Professional Themes Research Articles

Professional learning for leadership in early years: Comparing Sweden and England

This paper critically reviews England’s National Professional Qualification of Early Years Leadership (NPQEYL) and Sweden’s National Principal Training Program (NPTP). The design and implementation of these programs are critiqued considering the process of professional learning, with view of offering recommendations for future policies on professionalisation through leadership professional learning. The study compares the professional development using a simple multiple case study design. Analysis of sources highlight common themes of leadership, curriculum, agency, and professionalism. These are discussed in relation to how such programs may contribute to the early years sector, leading to recommendations to inform future professional learning opportunities.

Principles of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare

BackgroundExperts are currently investigating the potential applications of the metaverse in healthcare. The metaverse, a groundbreaking concept that arose in the early 21st century through the fusion of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, holds promise for transforming healthcare delivery. Alongside its implementation, the issue of digital professionalism in healthcare must be addressed. Digital professionalism refers to the knowledge and skills required by healthcare specialists to navigate digital technologies effectively and ethically. This study aims to identify the core principles of digital professionalism for the use of metaverse in healthcare.MethodThis study utilized a qualitative design and collected data through semi-structured online interviews with 20 medical information and health informatics specialists from various countries (USA, UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Iran). Data analysis was conducted using the open coding method, wherein concepts (codes) related to the themes of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare were assigned to the data. The analysis was performed using the MAXQDA software (VER BI GmbH, Berlin, Germany).ResultsThe study revealed ten fundamental principles of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare: Privacy and Security, Informed Consent, Trust and Integrity, Accessibility and Inclusion, Professional Boundaries, Evidence-Based Practice, Continuous Education and Training, Collaboration and Interoperability, Feedback and Improvement, and Regulatory Compliance.ConclusionAs the metaverse continues to expand and integrate itself into various industries, including healthcare, it becomes vital to establish principles of digital professionalism to ensure ethical and responsible practices. Healthcare professionals can uphold these principles to maintain ethical standards, safeguard patient privacy, and deliver effective care within the metaverse.

Establishing consensus on nutrition competencies for medicine: a Delphi study

BackgroundSignificant research, regulatory bodies and even governmental resolutions have identified meaningful nutrition education for medical and other healthcare professionals as a priority. Doctors are well placed to provide nutrition care,...

Science mapping of the knowledge base on teacher autonomy: a bibliometric study

PurposeThis research sought to document the volume, development trend and geographical distribution of the research on teacher autonomy, identify high-impact journals, authors and documents and reveal the intellectual structure of the field.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzed the articles published on the related subject in the Web of Science (WoS) and/or Scopus. Based on certain exclusion criteria, analyses were conducted on a total of 259 articles. The data were then subjected to descriptive analyses and bibliometric analyses.FindingsThe review found that the teacher autonomy knowledge base has grown dramatically since 2004. In the co-citation analysis, it was determined that four clusters focused on the themes of professionalism and professional development, leadership and self-efficacy, autonomy in language teaching and learning and self-determination theory. According to the co-word analysis in this review, the most co-occurring keywords were revealed to be “teacher autonomy,” “autonomy,” “teachers,” “teacher professionalism” and “professional development.”Originality/valueDespite increasing numbers of systematic reviews focusing on educational administration and leadership, this paper represents the first bibliometric review conducted to reveal the development of research on teacher autonomy using both the WoS and Scopus databases. Teacher autonomy can be regarded as an emerging field of study backed up by a theoretical background. Although there are some distinct prominent scholars in the research area, autonomy research still needs more scholars to specialize in the field.

Pildikesi sügiskoolist / Pictures from the autumn school

This newsreel text opens the 10-year history of the autumn schools of the Heritage Technologies (since 2020 the Creative Applications of Cultural Heritage) of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy. Each year, a semi-academic event dedicated to some fascinating professional theme has been organised by second-year master’s students in different Estonian tourist farms. For example, the most colourful themes have been ‘The Creative Hand Heals the Soul’ (2015), ‘Life Before and After Oil’ (2016), ‘Born of Fire’ (2017). The two-day gatherings, which have been open to all interested parties with pre-registration, have included thematic lectures and presentations, discussions and brainstorming, and practical workshops. Always on the evening of the first day, baptised freshers, that is, master’s students who have started their studies, have been treated to the sauna and songs and tunes have sounded. At times, there has been a night hike, which the participants reminisce in detail afterwards. The tradition of the autumn school has not died out and school continues to the present day. In recent years, the autumn school’s presentations have been recorded on video on the University of Tartu’s online TV channel uttv.ee.

