Utilization Of Skills Research Articles

Skill utilization at work: Opportunity and motivation

Technological choices, product market strategies, and other organizational characteristics affect how tasks are grouped into jobs. The design of jobs determines the skills needed by workers in order to do them effectively. However, people possess skills and organizations need to find the right incentives to motivate workers to fully apply their skills. This is not an easy task and mistakes in the design of incentives can have disastrous consequences for firms' survival. Policymakers should complement policy interventions aimed at skilling the workforce with interventions aimed at increasing skill utilization.

An exploration of the utilisation of mathematics skills by Technology Education pre-service teachers during electronic systems design

An exploration of the utilisation of mathematics skills by Technology Education pre-service teachers during electronic systems design

The influence of task challenge on skill utilization, affective wellbeing and intrapreneurial behaviour

This study examines and theorizes the effects of task challenge on skill utilization, affective wellbeing and intrapreneurial behaviour among civil servants through a real-life challenging assignment, which was part of a unique Dutch and Flemish bottom-up organized event called ‘Train Your Colleague’. Results of a short-term longitudinal study indicate that, as expected, task challenge is positively related to skill utilization and intrapreneurial behaviour but, unexpectedly, not to affective wellbeing. These results suggest that challenging assignments may be important tools to enhance employees’ skill utilization and intrapreneurial behaviour at the workplace. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Certified Athletic Trainers’ Understanding and Use of Sport Psychology in Their Practice

Nine certified athletic trainers from one National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institution participated in semistructured interviews about their understanding of sport psychology and use of psychological strategies in their work with injured athletes. Through Consensual Qualitative Research (Hill, 2012) procedures, three major domains were constructed: (a) recognition of the common psychological challenges of injury rehabilitation, (b) knowledge and understanding of sport psychology, and (c) utilization of sport psychology skills and strategies for rehabilitation. Although athletic trainers utilized basic psychological strategies (e.g., goal setting, reassurance) during injury rehabilitation, findings support the need for an interprofessional team approach to enhancing psychological recovery.

Gendered depression: Vulnerability or exposure to work and family stressors?

ObjectiveResearch has shown that employed women are more prone to depression than men, but the pathways linking gender to depression remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine how work and family conditions operated as potentially gendered antecedents of depression. It evaluated more specifically how differences in depressive symptoms in women and men could be explained by their differential vulnerability and exposure to work and family conditions, as well as by the mediating role of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). MethodsData were collected in 2009–2012 from a sample of 1935 employees (48.9% women) nested in 63 workplaces in the province of Quebec (Canada). Data were analyzed with multilevel path analysis models to test for the differential exposure hypothesis, and stratified by gender to test for the differential vulnerability hypothesis. ResultsResults supported both hypothesizes, but only WFC played a mediating role between work-family stressors and depression. Regarding the vulnerability hypothesis, WFC was more strongly associated with women depressive symptoms, and the magnitude of the association between family income and WFC was stronger for women. Overall, the differential exposure hypothesis seemed to reach a greater empirical support. After accounting for work and family stressors as well as WFC, differences in depressive symptoms in women and men were no longer significantly, as WFC, working hours, irregular work schedule and skill utilization acted as mediators. WFC associated with higher depressive symptoms and skill utilization with lower depressive symptoms. WFC related to higher working hours and irregular work schedule. Compared to men, women reported higher WFC, but lower working hours, less irregular work schedule and lower skill utilization at work. ConclusionWomen's higher rate of depression is intrinsically linked to their different social experiences as shaped by a gendered social structure and gendered organizations.

Challenge-related stress and felt challenge: Predictors of turnover and psychological health in aged care nurses

