Design/methodology/approach – The wider mixed-methods study was focused on post-doctoral career trajectories at a time of ongoing policy interest in doctoral education. Bernstein's theoretical perspectives are used to illuminate the data, particularly his concepts of classification and regionalisation. Findings – Respondents' reflections on their doctoral training showed a much stronger appreciation of training which was based in disciplinary practices, even if these were subject to regionalisation, as opposed to more generic professional skills training. Research limitations/implications – The small scale and exploratory nature of the study is recognised, as well as the need for more independent research in this area. Practical implications – The study has implications for the nature of the training provided as part of doctoral education. First, it is argued that this should include more explicit discussion of policy shifts relating to doctoral education. Second, rather than being glossed over in the imposition of generic competency frameworks (conceptualised through Bernstein as a generic performance mode), researcher training should attend closely to the social and cultural base of the skills and practices of different regions of knowledge production, at the same time as recognising these to be fluid and dynamic. Originality/value – Overall, while recognised as exploratory, the study aims to contribute insights on doctoral graduates' perspectives on researcher training as well as suggesting the usefulness of Bernstein's theoretical framework for understanding the reconstruction of doctoral education in the UK.

Fuzzy Evaluation on College English Teachers' Comprehensive Quality

Teachers’ quality is to support quality education in the most positive, the most active, the most decisive factor, both with professional skills training also has English communication skills of highly qualified personnel, require highly qualified English teachers. For college English teachers’ quality is difficult to evaluate the current situation, this paper, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is used. First, by combining research and comprehensive analysis of the results of previous studies, establish evaluation index system; Secondly, study the basis work before evaluated, including establishing factor set, weight set and evaluation set; Then, create mathematical model, including single-factor model evaluation and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation; Finally, a college English teacher for five quality comprehensive evaluation. Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of this paper, designed to evaluate English teachers’ quality to provide a scientific approach is bound to raise the level of English teachers, deepen education reform has played a positive role in promoting.

Deontology and Protocol in Public Administration - Applications for the Public Officer's Training

Training professional skills in the field of deontology and protocol in public administration is one of the missions of the public institutions able to design and provide their officers with both formal and informal training seminars, in keeping with a certai n competency profile identified and presented in this precise study. This paper aims to analyze the various relations and determining factors between deontology and protocol within the public administration framework and deploys an interactive approach and regards the analysis of the training needs for specific category of public officers from the institutional in -service training point of view.

Effectiveness of a Workplace-Based Intervention Program to Promote Mental Health among Employees in Privately Owned Enterprises in China

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a workplace-based intervention program to improve mental health, work ability, and work productivity in privately owned enterprises in China. A prospective cohort intervention study design was employed in which the intervention program was implemented for 30 months (from July 2009 to December 2012). Nine privately owned retail enterprises in China participated in the intervention study. Researchers administered a self-report survey to 2768 employees. The research team measured participants' job stress, resilience, work ability, absenteeism, depression, and work performance. A comprehensive Health Promotion Enterprise Program was implemented that entailed the following components: policies to support a healthy work environment, psychosocial interventions to promote mental health, provision of health services to people with mental illness, and professional skills training to deal with stress and build resilience. Analysis of variance was used to examine preintervention versus postintervention differences in stress, resilience, and work ability. Logistic regression was used to examine absenteeism related to depression. The results suggest that the intervention program was effective at improving participants' ability to work, their sense of control over their jobs, and, in particular, their ability to meet the mental demands of work. The intervention program also reduced participants' job stress levels and reduced the probability of absenteeism related to depression. The intervention programs incorporating both individual-level and organizational-level factors to promote mental health were effective and have implications for both practice and policy regarding enterprises taking more responsibility for the provision of mental health services to their employees.

Non-technical skills training to enhance patient safety

Patient safety is an increasingly recognised issue in health care. Systems-based and organisational methods of quality improvement, as well as education focusing on key clinical areas, are common, but there are few reports of educational interventions that focus on non-technical skills to address human factor sources of error. A flexible model for non-technical skills training for health care professionals has been designed based on the best available evidence, and with sound theoretical foundations. Educational sessions to improve non-technical skills in health care have been described before. The descriptions lack the details to allow educators to replicate and innovate further. A non-technical skills training course that can be delivered as either a half- or full-day intervention has been designed and delivered to a number of mixed groups of undergraduate medical students and doctors in postgraduate training. Participant satisfaction has been high and patient safety attitudes have improved post-intervention. This non-technical skills educational intervention has been built on a sound evidence base, and is described so as to facilitate replication and dissemination. With the key themes laid out, clinical educators will be able to build interventions focused on numerous clinical issues that pay attention to human factor contributors to safety.

Research on Simulation Training System Prototype for Helicopter Fire Controlling Operations

The complex situations during a fire disaster, such as high temperature, toxic gas and thick smoke, require helitack crew possess good professional skills. As an efficient and economic training system, virtual reality technology not only provide virtual scene to make crew members get familiar with working environment, but also provides professional skill training to achieve the desired objectives, such as increasing their training frequency, reducing training time, promoting training effects and so on. According to the requirements of helicopter special operation, a prototype is proposed in this paper, and a virtual training system based on some kind of helicopter was developed to validate the prototype’s function, framework design and its capability for further development.

