Recent Graduates Research Articles

Referral practices of recent graduate and experienced physiotherapists working in Australian primary care for people with musculoskeletal conditions

BackgroundPeople with musculoskeletal conditions often seek care from physiotherapists. Some, particularly those at risk of poor outcomes, may benefit from referral to physiotherapists with expertise in managing musculoskeletal conditions and/or multidisciplinary care. Understanding referral practices of physiotherapists, and how experience influences those practices, may assist in implementing optimal care pathways in primary care. AimsExplore (i) current referral practices of recent graduate and experienced physiotherapists who manage musculoskeletal conditions; (ii) opinions about referral to specialist physiotherapists for people at risk of poor outcomes. MethodsThis qualitative study consisted of 23 semi-structured interviews with recent graduate (n = 9) and experienced physiotherapists (n = 14) working in primary care. Perspectives of participants’ current referral practices (to whom, when and why they are referred) and referral to specialist physiotherapists were sought. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim prior to analysis. ResultsReferral practices for both groups were influenced by specific diagnoses, complexity of presentations, confidence, self-awareness, the clinical environment and system-related factors. Experienced physiotherapists were more confident and specific in their referrals and had established trusted networks compared with new graduates. Early referral to specialist physiotherapists was more likely when therapists were co-located. Barriers to early referral were lack of awareness, health system factors and impact on the patient (e.g., financial, time, continuity of care). ConclusionUnderstanding factors influencing referral decisions may improve both intra- and interprofessional care for people with musculoskeletal conditions. Referral of people at risk of poor outcomes to specialist physiotherapists may be improved by greater intraprofessional awareness and clarity of roles.

Moving to ‘Bei–Shang–Guang’? Internal migration, local hukou barriers and labour market outcomes among college graduates in China

AbstractBeijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as the major metropolitan areas in China, offer good opportunities for economic and social mobility for in‐migrants. As such, these four locations have become the primary employment destinations for recent college graduates. Meanwhile, these cities have the most stringent hukou policies nationwide, which play a key role in the urban labour market segmentation between local residents and in‐migrants. Using three waves of data from a nationally representative survey, the China College Student Survey (2010, 2013, and 2015), this paper, for the first time, examined whether Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have emerged as an ‘upward social class escalator region’ for young adults in China. After accounting for observed demographic and human capital characteristics and migrant selectivity, migrating into Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen has been found to be positively associated with earnings attainment, and the economic benefit from relocation is greater than that experienced by migrants elsewhere in the system. However, in‐migrants to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have fewer opportunities to enter government organisations and public enterprises. These results cast doubt on the potential for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to act as escalators for individuals wishing to achieve all‐around upwards social mobility in China's urban labour market. The local hukou barrier may still be a salient factor in shaping migrants' labour market outcomes in China. This study contributes to existing knowledge on escalator theory by providing empirical evidence from an emerging market country, China. More importantly, it shed light on the role of location (such as large urban centres) in the complicated relationship between social mobility and migration.

Religiosity and the Perception of Interreligious Threats: The Suppressing Effect of Negative Emotions towards God

Religiosity has been studied for its impact on other sociological and psychological aspects of society, particularly personal wellbeing and interpersonal relationships. However, it has yet to be studied for its impact on interreligious prejudice as measured by perceptions of interreligious threats. The present study investigates how religiosity (both positive and negative measures) affects perception of threats from other religious groups within the Malaysian context by using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale and the Inventory of Emotions towards God as measures of religiosity. Data collected through questionnaires administered to university students and recent graduates (N = 260) in Malaysia were subjected to bivariate correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis and mediation analysis. Our findings show that the positive and negative measures yielded different effects on the perception of interreligious threats. While the centrality of religiosity and positive emotions towards God have statistically significant negative correlation with perception of interreligious threats, we show that negative emotions towards God suppresses the effect of the positive measures of religion on the dependent variable. The paper discusses the implications of these results within the socio-political context of Malaysia, in which ethnic identity and religious affiliation are closely intertwined.

Equity and inclusion in work-integrated learning: participation and outcomes for diverse student groups

ABSTRACT Universities support students in their transition to work and future career through programmes such as work-integrated learning (WIL). WIL engages students in authentic industry-based experiences and is considered valuable for preparedness for work, including professional socialisation and developing skills prioritised by graduate employers. Research shows, however, that access and participation in WIL is not equal among all student groups. This paper reports on the responses of over 151,000 recent graduates in an Australian-wide survey. It investigates participation in different types of WIL and its influence on self-perceptions of employability and the employment outcomes of graduates from different backgrounds. Findings show how access to diverse forms of WIL is not uniform, urging universities to carefully consider barriers and challenges for different student cohorts. Those that do access WIL largely experience significant positive outcomes, highlighting WIL’s instrumental role in preparing students for future work. The paper highlights the need for tailored approaches to WIL that enable access and optimise outcomes for all students to best prepare them for career pathways.

