Two-year Training Program Research Articles

The two-year longitudinal dental foundation training programme: an option worth revisiting.

Two-year longitudinal dental foundation training (LDFT) programmes are available for dental graduates through a national recruitment process. These two-year schemes have been around for many years and enable foundation dentists to gain valuable experiences in general practice as well as the hospital and community services. However, the LDFT schemes have closed in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in recent years, leaving the North East England General Professional Training (GPT) scheme and the Yorkshire and Humberside LDFT scheme as the only two LDFT/GPT schemes left. With the Health Education England (HEE) 'Advancing Dental Care' project in progress, HEE are looking at reforming dental education and training to meet new and continued expectations. LDFT/GPT has been highlighted already in stage one of the project and will be considered further in stage two. Following frequent discussions in the project, this could offer an opportunity to expand and develop future LDFT/GPT schemes around the UK.

Meet the First Authors.

Meet the First Authors.

Postgraduate training in audiology improves clinicians’ audiology-related cue utilisation

Objective: This study was designed to test whether cue utilisation might be employed as a tool to assess the diagnostic skills of audiologists. The utilisation of cues is a characteristic of expertise and critical for successful diagnoses in clinical settings. However, neither in training nor in practice, is there a means by which the diagnostic skills of audiologists can be assessed objectively and reliably.Design: The study comprised a pre-post training evaluation, controlling for prior exposure to the diagnostic testing tool.Study sample: Three cohorts of trainee audiologists were evaluated, one of which was tested prior to, and following a two-year training programme (16 participants), while the other two groups acted as controls (23 participants and 20 participants, respectively).Results: Consistent with expectations, cue utilisation increased from the initial to the final stages of training and this effect could not be attributed to cohort nor learning effects.Conclusions: At an applied level, the outcomes provide the basis for a cue-based diagnostic assessment tool that can provide both trainee and practising audiologists with detailed feedback concerning their diagnostic skills.

O efeito retroativo do EPLIS nas percepções de professores

The Aviation English Proficiency Exam for the Brazilian Airspace Control System (EPLIS) was developed in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) language policy regarding the assessment of English language proficiency for air traffic controllers and aeronautical station operators. A high-stakes test by any account, EPLIS was delivered only to in-service air traffic personnel for the first 7 years. In 2014, however, pre-service air traffic controllers started sitting EPLIS in the last semester of their two-year training program. This study aimed at investigating the washback effect of EPLIS on the English teachers’ perceptions in an Air Traffic Control Initial Training Program. Teachers responded to a questionnaire about the influence of EPLIS on different aspects of language teaching and learning. A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out and the results showed that Aviation English teaching experience andknowledge about the exam interact with washback intensity.

Training the Workforce: Description of a Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Education and Mentoring Program in Palliative Care

ContextThe rapid increase in demand for palliative care (PC) services has led to concerns regarding workforce shortages and threats to the resiliency of PC teams. ObjectivesTo describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a regional interdisciplinary training program in PC. MethodsThirty nurse and physician fellows representing 22 health systems across the Chicago region participated in a two-year PC training program. The curriculum was delivered through multiple conferences, self-directed e-learning, and individualized mentoring by expert local faculty (mentors). Fellows shadowed mentors' clinical practices and received guidance on designing, implementing, and evaluating a practice improvement project to address gaps in PC at their institutions. ResultsEnduring, interdisciplinary relationships were built at all levels across health care organizations. Fellows made significant increases in knowledge and self-reported confidence in adult and pediatric PC and program development skills and frequency performing these skills. Fellows and mentors reported high satisfaction with the educational program. ConclusionThis interdisciplinary PC training model addressed local workforce issues by increasing the number of clinicians capable of providing PC. Unique features include individualized longitudinal mentoring, interdisciplinary education, on-site project implementation, and local network building. Future research will address the impact of the addition of social work and chaplain trainees to the program.

