Short-term Trips Research Articles

Hospital-Based Plastic Surgery Volunteerism

The purpose of this presentation is to describe an American plastic surgery resident's experience working for an academic year in a district-level general hospital in rural Kenya. The operative experience, educational value, and cultural adaptation over the custom-designed year are discussed. Furthermore, the logistics and ethics of picking a location, adjusting to the milieu, and treating patients are evaluated. The importance of a qualified, supportive, and perceptive mentor is emphasized. International volunteerism in plastic surgery beyond the more typical 1- or 2-week short-term trips can be extremely beneficial to a resident's experience, although long-term benefit to the served population should not be overestimated. A careful understanding of plastic surgery in relation to the global burden of disease highlights the fact that plastic surgery, although valuable, is limited in its role within international medical volunteerism. Not unexpectedly, obstetric, orthopedic, and general surgical skills are vital in the management of the most common surgical maladies.

Tourist Activity of Local Government Employees on the Example of Warsaw Studies

Tourist Activity of Local Government Employees on the Example of Warsaw Studies Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the form, nature and level of participation of Warsaw local government employees in tourism. Identification of the relevant characteristics of this group can lead to the knowledge of its behaviour, and ultimately to conduct effective health intervention-promotional activities. Material and methods. The questionaire study covered 321 local government employees (121 male, 200 female). The study was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 17 (SPSS). Assessment of the relationship of demographic variables with the type of trip and the level of tourism activity were made using chi-square statistics and adjusted residuals. The level of participation in tourism was determined using principal components analysis. Results. Short-term trips reported 87% of local administration employees, long-term - 77% and international - 26%. Average number of short trips was 7.0±7.2, long - 2.1±1.44 and international - 1.4±0.8. Very low levels of tourism activity characterized 32%, low - 15%, moderate - 21%, high - 17% and very high - 14% of the respondents. Education is the main factor that determines the participation and level of tourism activity of respondents. Conclusions. Often the trips declared are not compatible with the level of tourist activity - analysis based on the number of trips a year (short, long and international). It follows that for half of the respondents participation in tourism is sporadic.

Cultural Learning through a Sport Tourism Experience: The Role of the Group

With the growth in international communication technologies, geographic mobility, and international trade, there is increasing pressure to internationalize the sport management and business curricula to reflect the global milieu in which the industry now operates. Understanding cultural differences has been identified as a key competency for students learning about international issues (Lundstrom et al., 1996). Experiential learning and immersion have been identified as key methods of cultural learning provided through both international trips and study abroad experiences (Andrus et al., 1995). Short-term study trips, a form of group-based sport tourism, are a commonly used avenue provided to expose students to a different culture and facilitate cultural learning. This research uses participant observation, interviews, and content analysis of student reflection papers on five international trips (n = 38), which form part of a university course, to study the effectiveness of teaching culture through short-term, sport-focused group travel. Such travel alleviates the financial and temporal challenges of long-term study programs but faces challenges because of the short time period and potential group-centric behavior. Results suggest that while cultural learning is somewhat hindered by insular behavior common in group travel, the group can itself serve as a valuable learning opportunity through periods of informal discussion and exposure to other group members' experiences. Activities on the trip, such as meetings with sport organizations, game attendance, and homestays with locals, are central to foreign exposure. Further, pre-trip preparation in the form of readings, lectures, and videos coupled with post-travel debriefing deepen individuals' understanding of cultural variations.

Impact of short-term dermatology medical trips in the developing world

Public health workers, primary care providers, and surgeons have had significant impact on short-term medical trips to developing countries. This report describes the efforts of a single dermatologist in a developing country who was able to provide immediate and long-term care to children with skin disease at an orphanage.

They Were So Alive!: The Spectacle Self and Youth Group Short-Term Mission Trips

The proliferation of short-term mission trips among youth ministry groups has vaulted them to prominence, an event often anticipated by adolescents to be significantly life-changing. This article reports research that clarifies the impact that anticipation has on the students as they explored their identity in light of cross-cultural service and mission. Despite the opportunities for growth and the fresh perspectives gained on identity, the short-term trip and its designs were informed by the spectacle culture from which the students came.

A framework for short-term humanitarian health care projects.

This opinion piece, based on the experiences of the author, outlines the planning involved for a short-term assignment. With growing demand for humanitarian health care assistance to underserved countries, a framework for organizing short-term trips to such areas would be beneficial to the trip organizers. The key to a successful project lies in focusing on specific populations and interventions while still in the planning stages. The hurdles that need to be cleared before actually embarking on the project are also discussed. The lasting result of such ventures lies in the learning experiences of the participants, the care that the population receives, and a deeper appreciation for global health and disparity.

Seasonal Foraging Ranges and Travels at Sea of Little PenguinsEudyptula minor, Determined by Radiotracking

The travels at sea, and by implication the foraging ranges, of Little Penguins Eudyptula minor from Phillip Island, Victoria, were examined within a period of 18 months in the first seasonal radiotelemetric study of penguins at sea. Two typical travelling patterns are evident: short-term, localised trips of a single day's duration; and long-term trips of several or many days duration and up to many hundreds of kilometres away from the burrow site. Each Little Penguin was capable of both kinds of trip; short-term trips were typical during the breeding season and long-term trips typical during the non-breeding season. Birds undertaking long-term trips generally had lower body masses than birds doing short-term trips. Port Phillip Bay was a favoured destination for long-term trips during winter. In other seasons, long-term trips elsewhere of up to 710 kilometres away from the burrow were recorded. On short-term trips, the mean maximum radius of travel was 7.9 km from the burrow and 95% of the recorded penguin-time was within a radius of 15 km of the burrow and 9 km of the coast. When prey was scarce Little Penguins appeared to range further on short-term trips. The mean net travelling speed on short-term trips was 1.5 km-1 (range 0-6.9 km.h-1, measured over 0.5 h intervals), and 0.7 kmkl on long-term trips (range 0.01-3.3 km.h-1 measured over 21-126 h), although one penguin travelled at least 113 km in 34.5 h. On longterm trips, in the open sea of Bass Strait, about 74% of the records of telemetered Little Penguins were within 20 km of the coast. For the benefit of wildlife managers, I predict three zones that should contain most of the activity of Little Penguins from southern Phillip Island, including birds from the internationally known 'Penguin Parade'.

The Sociopolitical and Economic Context in Evaluating Productivity and Implementing Management Science Techniques

The importance of the sociopolitical and economic context in dealing with a problem situation in a particular country has been widely emphasised in the literature. However, one continues to come across studies in which the authors first concede this point but then go on to evaluate another country from their parochial perspective. This is particularly true of studies based on short-term trips abroad. The result could be incorrect data, incomplete analysis, and erroneous conclusions. Mostly, if not always, these studies show that the situation in the host country is highly illogical based on, of course, the yardstick used in the guest's country. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the process that leads to the reports on such studies. The lessons that follow from this analysis, we believe, are relevant in using the historical experience of one country for obtaining insights into the problem in another.