Applying Lessons from Maine’s Educational Opportunity Tax Credit to the Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit

In 2008, Maine implemented the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit (EOTC), a tax credit available to eligible recent college graduates with student debt. The share of eligible filers who apply for and receive the EOTC has been relatively low, however, likely driven by a lack of awareness about the program and its complicated application processes and eligibility criteria. In April 2022, the legislature created the Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit (SLRTC), which simplifies some of these processes. Meeting the legislature’s goals for this program, however, may require expanding awareness of the SLRTC and ensuring that the application process is simple. This article provides information and analysis about implementation of the EOTC with comparisons to the SLRTC.

Information literacy and recent graduates: Motivation, self-efficacy, and perception of credit-based information literacy courses

The present study aimed to explore graduate students' motivation, self-efficacy, and perceptions of credit-based information literacy (IL) courses at a research university in China. A mixed-methods approach was employed, with 405 questionnaires and ten follow-up interviews conducted. The findings indicated that graduate students displayed high levels of intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy toward the IL course. In other words, they were conscious of the importance of IL in their future academic pursuits. However, only a small portion (18.76 %) of students perceived librarians as the most appropriate person for the course. Moreover, in terms of the format of course format, the majority of participants preferred a blend of lectures and group activities over online learning. There was also agreement among the participants that the focus of IL courses should go beyond basic information search skills and include training in learning strategies. The study also found that gender played a role in shaping motivation and perception levels, with female students generally scoring higher. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for librarians to enhance their credit-based IL courses, catering to the specific needs and preferences of graduate students.

Explore the IEEE PELS Students and Young Professionals Committee and Get Involved [Students and Young Professionals Rendezvous

Over the last years, the number of student and young professional members in IEEE PELS has increased. Students and young professionals now represent over 20% of the membership body and make significant contributions to the dynamism of IEEE PELS. Via the IEEE PELS Students and Young Professionals (S&YP) committee, a subgroup within the PELS membership committee, students and recent graduates in IEEE PELS host a variety of events at IEEE conferences and create activities to engage PELS members while enabling unique networking and mentorship opportunities. With volunteers all across the globe (Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka, and the United States), the S&YP committee also establishes a global and inclusive community for engineers, researchers, academics and students in the area of power electronics. Through its endeavors, the S&YP committee aims to support the professional development of students and recent graduates, further the mission of IEEE PELS and increase the diversity of its membership and volunteering bodies.

Gaining confidence

Dana Smith is a RN and recent graduate from Carson Newman University in Jefferson City, TN. Smith currently works as an FNP in urgent care. The author has disclosed no financial relationships related to this article.

Importance of Effective Communication Skills during Campus Interview

Thousands of bright students leave college each year with the intention of finding employment to pursue their aspirations. Some people are fortunate enough to land a job through campus interviews, while others must look for work on their own. Do you count among them? Why should the hiring manager choose you over your friend or any other recent graduate from a different college for the open position? You can claim that you are the ideal candidate for the position or that your academic record qualifies you for the position. The interviewer will look for more than just your academic background, though, unless you are applying for academic positions. Any campus interview has a number of selection phases that vary depending on the university and degree. Your attitude, aptitude, academic knowledge, extracurricular activities, verbal, strategic, analytical, and other skills are frequently evaluated. When it comes to interactions between interviewers and interview candidates, these are the major fields which are being evaluated. Communication skill development is a self[1]improvement process, and as such, it has good consequences on personality, mood, and overall quality of life. Communication skill development is a self[1]improvement process, and as such, it has good consequences on personality, mood, and overall quality of life. Even the most basic “how to enhance communication skills” templates will have positive results in some cases. In this research paper, we have tried to focus on the importance of communication skills for campus interviews.