‘Black sheep in the herd’? The role, status and identity of generalist doctors in secondary care

Changing patient demographics raise important challenges for healthcare providers around the world. Medical generalists can help to bridge gaps in existing healthcare provision. Various approaches to medical generalism can be identified, for example, hospitalists in the US and the restructuring of care away from medical disciplines in the Netherlands, which have different implications for training and service provision. Drawing on international debates around the definition and role of generalism, this article explores one manifestation of generalism in the UK to understand how abstract ideas work in practice and some of the benefits and challenges. Broad-based training is a two-year postgraduate training programme for doctors recently piloted in England. The programme provided 6-month placements in four specialties (general practice, core medicine, psychiatry and paediatrics) and aimed to develop broad-based practitioners adept at managing complex and specialty integration. Our longitudinal, mixed methods evaluation of the programme demonstrates that although trainees value becoming more holistic in their medical practice, they also raise concerns about being perceived differently by co-workers, and report feeling isolated. Using identity theory to explore the interplay between generalism and existing boundaries of professionalism in healthcare provision, we argue that professional identity, based on disciplinary structure and maintained by boundary work, troubles identity formation for generalist trainees who transcend normative disciplinary boundaries. We conclude that it is important to address these challenges if generalism in secondary care settings is to realise its potential contribution to meeting increasing health service demands.

TRAINING TEACHER-LIBRARIANS TO ESTABLISH AND MANAGE SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN KWAZULU-NATAL: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The present study aimed to assess the establishing, managing and sustaining of public school libraries in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in order to recommend ways to improve the appropriateness of training and development of teacher-librarians currently offered at the University of Zululand. Both interpretive and critical research paradigms were embraced, while a case study method and inductive reasoning were followed. The findings indicate that most public school libraries surveyed are neither fully functional nor properly resourced. They lack full-time teacher-librarians who are trained to manage and integrate their collections into the curriculum. Furthermore, the quality of library services differs markedly between rural and urban schools. It is recommended that the provincial Department of Education (DoE) school library services selectively award teacher-librarian bursaries to suitable candidates and then combine these awards with the provision of core collections of books and technologies, thereby linking the establishment of their school libraries to the practical outcomes in the two-year university-based training programme.

Gaza Mental Health Organization Carries On Despite Obstacles

Gaza Mental Health Organization Carries On Despite Obstacles

Junior doctors’ experiences of managing patients with medically unexplained symptoms: a qualitative study

ObjectivesTo explore junior doctors’ knowledge about and experiences of managing patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) and to seek their recommendations for improved future training on this important topic about...

A Two-Year Multidisciplinary Training Program for the Frontline Workforce in Community Treatment of Severe Mental Illness.

Since 1999, a national two-year multidisciplinary onsite training program has been in operation in Norway. The program trains frontline workforce personnel who provide community treatment to people with severe mental illness. A national network of mental health workers, consumers, caregivers, and others providing or supporting psychosocial treatment and rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness has organized local onsite part-time training programs in collaboration with community mental health centers (CMHCs), municipalities, and primary care providers. CMHC and primary care staff are trained together to increase collaboration. Nationwide dissemination has continued, with new local programs established every year. Evaluations have shown that the program is successful.

THE IMPACT OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON IN-SERVICE TEACHERS’ TPACK: A STUDY FROM ESTONIA

Recently there has been a considerable interest in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework for effective technology integration (Koehler et al., 2013). Researchers have been measuring how effective their professional development efforts have been for the development of teachers’ TPACK (Graham et al., 2009; Guzey & Roehrig, 2009). So far research is based only on short-term courses, so longitudinal studies are needed to examine the TPACK development of teachers across time (Hoffer & Grandgenett, 2012; Koh & Sing, 2011). A two-year in-service training program of educational technology (60 ECTS), based on the TPACK framework, was developed at Tallinn University Haapsalu College to support in-service teachers to effectively embed ICT into their classroom teaching. The first group of teachers (n=20) enrolled in the program in January 2014. This paper reports some preliminary findings of a longitudinal action research, the main aim of which is to evaluate the impact of the in-service training program of educational technology on teachers’ TPACK. The key questions for this research were: how do teachers’ perceptions of their TPACK levels change after participating in the training program for a year; which of the seven knowledge domains of the TPACK framework develop more than others; what is the impact of different knowledge domains on teachers’ TPACK perceptions. The TPACK questionnaire developed by Schmidt et al. (2009) was used to measure in-service teachers’ self-assessments of their TPACK during the first meeting of the training program and at the end of the first academic year. The research results revealed increase in all the domains of the TPACK framework. There was significant development of the teachers’ TK and TPACK, but only limited growth in CK and PK. Strong positive correlations were found between TCK, TPK and TPACK in the post-course survey. Key words: ICT, in-service teachers, professional development, TPACK.

Mortality related to acute illness and injury in rural Uganda: task shifting to improve outcomes.