“The professional side of it”: exploring discomfort in delivering RSE in an Independent Boarding School in England

ABSTRACT Teachers in Lady Agatha’s Boarding School (Lady Agatha’s) find teaching Sex and Relationships Education (RSE) uncomfortable. This paper investigates one aspect of the discomfort that they feel, namely the impact RSE has on their professional status as teachers. I use focus group data to reflect on the professional and personal location of teachers at Lady Agatha’s and to explore their understanding of RSE through the recurring themes of professionalism and professional reputation as symbolic capital; deprofessionalisation and risk as symbolic violence; and the connects and disconnects between the doxa and illusio of the school. Findings suggest that by interrogating the sites of symbolic violence which generate RSE discomfort, we can start to unpick the fabric which creates discomfort about RSE, allowing both for a deeper understanding of RSE discomfort in teachers and an opportunity to address this discomfort as a barrier to RSE delivery at Lady Agatha’s.

WAYS TO IMPROVE FUTURE LEGAL PROFESSIONALS’ FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

The article deals with the development of future legal professionals’ foreign language communicative competence in the process of studying English. The aims of our research include providing the definition of the foreign language communicative competence and outlining the ways of its development for future legal specialists. The results suggest that the usage of videos on legal topics (TV shows, films and others) foster grasping new material. Videos and audio recordings can be used to demonstrate how native speakers interact with others in their respective fields while taking into account the context. Instructions, given by educators about oral communication with people from foreign countries may contribute to the future negotiations, meetings and debates. It can be assumed that background knowledge of different countries, culture, other peculiarities are beneficial for communication. The mock trials can be done during English classes to encourage students. Dialogues or monologues on professional themes are productive in developing foreign language communicative competence. Future lawyers’ professional competency is fundamentally based on their ability to cope with compliance between verbal and nonverbal components of communication. Participants in the educational process have to pay attention to the fact that they communicate with one another by employing gestures, facial expressions, and body language. The article discusses lawyers’ speech culture, which is an important quality. Law blogging is a common activity and a convenient way to find information on legal issues. Innovative ways of choosing communicative tasks can better the educational process.

Identity reconstruction through reflection and reflexivity: a new journey beyond the Ph.D. dissertation

ABSTRACT In the post Ph.D. thesis period, Simon, the only participant in this study was encouraged to reflect on his learning process by his supervisor through interviews. Simon had already reflected on the practice of colleagues during the thesis process; however, this follow-up study brought out the researcher’s own voice. Taking a view of identity that emphasizes the interaction between the personal and the professional, the study reveals that Simon was able to understand how reflection on a wide range of incidents and memories, and the classification and thematising of these, led to insights into his own identity growth. The analysis of his own interview data led to reflection on the connections between different aspects of identity. As the analysis progressed, self-confidence and self-realisation emerged as personal themes, and changed teaching content, and changed relationships with students, as professional themes. The learning in the thesis became subject to greater scrutiny, or meta-reflection, and he was able to compare himself with thesis participants, and insights into his changed identity in relation to them. The links emerging involved his roles as writer, researcher, learner and teacher. Some implications for thesis supervision are provided.

Integrating Persons With Lived Experience in Opioid Use Disorder Education: A Small Group Exercise and Patient Panel.

Based on increasing drug overdose deaths and a shortage of healthcare professionals trained in the management of opioid use disorder (OUD), it is imperative to improve health professional education in addiction medicine. This small group learning exercise and patient panel was designed to provide first year medical students with insights into the lives of people with OUD-through a lens of harm reduction-and to connect biomedical knowledge to the core values and professional themes of their doctoring courses. Facilitators were assigned to each small group of 8 students for the harm reduction-centered Long and Winding Road small group case exercise. This was followed by a patient panel of 2 to 3 persons with OUD. The small group was conducted with first-year medical students as a virtual training session due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students completed pre- and post-session surveys about agreement with statements pertaining to the learning objectives. The small group and patient panel were delivered over 8 sessions and attended by all first-year medical students (N = 201). Survey response rate was 67%. Post-session, there was significantly greater agreement with knowledge on all learning objectives compared to pre-session. Two relevant multiple-choice questions on the medical student final exam were answered correctly by 79% and 98% of students. Centering on people with lived experience, we completed small groups and patient panels to introduce concepts of OUD and harm reduction to first year medical students. Pre- and post-session surveys showed short-term achievement of the learning objectives.