Differences In Antipsychotic Prescriptions In Relationship To Physician Demographics And In-patient Setting At An Inner-city hospital – A Prospective Cohort Study

IntroductionAntipsychotics are medications with an array of FDA approved indications in the field of psychiatry including Schizophrenia, Bipolar Mania, Bipolar Depression, Maintenance treatment for Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, as well as an Adjunct treatment in Unipolar Depression and Tic disorders, among other indications for non-adult patients. Antipsychotics are widely used in psychiatric inpatient units throughout the United States, and globally. We observed trends of antipsychotic use in 3 different adult inpatient units with the same patient demographics located within one inner city hospital in the Bronx over a period of 4 months. We correlated the choice of antipsychotic to the prescribing physician’s period of training/date of graduation from psychiatry residency and reported the results.ObjectivesIdentify the choice of antipsychotics used by different psychiatrists.Correlate the dates of each psychiatrists residency training to the antipsychotics they chose.Identify whether the psychiatry residency training accuried in different decades has influenced psychiatrics to pick certain antipsychotics.MethodsWe obtained the dates of psychiatric residency training for each of 3 psychiatrists (Physicians 1, 2 and 3) assigned to one of 3 different inpatient psychiatric units which share the same patient demographics in an inner-city hospital in the Bronx. We obtained a record of total psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations from February 10th 2022 to June 10th 2022 in all 3 psychiatric inpatient units. The principal diagnoses for the total hospitalizations (300 patients) were reviewed and patients with diagnoses that do not have FDA approval for antipsychotic use were excluded. Among the remaining patients (267) we compared antipsychotic prescription trends and grouped patients according to antipsychotic of choice. We then correlated the antipsychotic of choice groups to one of three units/prescribing physician and the years of psychiatry residency training. The trends for antipsychotic of choice were compared to training dates and presented in a table.ResultsPhysician 1 who trained from 1980 to 1984 prescribed: 87% HALDOL and 13 % Chlorpromazine. Physician 2 who trained from 1992 to 1996 prescribed: 91 % PALIPERIDONE and 9% Risperidone. Physician 3 who trained from 2003 to 2007 prescribed: 60 % ABILIFY and 40% Olanzapine.ConclusionsThe physician with the earliest graduation date used mainly HALDOL, a first-generation antipsychotic, to treat disorders with FDA approval for antipsychotic use. The physician with the most recent graduation date, used mainly ARIPIPRAZOLE, a third-generation antipsychotic, to treat disorder with FDA approval for their use. The physician with a graduation date between them, used mainly (PALIPERIDONE), a second-generation antipsychotic to treat the disorders.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Taking Action Towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Pharmacy Curriculum and Continuing Professional Development

Increased awareness of social injustices and inequities highlight the relevance and importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in health care. Former and recent graduates of pharmacy schools remain deficient in their knowledge of DEIA topics such as unconscious bias, which can directly influence health outcomes in an undesirable manner. Particular DEIA areas that are pertinent to pharmacy practice include: race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, religion, socioeconomic status, and political beliefs. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) affirmed its commitment to DEIA as a priority. However, existing gaps in knowledge of pharmacy graduates in this area have the potential to contribute to health disparities and inequities, which are significant public health issues. We call on academic pharmacy institutions and professional pharmacy organizations to elevate DEIA topics and to designate them as essential to both addressing health equity and improving care for underserved populations. We also implore licensing boards to require continuing education related to DEIA as a foundational step to closing the knowledge gap for pharmacists in this area.

Emerging Scholars in Academia: An Analysis of the Impact of IAPSS Politikon in the Academic Careers of Its Authors

This paper analyzes students, recent graduates, and emerging scholars’ involvement in academic publishing, specifically by studying the impact of their publications in Politikon, the International Association for Political Science Students’ Journal, and their academic careers. The results of a standardized self-administered survey serve to assess authors’ motivations and impact of publish ing with IAPSS Politikon. The data show that publishing with Politikon has helped emerging researchers get more experience concerning the publication process and has improved their research, writing, and analyzing skills. Additionally, an essential part of them said they increased their educational background or obtained a new higher position after publishing with Politikon. In fact, 50 per cent of these scholars said they were promoted after publishing with the journal. Furthermore, Politikon, establishes a platform for Global South scholarship to be at the forefront of Political Science/International Relations debates and knowledge production. This implies the importance of Politikon in the early career of scholars by giving them the right tools to develop professionally and by reaching scholars from all around the world, especially from the Global South in an effort to contribute to global international relations and global governance reform.

Lifetime prevalence and knowledge of snakebite among graduates in Nigeria.