BackgroundDue to the dual critical shortages of acute care and healthcare workers in resource-limited settings, many people suffer or die from conditions that could be easily treated if existing resources were used in a more timely and effective manner. In order to address this preventable morbidity and mortality, a novel emergency midlevel provider training program was developed in rural Uganda. This is the first study that assesses this unique application of a task-shifting model to acute care by evaluating the outcomes of 10,105 patients.MethodsNurses participated in a two-year training program to become midlevel providers called Emergency Care Practitioners at a rural district hospital. This is a retrospective analysis of the Emergency Department’s quality assurance database, including three-day follow-up data. Case fatality rates (CFRs) are reported as the percentage of cases with a specific diagnosis that died within three days of their Emergency Department visit.FindingsOverall, three-day mortality was 2.0%. The most common diagnoses of patients who died were malaria (n=60), pneumonia (n=51), malnutrition (n=21), and trauma (n=18). Overall and under-five CFRs were as follows: malaria, 2.0% and 1.9%; pneumonia, 5.5% and 4.1%; and trauma, 1.2% and 1.6%. Malnutrition-related fatality (all cases <18 years old) was 6.5% overall and 6.8% for under-fives.InterpretationThis study describes the outcomes of emergency patients treated by midlevel providers in a resource-limited setting. Our fatality rates are lower than previously published regional rates. These findings suggest this model of task-shifting can be successfully applied to acute care in order to address the shortage of emergency care services in similar settings as part of an integrated approach to health systems strengthening.

Tracing two apprentices’ Trajectories Toward Adaptive Professional Expertise in Fingerprint Examination

The purpose of this study is to analyse the development of two apprentices’ adaptive expertise in fingerprint examination across a two-year training program. The apprentices were selected from a large number of candidates to be trained at the Forensic Laboratory of the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. The problem addressed was how the newcomers’ professional vision needed for examining fingerprints developed, what kinds of agentic efforts for improving performance did they engage in when analysing successively more challenging fingerprints, and how did they themselves reflect on their developing professional performance. The study relied on multiple bodies of data consisting of a large number of fingerprints examined by the apprentices, repeated interviews, and their extensive learning diaries. The analysis revealed various challenges and obstacles of acquiring the professional vision and skills of fingerprint examination, such as identifying relevant minutiae in poor-quality fingerprints, carrying out searches through the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), and interpreting results. Although the apprentices cultivated self-reflective competencies, the professional practices appropriated also mirrored some of the maladaptive working habits of the experienced examiners with whom they were working. Through the training process, both of the apprentices gained professional competencies comparable with those of experienced examiners. The apprentices’ ways of reflecting on their evolving professional performance differed, and there was no straightforward relation between their self-reflections and levels of performance.

Re-skilling for the digital humanities: measuring skills, engagement, and learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an assessment design for the Developing Librarian training program. The Developing Librarian training program created by and for librarians and professional staff in the Humanities and History division is a two-year training program to acquire new skills and methodologies to support the digital humanities. The program is based on the assumption that learning must happen in context; therefore the training is project based with all participants engaged in building a digital humanities research site as a team. This approach enables participants to learn about new tools in a sustained manner that parallels the way humanities researchers are likely to use them. Design/methodology/approach – In order to measure the success of achieving this goal, program designers defined three objectives: learn tools and methods that support the emerging research needs and trends in the humanities; create a more interesting and engaging work environment for librarians and professional staff; and engage effectively with the humanities research community across the University. Three methods/instruments were: Explicit Self-Reflections to assess what participants learned in each training unit; the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale to measure how participants feel about their work before and after the training program; and the Skill Set, Knowledge and Attitude Assessment to be administered at completion to measure the effectiveness of the training program as a whole. Findings – At the time of writing, the Developing Librarian Project is mid-way to completion, and implementation of the assessment plan is ongoing. Based on these self-reports, there is evidence that the training program has been effective, and participants have been successful in meeting most of the learning objectives identified in the units completed. While self-assessment of knowledge and skills may have its limitations, this technique is proving adequate and efficient for achieving the program’s goals. This method encourages experimentation and establishes failure as an important aspect of the learning process. Research limitations/implications – An assessment approach such as this does not measure the impact of training and development on digital humanities research, but initiates a valuable process, highlighting skills gaps at the individual, and organizational levels. These data are important for identifying and implementing appropriate training opportunities for librarians supporting emergent research activities and for understanding what skills and professional preparation are needed for new staff recruited into the organization. Originality/value – A successful training program should be benchmarked, evaluated in a substantive and systematic way, and improved continuously. A formal assessment plan, directly tied to clearly articulated objectives, helps assure that such a program is effectively evaluated, iteratively developed, and successfully implemented. The Developing Librarian Project provides a useful model of how an academic library can leverage assessment and evaluation processes to identify skills gaps and training needs and generate actionable data for improving staff learning.