The effect of interprofessional education on interprofessional professionalism behaviors of the surgical team members

IntroductionInterprofessional professionalism (IPP) has been introduced as one of the critical sub-competencies of interprofessional collaboration. This study aimed to assess the effect of interprofessional education on the behavior of interprofessional professionalism among the surgical team in the intervention compared to the control group.MethodsThis is a quasi-experimental study. The participants were nurses in anesthetist and surgical technology and surgical residents of Shahid Sadoughi Hospital (n = 150) who were included in the study by the census. The intervention employed an interprofessional case-based learning strategy to explore themes of interprofessional professionalism. Two assessors used the Interprofessional Professionalism Assessment (IPA) tool to measure learners’ performance while observing them in practice prior to the intervention, one and three months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive tests (mean and SD) and RM-ANOVA.ResultsIn this study, the participants in the intervention (n = 78) and the control (n = 72) groups entered the study. The Baseline IPA scores of participants were reported as 1.25 (0.12) and 1.21 (0.1) in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The IPA score of the participants in the intervention group (2.59 (0.26) and 2.54 (0.24)) was higher than the control group (1.17 (0.08) and 1.12 (0.07)) after one and three months of the intervention (P = 0.0001). The effect of educational interventions was reported at the large level (Eta Square = 0.89).ConclusionInterprofessional professionalism in surgical teams has been recognized as a critical element of team-based care. The present study used an interprofessional education strategy to develop IPP behavior. All professions benefited from interprofessional education. It is suggested that all surgical team professionals participate in interprofessional education.

Analysis of Professionalism Themes Raised in Evaluations of Faculty

Analysis of Professionalism Themes Raised in Evaluations of Faculty

ВРАХУВАННЯ МІЖПРЕДМЕТНИХ ЗВ’ЯЗКІВ У НАВЧАННІ КУРСАНТІВ ЕКОНОМІЧНИХ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТЕЙ АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ

The article deals with the peculiarities of teaching cadets of economic specialties English for Specific Purposes, taking into account the interdisciplinary links. It is pointed out that teaching a foreign language to cadets at the Academy of the State Penitentiary Service must be on the basis of methodological approaches and peculiarities of unified entrance exam in a foreign language for admission to study for obtaining a master’s degree in the fields of knowledge 05 “Social and behavioral sciences”. In the article the authors analyze the latest research on teaching future specialists foreign languages on the basis of such methodological approaches as system, activity, competence, aspect, context approach and others. In the context of the study, the authors determine that mastering English communicative competence in professional communication by the cadets should take into account interdisciplinary links, especially working together with the specialized departments. The authors indicate that teaching cadets of economic specialties English for Specific Purposes should be implemented on the basis of systematic, competency-based, professionally-oriented and interdisciplinary approaches. The aim of the article is to determine the features of teaching cadets of economic specialties English for Specific Purposes on the basis of those approaches with taking into account interdisciplinary links. In the article the authors give the analysis the disciplines that the four-year cadets of economic specialties study at the Academy of the State Penitentiary Service. They state that the acquisition of professional English communicative competence is possible in case of taking into account the professional themes connected with the disciplines studied by future economists in the Academy. The requirements of the unified entrance exam in a foreign language are considered while developing the tasks and exercises to teach cadets of economic specialties English. The tasks for developing English lexical and grammatical competences and competence in reading are included.

Unlikely Additions

Early childcare professionals represent a cross-section of two underrepresented groups in higher education: childcare educators, and adult female learners. According to the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the childcare workforce in 2020 was predominantly female and lacking post high-school education (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm ). Early childcare professionals often receive minimal training and compensation (Harwood & Tukonic, 2016). Participants in a university credentialing program for non-traditional students participated in a focus group as part of a program evaluation. The data was collected and analyzed. Themes were identified, including anticipated themes such as concerns about cost of college credits, and successfully completing coursework while simultaneously managing personal and work challenges. However, themes of professionalism, and the significance of belonging to a community of learners were not anticipated. The focus group provided rich discussion, and the analysis offers thoughts on advocacy for and with the early childhood education and care workforce.