Given the lack of studies on snakebite envenoming knowledge in the general population, we examined the lifetime prevalence of snakebite and knowledge of snakebite and its prevention and first aid among recent Nigerian graduates in national service. This questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involved 351 consenting national youth corps members at a rural orientation camp in Kano, Nigeria. Participants' mean age was 25.3±2.4y. There were slightly more males (50.7%). Most attended universities (77.8%) and were mainly from the southwest (24.5%) and northeast (24.5%) geopolitical regions and the Yoruba tribe (24.7%). Their lifetime prevalence of snakebite was 4%. Their mean overall knowledge score was 6.8±3.1 out of 20. Only 0.9% had adequate knowledge. Gender (male; 7.2±3.1, t=2.83, p=0.0049), tribe (Yoruba; 7.5±2.9, F=2.968, p=0.0320), region (Southwest; 7.6±3.0, F=2.5289, p=0.0289) and nearly bitten by snake (7.8 ± 2.7, t=3.60, p=0.0004) were significantly associated with a higher mean knowledge score. Their lifetime prevalence of snakebites is significant, while knowledge of snakebite is very inadequate. However, the national service camp activities period provides an opportunity for educational intervention needed to raise their knowledge to optimal levels that will enable them serve as better snakebite prevention agents, as they will be working in rural communities where snakebite might be prevalent.

Student debt of UK dental students and recent graduates.

Introduction Studies conducted in 2013 estimated the total average debt of UK dental students in their final year. Student tuition fees in the UK have increased over time and maintenance grants abolished. With the current landscape changing, it's important to understand the effect on dental students and the current total debt upon graduation.Aims Quantify the level of debt among dental students graduating in 2021/2022 and the two years prior, understand the impact of debt, and investigate socioeconomic differences.Materials and methods An online survey with final year UK dental students and recent graduates was conducted, resulting in 103 valid responses. The survey design was adapted from a validated British Dental Association (BDA) survey conducted in 2013.Results The mean total debt among respondents was £52,922.12, a substantial increase compared to the BDA data reported in 2013, with commercial and informal loans doubling from 2013 to 2022. Three-in-five (60.2%) experienced financial difficulties during their studies. Significant differences were found among socioeconomic groups.Conclusion Findings from this study show that dental student debt continues to grow, having detrimental impacts on students and their studies, specifically those from lower income households. Interventions should focus on addressing these issues.

Development of a bovine continuing education program for early-career veterinarians to address clinical service shortage

There is currently a shortage of production animal veterinarians worldwide. Access to adequate continuing education (CE) increases retention of health-care workers in rural areas. However, little information is available about the preferences of bovine veterinarians in their first years after graduation. Our objective was to design a readily available CE program tailored for recent veterinary graduates working in bovine medicine. For this, we conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify early-career bovine veterinarian needs and their preferences to access CE conducted while practicing full time. Subsequently, we conducted a second survey to triangulate their responses with the opinions of experienced veterinarians, where the experienced veterinarians ranked the relevance of the CE topics that resulted from the early-career veterinarian survey. We received a total of 132 valid responses from US veterinarians in their first 5 years after graduation, and 32 responses associated with bovine veterinarians with 10 or more years of experience. Our results showed that a combination of distance education and workshops to practice hands-on skills was the preferred method for accessing CE among early-career veterinarians. Furthermore, recent graduates were willing to commit 1 to 2 h/wk to distance education. From the list of 20 topics identified by early-career veterinarians, the experienced veterinarians ranked "calf/heifer management" and "immunology and vaccinology" as the most relevant ones for practice. With the information gathered from these surveys, we designed, implemented, and piloted a 180-h CE program on bovine health management that is delivered over 2 yr through asynchronous distance education and annual hands-on workshops. Participant feedback has been very positive. Overall, the survey results will serve to develop CE programs targeted to bovine veterinarians in their first years of practice. Future research is needed to evaluate this program's success in retaining the bovine veterinary workforce within the United States, particularly in rural underserved areas.

The Current Pediatric Surgery Job Market: A Perspective of Recent Fellowship Graduates

PurposeThis study describes the job market from the perspective of recent pediatric surgery graduates. MethodsAn anonymous survey was circulated to the 137 pediatric surgeons who graduated from fellowships 2019–2021. ResultsThe survey response rate was 49%. The majority of respondents were women (52%), Caucasian (72%), and had a median student debt burden of $225,000. Considering job opportunities, respondents strongly emphasized camaraderie (93%), mentorship (93%), case mix (85%), geography (67%), faculty reputation (62%), spousal employment (57%), compensation (51%), and call frequency (45%). 30% were satisfied with the employment opportunities available, and 21% felt strongly prepared to negotiate for their first job. All respondents were able to secure a job. Most jobs were university-based (70%) or hospital employed (18%) positions where surgeons covered median of two hospitals. 49% wanted protected research time, and 12% of respondents were able to secure substantial, protected research time. The median compensation for university-based jobs was $12,583 below the median AAMC benchmark for assistant professors for the corresponding year of graduation. ConclusionThese data highlight the ongoing need for assessment of the pediatric surgery workforce and for professional societies and training programs to further assist graduating fellows in preparing to negotiate their first job. Type of studySurvey Level of EvidenceLevel V.