AimsTo examine the differential impacts of challenge-related stress (i.e. stress derived from job demands with potential for personal gains) and “perceptions” of job challenges (i.e. felt challenge) on turnover and psychological health in aged care nurses, and to explore whether coping resources were related to challenge-related stress. BackgroundIn residential aged care, nurses undertake a challenging job and experience poor psychological health and high turnover. Understanding the possible antecedents of turnover and psychological health in aged care nurses will assist in developing appropriate interventions. MethodsThis research used existing survey data derived from the Nurses and Midwives e-cohort Study. The sample included 239 Australian residential aged care nurses. Hierarchical logistic and linear regression analyses were used to test five hypotheses. ResultsA greater sense of job challenges appeared to reduce turnover. A higher level of challenge-related stress predicted poorer psychological health. Supervisor support was negatively associated with challenge-related stress. ImplicationsFindings suggest that, to reduce aged care nurse turnover, managers might consider assigning appropriate responsibilities and workload based on the needs of individual nurses. To improve nurses’ psychological health, managers might consider increasing work-related coping resources such as supervisor support, co-worker support and opportunities for skill utilization, skill development and decision making. Support from immediate supervisors is the most effective intervention to help nurses cope with challenge-related stress. ConclusionsAlthough the job design of aged care nursing should promote positive challenging aspects of the job, targeted interventions are required to reduce the stress associated with the job challenges.

Put My Skills to Use? Understanding the Joint Effect of Job Security and Skill Utilization on Job Satisfaction Between Skilled Migrants and Australian Born Workers in Australia

The topic of skilled migrants has gained importance in the past decade as they are increasingly becoming one of the main drivers for labor supply in developed countries like Australia. Although there is research on skilled migrants, most have been studied from the perspectives of (un)employment, wage and over-education. Some evidence suggests that skilled migrants are often less satisfied with their job compared to their local counterparts, yet little is known about why these differences exist. Using a nationally representative sample of Australian workers, we examine how two important job characteristics, job security and skill utilization, exert their differential interaction effect on job satisfaction for skilled migrants and Australian born workers. We found a differential moderation effect between job security and skill utilization for skilled migrants and Australian born workers. For skilled migrants, high job security did not lead to positive reaction (i.e., job satisfaction), as this effect was dependent on their skill utilization; while such moderation effect was not present for Australian born workers. This study highlights the need to take a more fine-tuned approach by understanding target sample groups (e.g., skilled migrants) when study the relationship between key job characteristics and job satisfaction. Furthermore, it highlights the importance for organizations to revisit their human resource management strategies and policies to recognize the needs for enhancing skill utilization for skilled migrants.

The Social Work Librarian and Information Literacy Instruction: A Report on a National Survey in the United States

ABSTRACTAs an interdisciplinary profession encompassing macro, mezzo, and micro fields of praxis, well-informed and ethical social work practice necessitates the continual utilization of information literacy skills across a wide and ever-evolving range of information sources and access points. In response to a dearth of scholarship concerning information literacy instruction in social work education, this article reports on an initial endeavor to quantify and describe the nature of information literacy instruction in social work education on a national level in the United States. In addition to a review and discussion of the National Social Work Librarians Survey's descriptive data, this article addresses pedagogic and institutional challenges germane to the advocacy for the inclusion of information literacy instruction in social work curricula.

Identification, Response, and Referral of Suicidal Youth Following Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.

Gatekeeper training is a public health approach to suicide prevention that encourages community members to identify those at risk for suicide, respond appropriately, and refer for clinical services. Despite widespread use, few studies have examined whether training results in behavior change in participants. This study employed a naturalistic pre-post design to follow 434 participants in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, finding small but significant increases in self-reported identification of at-risk youth, some helpful responses to youth, and numbers of youth referred to treatment from pre-test to 6- to 9-month follow-up. Changes in active listening and helping behaviors meant to support treatment referrals (such as convincing a youth to seek treatment) were not observed over time. Additional analyses explored predictors of self-reported skill utilization including identification as a "natural helper" and attitudes about suicide prevention.

Cross-level effects of buyer-supplier collaboration and competition on individual gains and individual skill utilization

Organizations increasingly engage in interorganizational projects. Individuals working on such projects are likely to be influenced by this context. This study investigates the effects of the team processes of collaboration and competition on individuals' gains and skill utilization. Drawing on social identity theory, we proposed that collaboration would positively affect individual-level outcomes, while competition would result in negative individual-level outcomes. Using hierarchical linear modeling, the cross-level hypotheses were tested on multiple informants' data pertaining to 55 projects. Surprisingly, positive effects were found for both contextual variables, indicating that collaboration and competition result in greater skill utilization and individual gains.