Developing capacity in field epidemiology in England.

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of healthrelated states or events (including disease). Public health professionals apply epidemiological methods to:* Assess the health states and health needs of specific populations;* design and implement interventions designed to improve the health of that population; and* evaluate the effectiveness and costeffectiveness of public health interventions to inform future public health practice.Field epidemiology has been described as 'the application of epidemiological methods to unexpected health problems when a rapid on-site investigation is necessary for timely intervention.1 It is often applied in the context of the investigation of outbreaks of infection or environmental incidents requiring descriptive analysis to generate hypotheses to be tested with analytical studies.Epidemiologists are a diverse workforce, including medical consultant epidemiologists, scientists, analysts, nurses and researchers, employed in public and private organizations including: local authority public health departments, academic centres, research departments, industry and Public Health England (PHE). Epidemiology underpins public health policy and practice and is a core competence across public health careers.In 2008, one of PHE's predecessor organizations, the Health Protection Agency, undertook a review of epidemiology.2 This review identified a need to develop epidemiology in four areas:* Strengthen the use of epidemiological science to underpin responses to local health protection incidents and outbreaks;* develop further epidemiological skills across the health protection workforce;* develop stronger links between environmental, chemical, radiological and infectious disease epidemiology; and* strengthen links between local and national epidemiologists and the delivery of epidemiological services and research at local and national level.This report resulted in important developments to increase field epidemiology skills and capacity, including establishing the: Field Epidemiology Service (FES); Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP); and the Field Epidemiology Network.DEVELOPMENTS TO STRENGTHEN FIELD EPIDEMIOLOGYField Epidemiology ServiceFES is a nationally coordinated but geographically dispersed service that provides high quality, responsive and flexible field epidemiological investigations across PHE. The service is headed by the Director of Field Epidemiology and comprises consultants, scientists, information staffand administrators. It has core functions in three areas:* Information and intelligence for public health action;* response to public health problems; and* research and evaluation activity to build the evidence-base for public health.FES supports PHE Centres and NHS and local authority partners in the surveillance of communicable diseases and investigation of outbreaks and health protection incidents. FES works closely with PHE national centres, academic centres and National Health Research Units.The establishment of this new service provides an opportunity to review workforce capacity and skills and service delivery; to ensure FES has the right skills, in the right places, in the necessary quantities to deliver current and future service needs; and inform developments such as the FETP and Modernising Scientific Careers (MSC).Field Epidemiology Training ProgrammeThis is a full time, competency-based, two-year postgraduate training programme, aimed at medical, scientific, and nursing staffwho wish to develop their specialist field epidemiology skills; as well as specialty registrars, veterinarians, and others with an interest in field epidemiology.Training is provided through service placements, learning activities and taught modules. The programme covers the eight core competencies for field epidemiologists agreed by the European Centre for Disease Control. …

The two-year post graduate training program for nurses: implementation status and personal perspectives

The Taiwan Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation (TJCHA) authorized the Teaching Quality Improvement Program for Teaching Hospitals as a way for the Department of Health to plan and implement improvements. The program assists medical and paramedical professionals to establish a postgraduate clinical training system. The two-year postgraduate training program for nurses is one of the program's regular activities, divided into three phases that include location-based curriculum training (3 months), core curriculum training (9 months), and professional courses training (12 months). This paper describes the origin, current implementation status, and efficacy / key problems of this two-year post graduate training program, Information regarding the opinions of new nurses, preceptors, and nursing managers on the three aspects is drawn from the author's relevant professional experience, interactions with nurses, and a review of the literature. Findings include: (1) nursing departments should operate in accordance with TJCHA guidelines; (2) department training should be adequate to promote the ability and willingness of nurses to train a new generation of clinical preceptors; and (3) participant opinions on project execution progress and difficulties. Findings may be referenced to better achieve Teaching Quality Improvement Program for Teaching Hospital objectives.