Providing naturopathic care in the community: Perspectives of recent naturopathy graduates in Australia

Background and purposeNaturopathy is a traditional medicine system originating from Europe and naturopathic practitioners provide care to 6.2% of Australians in a 12-month period. Australian naturopathic programs have undertaken a slow transition over the last 20 years from Advanced diploma to Bachelor degree as the minimum level of qualification for entry into the profession. This study aimed to understand and describe the experience of naturopathic graduates completing Bachelor degree and transitioning to provide naturopathic care in the community. Materials and methodsQualitative semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with graduates of Bachelor's degree naturopathy programs, within five years of completing their studies. The data were analysed using Framework analysis methods. ResultsThe analysis identified three related themes: (1) Love for looking after patients, but clinical practice is not easy, (2) Finding a place in the naturopathic profession and in the health system; and (3) Protecting the future of the profession and practice through registration. ConclusionGraduates of Australian Bachelor's degree naturopathic programs face challenges as they attempt to find a place within their professional community. By identifying these challenges the profession's leaders may be able to develop initiatives to better support graduates and increase the success of new naturopaths.

Crafting professionals: Logics of professional development in craft higher education

This article explores how the presence of competing logics in craft higher education (HE) influences educational provision and student experience. Findings are presented from four craft HE case studies across England, including analysis of degree programme specifications and module curricula and interviews with educators, current students and recent graduates conducted in 2018. The article presents how these logics influence employability-focused teaching in craft curricula and how this impacts time, space and facilities allocated to physical craft work. Key tensions identified include perceptions and measurement of graduate “success”, the impact on skill development and studio space and (dis)engagement with professional development training. The article concludes with reflection on how this relates to the perceived value of arts degrees, but argues that the responsibility to “prepare” students for craft careers cannot lie solely with HE providers.

A Sierra Leone 2021 Midwifery Clinical Training Needs Assessment: A Call to Action to Augment Clinical Precepting.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality and infant mortality rates globally. We share findings from a Midwifery Clinical Training Needs Assessment, conducted in 2021 as a collaboration between the Government of Sierra Leone and Seed Global Health. The assessment identified existing needs and gaps in midwifery clinical training at health facilities in Sierra Leone from various stakeholders' perspectives. The descriptive needs assessment utilized mixed methods, including surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), interviews, and reviews of maternal medical records. The following showed needs and gaps in labor and delivery management; record keeping; triage processes; clinical education for students, recent graduates, and preceptors; and lack of infrastructure and resources. The knowledge gained from this needs assessment can further the development of midwifery clinical training programs in Sierra Leone and other low-income countries facing similar challenges. We discuss the implication of our findings.

Endured and prevailed: a phenomenological study of doctors’ first year of clinical practice

ContextThe challenging nature of the transition from medical student to doctor is highlighted by the associated negative consequences to new doctors’ mental health and wellbeing. Enhanced understanding of the lived experience of recent medical graduates as they move through the stages of transition over the first year of practice can inform interventions to ease the difficulties encountered.MethodsUsing interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a novel approach to this topic, we explored the lived experience of transition from student to doctor over the first year of practice after graduation. Twelve new graduates were purposively recruited. We conducted semi-structured interviews at the end of their first year of practice with respect to their experience over the first year.ResultsThe experience of transition was characterised by overlapping temporal stages. Participants’ initial adjustment period was characterised by shock, coping and stabilisation. A phase of development followed, with growth in confidence and a focus on self-care. Adversity was experienced in the form of interprofessional tensions, overwork, isolation and mistreatment. Finally, a period of reflection and rationalisation marked the end of the first year.DiscussionFollowing initial anxiety regarding competence and performance, participants’ experience of transition was predominantly influenced by cultural, relational and contextual aspects of clinical practice. Solutions to ease this challenging time include stage-specific transitional interventions, curricular change at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and a re-evaluation of the clinical learning environment to mitigate the difficulties endured.