Skills in the green economy: recycling promises in the UK e‐waste management sector

In advanced economies the ‘greening’ of the economy is widely seen as promising extensive job creation and upskilling, alongside its other benefits. In popular and policy rhetoric, the growing importance of ‘green skills’ is asserted frequently. This study critically examines these claims within the context of the electronic waste management sector in the United Kingdom. Drawing on the cases of a non‐profit organisation and a small private enterprise in North West England, we observe that despite government support for developing skills in e‐waste, both the development and utilisation of skills remain minimal. Critically, the relatively more skill‐intensive process of reuse is substantially less profitable than recycling and resource capture. The study concludes by noting that the expectations from the green economy for high‐quality jobs need to be assessed within the context of similar, misplaced celebrations of previous transformations of work to avoid recycling the same promises.

Working Conditions Reported by Pediatric Nurse Practitioners in Hospital Practice

Emerging Knowledge for Clinical Practice Podium Presentations focusing on the Research Agenda Priority of Role and Practice Issues, Presented at NAPNAP’s 37th National Conference on Pediatric Healthcare, March 17, 2016, Atlanta, GA Nearly a quarter of pediatric nurse practitioners (PNP) practice in hospital-based settings. The hospital-based PNP workforce is expected to grow in response to pediatric hospital provider demand. Care roles and skill utilization for PNPs in hospital-based practice differ from those in other settings. Inter-provider relationships and team based care models may introduce complexities that impact the working conditions for PNPs in hospitals. An important consideration when evaluating the extent of hospital-based services provided by PNPs are the implications of state scope-of-practice (SSoP) regulations and hospital and physician restrictions. It is imperative that PNPs practice to the full extent of their legal abilities to optimize patient access to pediatric care. Evaluating the effects of current restriction upon hospital-based PNPs’ ability to provide pediatric health care can facilitate changes that maximize PNPs’ utilization and contributions to pediatric care. to evaluate how work conditions influence pediatric nurse practitioner skill utilization and ability to practice to the fullest extent of SSoP in hospital-based settings. Secondary data analysis used the National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioner 2012 dataset. This dataset was generated via a national survey mailed to a representative population of NPs (60.1% response rate). PNPs who reported primary clinical practice in the hospital were selected for analysis (N=414). Associations of working conditions with pediatric nurse practitioner skill utilization and restrictions to practice were evaluated using Pearson Chi-Square Tests of Independence. Of respondents, 79% (95% C.I., 76.1-82.7) believed their NP skills were being fully utilized and nearly 82% (95% C.I., 78.65-84.95) indicated practicing to the fullest extent of SSoP. PNPs who reported that both their skills were being fully utilized also were more likely to state that they were allowed to practice to the fullest extent of their SSoP (p<0.001). Nurse practitioners were more likely to agree that they were using their skills and practicing to the fullest extent of the SSoP if their relationship with physicians was one of equal colleagues (p<0.001) and they were able to bill using their own NPI (p=0.008). They were less likely to agree with that statement if they had a hierarchical/supervisory relationship with the physicians (p<0.001). No statistically significant associations were observed between skill utilization and reports of being allowed to practice to the full SSoP (p=0.532) or time physicians were in the hospital (p=0.194). Hospital-based PNPs report differences in skill utilization and ability to practice to the full extent of SSoP associated with the type of relationships they have with physicians. Practicing to the fullest extent of SSoP is associated with reports of optimal skill utilization.

The potential of food preservation to reduce food waste.

While we state it seems unthinkable to throw away nearly a third of the food we produce, we still continue to overlook that we are all very much part of this problem because we all consume meals. The amount of food wasted clearly has an impact on our view of what we think a sustainable meal is and our research suggests food waste is a universal function that can help us determine the sustainability of diets. Achieving sustainability in food systems depends on the utilisation of both culinary skills and knowledge of how foods make meals. These are overlooked by the current food waste debate that is concerned with communicating the problem with food waste rather than solutions to it. We aim to change this oversight with the research presented here that demonstrates the need to consider the role of food preservation to reduce food waste and the requirement for new marketing terms associated with sustainability actions that can be used to stimulate changes in consumption behaviours. We have chosen frozen food to demonstrate this because our research has shown that the use of frozen foods results in 47 % less household food waste than fresh food categories. This has created a step-change in how we view food consumption and has stimulated consumer movements that act across different products and supply chains to enable the consumption of the sustainable meal.