Sex Differences in Commercial Patient Reviews of Women and Men Urogynecologic Surgeons

The objective of our study was to describe differences in commercial patient reviews of women and men urogynecologic surgeons.Reviews of surgeons on Healthgrades.com in 4 metropolitan areas were included. Based on the qualitative assessment using qualitative content analysis of major and minor elements, we defined 4 theme categories: global experience, social interaction, technical skills, and ancillary aspects, each embedded with discrete elements. Differences in proportions of mentioned themes as well as quantitative ratings were evaluated by sex with the appropriate statistical tests.Three hundred sixty-four patient reviews (51% for women surgeons and 49% for men surgeons) were identified for 141 gynecologic surgeons self-identifying as "urogynecologists." The majority of the cohort (77%) held subspecialty certification in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Reviews of women demonstrated a lower mean quantitative "likelihood to recommend" score compared with men (4.0 vs 4.3, P = 0.002) on the 5-point scale. Women received more mention in comfort (52% vs 40%, P = 0.023) and professionalism (19% vs 9%, P = 0.007) themes and less mention with respect to surgical outcomes (28% vs 53%, P < 0.001) and technical skills (5% vs 15%, P = 0.011) compared with men.Commercial online patient reviews for urogynecologic surgeons reveal sex bias with women receiving lower scores overall and more comments related to social interaction and fewer comments related to surgical outcomes and technical skill compared with men.

The challenge of equipoise: qualitative interviews exploring the views of health professionals and women with multiple ipsilateral breast cancer on recruitment to a surgical randomised controlled feasibility trial

BackgroundA multicentre feasibility trial (MIAMI), comparing outcomes and quality of life of women with multiple ipsilateral breast cancer randomised to therapeutic mammoplasty or mastectomy, was conducted from September 2018 to March 2020. The MIAMI surgical trial aimed to investigate recruitment of sufficient numbers of women. Multidisciplinary teams at 10 breast care centres in the UK identified 190 with MIBC diagnosis; 20 were eligible for trial participation but after being approached only four patients were recruited. A nested qualitative study sought to understand the reasons for this lack of recruitment.MethodsInterviews were conducted from November 2019 to September 2020 with 17 staff from eight hospital-based breast care centres that recruited and attempted to recruit to MIAMI; and seven patients from four centres, comprising all patients who were recruited to the trial and some who declined to take part. Interviews were audio-recorded, anonymised and analysed using thematic methods of building codes into themes and sub-themes using the process of constant comparison.ResultsOverarching themes of (1) influences on equipoise and recruitment and (2) effects of a lack of equipoise were generated. Within these themes, health professional themes described the barriers to recruitment as ‘the treatment landscape has changed’, ‘staff preferences and beliefs’ which influenced equipoise and patient advice; and how different the treatments were for patients. Patient themes of ‘altruism and timing of trial approach’, ‘influences from consultants and others’ and ‘diagnostic journey doubts’ all played a part in whether patients agreed to take part in the trial.ConclusionsBarriers to recruiting to breast cancer surgical trials can be significant, especially where there are substantial differences between the treatments being offered and a lack of equipoise communicated by healthcare professionals to patients. Patients can become overwhelmed by numerous requests for participation in research trials and inappropriate timing of trial discussions. Alternative study designs to the gold standard randomised control trial for surgical interventions may be required to provide the high-quality evidence on which to base practice.Trial registrationISRCTN (ISRCTN17987569) registered on April 20, 2018, and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03514654).

Public health competencies for pharmacists: A scoping review

Background: Pharmacists are increasingly called to integrate population health approaches into their role. Public health knowledge and skills are recommended to be incorporated into the pharmacy curricula and professional development to enable competence of pharmacists in this area. Aim: To describe the competencies required by pharmacists to contribute to the public health of populations. Methods: A scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature discussing competencies in both pharmacy and public health was conducted. Competencies were extracted into a matrix of pharmacy and public health competencies and inductive coding of themes was undertaken. Results: Analysis of 58 papers showed important themes of professionalism, communication and collaboration with communities and other health professionals. Pharmacist services providing health promotion, screening and disease prevention should be directed at community needs. Evolution of pharmacy competencies in global health, health informatics and disaster management are current topics. Conclusion: A public health perspective in all pharmacy competency domains may assist pharmacists to understand their responsibility in improving the health and wellbeing of communities and ensure the profession has a positive impact on local, national and global health indicators.