Professional Skills Courses Increase Trainee Skills in Writing, Reviewing, Networking, and Poster Presentations

APS developed professional skills training courses [Writing and Reviewing for Journals (WR), Presentation Skills (PS)] for live or online use with trainees, specifically targeted at underrepresented trainees. Courses were tested as two live and one online course, with an average of 34 trainees in each. Underrepresented minorities comprised 51% of trainees and included Hispanics (32%), African‐Americans (15%), Native Americans (2%), and Native Hawaiians (2%). Graduate students (66%) and postdoctoral fellows (34%) participated in WR, whereas mainly graduate students (95%) participated in PS because of content. Both courses received high overall ratings (WR, 4.8; PS, 4.8; scale of 1–5 where 5 is highest rating) regardless of whether live or online. There were no rating differences between trainees regardless of course of study, minority status, or education level. All components of courses (pre‐workshop assignments, plenary sessions, small group work, and interactive exercises) were rated highly by all participants (3.7 – 5.0). Impacts of both courses on trainees were significant. WR trainees self‐rated their skills at an average of 37.4 before vs. 59.5 pts after the course (70 pts possible, P&lt;0.001). PS trainees self‐rated their skills at 43.1 before and 65.7 pts after the course (P&lt;0.001). These are effective instructional courses for trainees from diverse groups. Supported by NIGMS Grant 5T36GM073062–03.

Communication skills training for healthcare professionals working with people who have cancer.

This is an updated version of a review that was originally published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2004, Issue 2. People with cancer, their families and carers have a high prevalence of psychological stress which may be minimised by effective communication and support from their attending healthcare professionals (HCPs). Research suggests communication skills do not reliably improve with experience, therefore, considerable effort is dedicated to courses that may improve communication skills for HCPs involved in cancer care. A variety of communication skills training (CST) courses have been proposed and are in practice. We conducted this review to determine whether CST works and which types of CST, if any, are the most effective. To assess whether CST is effective in improving the communication skills of HCPs involved in cancer care, and in improving patient health status and satisfaction. We searched the following electronic databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) Issue 2, 2012, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo and CINAHL to February 2012. The original search was conducted in November 2001. In addition, we handsearched the reference lists of relevant articles and relevant conference proceedings for additional studies. The original review was a narrative review that included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled before-and-after studies. In this updated version, we limited our criteria to RCTs evaluating 'CST' compared with 'no CST' or other CST in HCPs working in cancer care. Primary outcomes were changes in HCP communication skills measured in interactions with real and/or simulated patients with cancer, using objective scales. We excluded studies whose focus was communication skills in encounters related to informed consent for research. Two review authors independently assessed trials and extracted data to a pre-designed data collection form. We pooled data using the random-effects model and, for continuous data, we used standardised mean differences (SMDs). We included 15 RCTs (42 records), conducted mainly in outpatient settings. Eleven studies compared CST with no CST intervention, three studies compared the effect of a follow-up CST intervention after initial CST training, and one study compared two types of CST. The types of CST courses evaluated in these trials were diverse. Study participants included oncologists (six studies), residents (one study) other doctors (one study), nurses (six studies) and a mixed team of HCPs (one study). Overall, 1147 HCPs participated (536 doctors, 522 nurses and 80 mixed HCPs).Ten studies contributed data to the meta-analyses. HCPs in the CST group were statistically significantly more likely to use open questions in the post-intervention interviews than the control group (five studies, 679 participant interviews; P = 0.04, I² = 65%) and more likely to show empathy towards patients (six studies, 727 participant interviews; P = 0.004, I² = 0%); we considered this evidence to be of moderate and high quality, respectively. Doctors and nurses did not perform statistically significantly differently for any HCP outcomes.There were no statistically significant differences in the other HCP communication skills except for the subgroup of participant interviews with simulated patients, where the intervention group was significantly less likely to present 'facts only' compared with the control group (four studies, 344 participant interviews; P = 0.01, I² = 70%).There were no significant differences between the groups with regard to outcomes assessing HCP 'burnout', patient satisfaction or patient perception of the HCPs communication skills. Patients in the control group experienced a greater reduction in mean anxiety scores in a meta-analyses of two studies (169 participant interviews; P = 0.02; I² = 8%); we considered this evidence to be of a very low quality. Various CST courses appear to be effective in improving some types of HCP communication skills related to information gathering and supportive skills. We were unable to determine whether the effects of CST are sustained over time, whether consolidation sessions are necessary, and which types of CST programs are most likely to work. We found no evidence to support a beneficial effect of CST on HCP 'burnout', patients' mental or physical health, and patient satisfaction.

Development and Effectiveness of the Job Stress Management Program for Health Care Professionals

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Job Stress Management Program (JSMP) combined with communication skills training for health care professionals. Methods: The study design was a nonequivalent control group pre- post test design. Study participants were 42 health care professionals in the experimental group and 38 in the control group. Eight sessions of JSMP were provided over 6 weeks, through on-line and off-line education. Data were analyzed using x 2 -test, t-test with the SAS 9.2 program. Results: There were statistically significant differences in job satisfaction, emotional labor, symptoms of stress, interpersonal stress, and type of communication between the experimental group and the control group. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the JSMP based on communication skills training developed in this study has positive, effects on job stress and communication.

Motivation-Oriented Teaching Model for Certification Education

To evoke public emphasis on the professional skills training in vocational education, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan has recently focused on the certificate of information skills. However, the lack of a systematic and institutionally certified instructor training model within Taiwan not only varies the quality of certified instructors, but also relegates the certificate education from speciality education to “automatic response training.” Therefore, this study included an experienced instructor of information skill certificates, who generated outstanding teaching outcomes using her distinctive education philosophy. We use the three domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor to evaluate the instructor’s performance. The results indicate that five critical elements existed in the training model: 1. incite learning motivation; 2. establish information skills; 3. cultivate professional knowledge; 4. develop student potential; and 5. use teaching resources broadly. Several pedagogical implications can be drawn from this study. One of the contributions of this study is the development of a coding scheme that specifically focuses on the teaching strategies given by an experienced instructor of information skill certificates, thereby extending the understanding of certification education. As such, this study may also serve as an impetus for further investigations that might apply this model in diverse educational settings.