The incidence and wage effects of overeducation using the vertical and horizontal mismatch in skills

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to propose an improved concept of educational mismatch that combines a statistical measure of over- and undereducation with the worker’s self-assessment of skill utilization. The novelty of this measurement approach consists in identifying the vertical and horizontal nature of skills mismatch, that is, a mismatch in which skills are either over/underutilized or not utilized.Design/methodology/approach– Cross-sectional data from the Swiss Household Panel survey for the years 1999 and 2004 are used to determine the true extent of educational mismatch among workers. Moroever, different versions of the Duncan and Hoffman wage equation are estimated depending on whether basic or alternative measures of educational mismatch are included.Findings– The empirical analyses provide the following results: first, at least two-third of the statistically defined overeducated workers perceive their skills as adequate for the job they hold and are then apparently overeducated; second, overeducated workers whose skills are not related to the job do not receive any payoff to years of surplus education; and third, apparently overeducated workers have similar wage returns compared to others with the same schooling level but who are statistically matched. All in all, these findings confirm that most of those overeducated according to the statistical measure have unobserved skills that allow them to work in a job for which they are well-matched.Originality/value– The paper indicates the need to consider both vertical and horizontal skill mismatches when measuring educational mismatch in the labour market. In that way, it is possible to account for worker heterogeneity in skills whose omission may generate biased estimates of the incidence and wage effects of over- and undereducation.

Stakeholders' views on granting prescribing authority to pharmacists in Nigeria: a qualitative study.

Background In Nigeria, only medical doctors, dentists and some nurses in primary care facilities have the legal right to prescribe medicines to patients. Patients' access to prescription medicines can be seriously affected by the shortage of prescribers leading to longer waiting times in hospitals. Objective This research was carried out to investigate stakeholders' views on granting prescribing authority to pharmacists in Nigeria. Setting The study was conducted in Nigeria. Methods Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 Nigerian stakeholders including policymakers, pharmacists, doctors and patient group representatives. Transcribed interviews were entered into the QSR NVivo 10 software and analysed using a thematic approach. Main outcome measure Stakeholders' perception on the granting of prescribing authority to pharmacists in Nigeria. Results Three major themes emerged from the interviews: (1) prescribing as a logical role for pharmacists, (2) pharmacist prescribing- an opportunity or a threat and (3) the potential barriers to pharmacist prescribing. Many non-medical stakeholders including pharmacists and patient group representatives supported an extended role for pharmacists in prescribing while the majority of medical doctors including those in policy making were reluctant to do so. Generally, all stakeholders perceived that pharmacist prescribing represents an opportunity to increase patients' access to medicines, reduce doctors' workload and promote the utilisation of pharmacists' skills. However, many stakeholders including pharmacists and doctors commonly identified pharmacists' inadequate skills in diagnosis, medical resistance and shortage of pharmacists as potential barriers to the introduction of pharmacist prescribing in Nigeria. Conclusion The present study showed a split of opinion between participants who were medical doctors and those who were non-doctors in their support for pharmacist prescribing. However, all stakeholders acknowledged the potential of pharmacist prescribing to increase patients' access to medicines in Nigeria.

Skills utilisation at work, the quality of the study programme and fields of study

This paper examines the factors that may have impact on the extent to which the knowledge and skills of master’s degree graduates in Norway are utilised at work, three years after graduation. The focus is on the impact of the quality of the study programme as well as the graduates’ fields of study, when also taking into account other factors influencing the utilisation of skills. The analysis indicates that the quality of the study programme has an independent effect on skills utilisation at work. The analysis also shows large differences in skills utilisation according to fields of study, even among graduates who are not formally overeducated for their job. Not formally overeducated graduates in humanities and social science utilise their knowledge and skills less frequently than other similar graduates. The findings involve challenges for higher education institutions and graduates, as well as employers, to find ways that the expertise of master's degree graduates could be better exploited.

Exploring the Relationship Among Moral Distress, Coping, and the Practice Environment in Emergency Department Nurses.