Patient handover between ambulance crew and healthcare professionals in Icelandic emergency departments: a qualitative study

BackgroundAmbulance services play an important role in the healthcare system when it comes to handling accidents or acute illnesses outside of hospitals. At the time of patient handover from emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to the nurses and physicians in emergency departments (EDs), there is a risk that important information will be lost, the consequences of which may adversely affect patient well-being. The study aimed to describe healthcare professionals’ experience of patient handovers between ambulance and ED staff and to identify factors that can affect patient handover quality.MethodsThe Vancouver School’s phenomenological method was used. The participants were selected using purposive sampling from a group of Icelandic EMTs, nurses, and physicians who had experience in patient handovers. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted and were supported by an interview guide. The participants included 17 EMTs, nurses, and physicians. The process of patient handover was described from the participants’ perspectives, including examples of communication breakdown and best practices.ResultsFour main themes and nine subthemes were identified. In the theme of leadership, the participants expressed that it was unclear who was responsible for the patient and when during the process the responsibility was transferred between healthcare professionals. The theme of structured framework described the communication between healthcare professionals before patient’s arrival at the ED, upon ED arrival, and a written patient report. The professional competencies theme covered the participants’ descriptions of professional competences in relation to education and training and attitudes towards other healthcare professions and patients. The collaboration theme included the importance of effective teamwork and positive learning environment.ConclusionsA lack of structured communication procedures and ambiguity about patient responsibility in patient handovers from EMTs to ED healthcare professionals may compromise patient safety. Promoting accountability, mitigating the diffusion of responsibility, and implementing uniform practices may improve patient handover practices and establish a culture of integrated patient-centered care.

Connecting research and professionalism in teacher education

ABSTRACT The three main themes of this Special Issue of European Journal of Teacher Education are brought together and considered in the light of what has been said in the articles included. These themes of teacher education, professionalism and research are all dynamic in the way they have been developing over time and also demonstrate considerable geographical diversity in their manifestations. This paper considers the extent to which these temporal and spatial differences indicate a series of tensions, difficulties and paradoxes as the processes of globalisation continue to influence educational policies and practices around the world. The extent to which the outcomes represent increasing convergence or divergence is discussed and the paper concludes by suggesting a number of key questions that may be asked within a particular context in order to make an assessment of the state of health of the teaching profession within that setting.

\u201cCan virtue be taught?\u201d: a content analysis of medical students\u2019 opinions of the professional and ethical challenges to their professional identity formation

BackgroundEfforts have begun to characterize the ethical and professional issues encountered by medical students in their clinical years. By applying previously identified taxonomies to a national sample of medical students, this study seeks to develop generalizable insights that can inform professional identity formation across various clerkships and medical institutions.MethodsIn a national survey of medical students, participants answered an open-ended survey item that asked them to describe a clinical experience involving an ethical or professional issue. We conducted a content analysis with these responses using the Kaldjian taxonomy of ethical and professionalism themes in medical education through an iterative, consensus-building process. Noting the emerging virtues-based approach to ethics and professionalism, we also reexamined the data using a taxonomy of virtues.ResultsThe response rate to this survey item was 144 out of 499 eligible respondents (28.9%). All 144 responses were successfully coded under one or more themes in the original taxonomy of ethical and professional issues, resulting in a total of 173 coded responses. Professional duties was the most frequently coded theme (29.2%), followed by Communication (26.4%), Quality of care (18.8%), Student-specific issues of moral distress (16.7%), Decisions regarding treatment (16.0%), and Justice (13.2%). In the virtues taxonomy, 180 total responses were coded from the 144 original responses, and the most frequent virtue coded was Wisdom (23.6%), followed by Respectfulness (20.1%) and Compassion or Empathy (13.9%).ConclusionsOriginally developed from students’ clinical experiences in one institution, the Kaldjian taxonomy appears to serve as a useful analytical framework for categorizing a variety of clinical experiences faced by a national sample of medical students. This study also supports the development of virtue-based programs that focus on cultivating the virtue of wisdom in the practice of medicine.

What James Boswell tells us about 18th‐century acting theory

AbstractThis article reads a series of essays on the actor by James Boswell through recent scholarship on the theory of acting in order to elaborate an expansive and historically grounded definition of what was and is meant by ‘18th‐century acting theory’. I thus show how 18th‐century texts on acting are important documents that should be read not as isolated phenomena but as works that can illuminate contemporary stage performance and the culture that produced it. In particular, I follow Boswell by placing a specific, illustrative emphasis on three key themes of professionalism, theatrical expression and ephemerality: each theme is both essential to thinking about the stage (and criticism on this topic) while also, like so much about the 18th‐century theatre, applicable far more widely both then and now.