The Canadian Patent Examiner Qualification Program

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is the Government of Canada organization responsible for granting patent rights.From 2001 to 2011, the number of patent examiners working at CIPO increased more than three-fold. To efficiently and uniformly train this large influx of new employees, the Patent Examiner Qualification Program was developed and implemented in 2003, and improved upon during the last decade.This paper presents a synopsis of the two-year training program, which combines classroom training with on-the-job training where trainees work on patent applications while being coached by a senior patent examiner. At the end of the second year, trainees who meet all the requirements are promoted to the working level.CIPO's experience may be useful for other intellectual property offices, and IP sections of other organizations, developing a training program for their own examiners or other IP staff.

Improvements in Environmental Health Literacy along the Texas-Mexico Border Following Community-wide Health Education

Abstract The positive outcomes derived from the implementation of culturally sensitive educational programs in addressing disparities in environmental literacy and health among disadvantaged communities have not been rigorously examined. This report summarizes the results of a community-wide survey completed to test this hypothesis in the Cameron Park Colonia, one of the poorest communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The assessment followed a two-year training program in environmental health provided by community lay health workers using a train-the-trainer approach. Statistical analysis of data obtained from 498 households showed that educational intervention significantly improved residents' knowledge of environmental health and disease, particularly in general health knowledge and behavioral modifications to achieve healthier lifestyles. These findings show that culturally appropriate educational intervention enhanced environmental health literacy among Cameron Park Colonia residents. We advocate f...

Faculty Positions

Full-time tenure/non-tenure track faculty position. Teaching responsibilities include participation in clinical and preclinical courses in operative dentistry, prosthodontics and/or restorative dentistry at the predoctoral and post-doctoral level. Preference will be given to candidates with significant clinical experience, post-graduate training in prosthodontics/operative dentistry/general dentistry or prior experience in dental education. Participation in the faculty practice and research are expected. Applicants must be a graduate of an ADA-accredited dental school or two-year postgraduate training program and be licensed in a state or eligible for licensure by the Georgia Board of Dentistry. Salary and academic rank are commensurate with qualifications. AA/EEO/Equal Access/ADA Employer. Interested candidates should apply for this position online at www.mcg.edu/facultyjobs/, the requisition number provided above, and the department name. Application Deadline: Until FilledThe College of Dental Medicine at Nova Southeastern University, located in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, is seeking applications for a full-time position at the assistant/associate professor level in the Department of Cariology and Restorative Dentistry. Responsibilities for the candidate will include preclinical, clinical teaching, lecturing and research in the areas of clinical restorative dentistry, biomaterials and cariology. Requirements: DDS, DMD or equivalent; Master of Science in Operative Dentistry is preferred. Expertise in adhesives and resin composites is preferred. Academic rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.To apply, visit: www.nsujobs.com and apply to position #998799. Please attach a letter of interest, resume or curriculum vitae and three professional reference letters to the NSU online application.For additional information about this position, contact Dr Audrey Levitt Galka, associate professor and chair, Department of Cariology and Restorative Dentistry, Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine, 3200 S. University Drive, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA. Email: agalka@nova.eduThe University of Iowa's College of Dentistry is searching for a Department Executive Officer for the Department of Operative Dentistry. This is a full-time tenure-track position. Position available July 1, 2011; screening begins immediately. Must have: DDS/DMD or foreign equivalent; completion of advanced degree-based graduate training program in Operative Dentistry, Restorative Dentistry or related field; substantial record of scholarship; evidence of teaching experience and demonstrated experience working effectively in a diverse environment. Preference given to applicants w/dental and/or graduate degree from an ADA-accredited institution. Desirable qualifications include relevant administrative experience and extensive clinical experience. Academic rank/salary commensurate with qualifications/experience. To learn more and/or apply, go to Jobs@UIowa at http://jobs.uiowa.edu/content/faculty/, reference Req #58431.AA/EEO employer; women/minorities are encouraged to apply.

Was ist ein guter Mentor, eine gute Mentorin? Eine qualitativ empirische Studie

Abstract What is a good Mentor? A Qualitative Empirical Study. After finishing their university studies theology students in Germany are prepared for the pastorate in a roughly two-year training program. The most time is spent in a local church under the mentorate of the pastor, but also training courses are provided by instructors in the regional church. The author compares the views of mentors, mentees and the course instructors, expressed in interviews, about what is a goodmentor. Differences between these groups show where future efforts for improvement of quality should be sought.