Emergency department (ED) nurses practice in environments that are highly charged and unpredictable in nature and can precipitate conflict between the necessary prescribed actions and the individual's sense of what is morally the right thing to do. As a consequence of multiple moral dilemmas, ED staff nurses are at risk for experiencing distress and how they cope with these challenges may impact their practice. To examine moral distress in ED nurses and its relationship to coping in that specialty group. Using survey methods approach. One hundred ninety-eight ED nurses completed a moral distress, coping, and demographic collection instruments. Advanced statistical analysis was completed to look at relationships between the variables. Data analysis did show that moral distress is present in ED nurses (M = 80.19, SD = 53.27), and when separated into age groups, the greater the age, the less the experience of moral distress. A positive relationship between moral distress and some coping mechanisms and the ED environment was also noted. This study's findings suggest that ED nurses experience moral distress and could receive some benefit from utilization of appropriate coping skills. This study also suggests that the environment in which ED nurses practice has a significant impact on the experience of moral distress. Because health care is continuing to evolve, it is critical that issues such as moral distress and coping be studied in ED nurses to help eliminate human suffering.

A comparative analysis of immigrant skills and their utilization in Australia, Canada, and the USA

We compare literacy test scores and their impact on wage and employment outcomes of Australian, Canadian, and the US immigrants. Overall, we find little to distinguish the skills of immigrants to these three countries, although there is some indication of gains at the lower end of the distribution among Australian immigrants arriving after the mid-1990s. Relative immigrant wage returns to literacy are, however, substantially higher in the USA, which we argue reflects language-skill complementarities, as opposed to more efficient skill utilization or unobserved productivity characteristics.

Staff perception of interprofessional working relationships after a work redesign intervention in a Danish orthopaedic hand unit outpatient clinic

ABSTRACTThere is evidence that clinical pathways improve quality of care; however, knowledge is limited concerning the influence on and the benefits experienced by the interprofessional teams working with these pathways. Our working methods in a hand unit in an orthopaedic outpatient clinic in Denmark were redesigned to include, among other changes, the introduction of clinical pathways. Changes included standardising treatment and communication methods, delegating tasks from medical specialists to nurses, and providing nurses with their own consultation room. Using focus group interviews before and after the implementation of the new working methods, we investigated staff-perceived experiences of the effects on working relationships and the utilisation of professional skills and attitudes, resulting from the mentioned change in working methods. The results were changes in daily communication methods among healthcare staff and improvements in the actual communication and collaborative problem solving skills concerning standard patients with simple hand pathology; however, there are still challenges for patients with more complex hand pathology. Though this new interprofessional arrangement improves the use of nurse and medical specialist professional competencies, it also requires a high degree of trust among the team members.

Improving transitions of care through implementation of a standardized handoff at a comprehensive cancer center.

242 Background: Communication failures cause two-thirds of sentinel events in hospitals. These adverse occurrences are often both fatal and preventable. Consequently, improving the quality of handoffs has been identified by multiple accreditation constituents as a top priority patient safety goal. This project was part of an institutional initiative to standardize handoffs among physicians, trainees, and midlevel providers. Methods: Four subgroups were identified as pilot areas: Gynecologic Oncology (Gyn Onc) fellows to nocturnalists, Surgical Oncology fellows, Pediatric Oncology residents and fellows, and Emergency Center attending staff to inpatient hospitalists. This abstract focuses on the Gyn Onc and Pediatric Oncology services. All teams used a PDSA cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act) to conduct its pilot study. A gap analysis, root cause analysis, and process mapping were performed in each area to identify specific handoff issues. A validated standardized handoff tool, I-PASS (Illness severity, Patient summary, Action list, Situational awareness and contingency planning, and Synthesis by receiver), was selected. Of note, “Illness severity” highlights patients identified at higher risk for complications and denotes their status as “watcher” or “unstable.” Interventions included I-PASS skills training and utilization of the I-PASS mnemonic. Each service developed a standardized definition to identify patients classified as “watchers.” Medical errors, ICU transfers, and provider satisfaction were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results: Results from 40 handoff surveys showed communication errors dropped by 10% (16.49 vs 14.93). Minor harm as result of a problematic handoff decreased by 45% (2.55 vs 1.39), with a 55% reduction in ICU transfers. There was an overall increase in handoff satisfaction using I-PASS and 100% standardization of handoffs across the Gyn Onc and Pediatric Oncology units. Conclusions: Implementation of I-PASS, a validated standardized handoff was associated with reductions in medical errors and improvement in communication. Our institution is moving toward implementing I-PASS across all units to increase the safety and quality of patient care.