Years Of Coursework Research Articles

Expanding Access to Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment: An Expert-Driven Training Model

ABSTRACT The increasing acuity of mental health needs amongst youth coupled with a dwindling and lesser trained workforce (e.g., bachelor level and dependently licensed, early career providers) means that those with less experience and training in the delivery of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are more likely to provide services to youth with the highest level of needs. EBTs for common pediatric mental health conditions are well documented in the literature. However, standardized and consistent implementation of EBTs do not exist at a systems level. Psychologists have expertise in the theory and clinical application of EBTs, developed through years of coursework and clinical rotations supervised by licensed doctoral level psychologists. Therefore, it is fruitful for psychologists to take leadership roles to ensure that the workforce is appropriately prepared to deliver and maintain the fidelity of EBTs. This paper will provide an overview of the six levels of mental health care delivered across our system (Levels 0–5), as well as outline five core components of an effective training and case consultation model designed to scale and spread EBTs across the system. These five core components include: (1) content experts as leaders, (2) institutional commitment, (3) intentionality in hiring and onboarding providers receptive to the model, (4) data driven approach, and (5) ongoing training and case consultation that includes modeling, role-playing and/or direct observation. Application of the model to multidisciplinary teams and sustainability at each level of care is addressed, as well as plans for further spread in scale and scope of this model.

SuperSpecialty-Level Training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology.

This letter concerns the article in South Asian Journal of Cancer by Mohan et al.[1] Although the argument for oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) as a possible forerunner for head and neck surgical oncology training is largely acceptable, there are several riders to it, which I wish to point out. The deficiencies of a master's degree (MDS) in OMFS for cancer care include the following practical issues. A medical degree, comprising 4.5 years of coursework and 1 year of internship, is required at a basic level, even to be naturally eligible to sign on a death certificate. Didactic training in oncology, even up to the molecular level of at least 2 years, is necessary. Curriculum and syllabus for head and neck surgical oncology training are available at all training institutes and universities recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI)/National Medical Commission (NMC).

Examining Change in Student Anxiety and Depression After the First Year of a Professional Program Secondary to Perceived Stress: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study

Background: Research has shown that students in the health sciences experience higher levels of anxiety and depression. Objectives: In this study, we endeavor to investigate these results among first-year pharmacy and veterinary students at Auburn University and among first-year medical students at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (VCOM) Auburn Campus. Methods: We surveyed students after their first year in their respective professional programs using a modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) survey. The survey was modified to establish changes in depression and anxiety levels before and after the first year of coursework. Results: Two hundred ninety-five students participated in the survey, 95 veterinary students, 127 pharmacy students, and 73 VCOM students. All programs showed a statistically significant increase in student-reported levels of depression and anxiety. Students from the Harrison School of Pharmacy showed the greatest increase in anxiety and depression, followed by students from VCOM and the College of Veterinary Medicine. Females in all programs entered their programs with higher levels of anxiety than males and also completed their first year with higher anxiety scores than males in the same programs. Conclusions: Students in all three professional programs reported increased levels of anxiety and depression with the largest increase reported in pharmacy students. Efforts to identify the triggers, understand the consequences, and develop interventional methods to improve student wellbeing are recommended.

Health habits of nursing students: A longitudinal study of health perceptions and health habits.

To examine nursing students' health habits. More specifically, the objectives were to determine whether there were any changes in their health habits during their course of study, and to understand whether the students' perceptions about good health conditions cohered with their health-related behaviour. The transition from high school to university has an undesirable effect on students' health habits, and nursing students' unhealthy behaviours may prevent them from helping patients improve their poor health habits. A longitudinal design was used. The study followed the recommendations of STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology). All students were recruited from a nursing science degree course in an Italian university. The sample consisted of 351 nursing students. Data were collected at the baseline during their entrance into the university (T0) and at the end of their third year of coursework (T3). We developed the Nursing Student Health Habits Scale, which was administered by a trained researcher. The McNemar test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to evaluate the differences in health habits between T0 and T3, and a logistics model to assess the factors influencing students' good health perceptions were used. From T0 to T3, there were decreases in the number of students who requested physician consultations (p=.01) and increases in those who exercised daily (p=.003). There was also a change in the nutrition model (p=.018). In the multivariate model, physician consultations for medical problems and performing physical exercise were factors influencing good health perceptions. Future research is needed to illuminate other aspects of students' health habits. Universities are advised to address these problems by reflecting on undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum content concerning health management and disease prevention.

Mindfulness Practices in Supervision: Training Counselors’ Experiences

The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a descriptive understanding of couple and family counseling trainees’ experiences of using mindfulness techniques in their group supervision course. Counselor educators have called for additional research on the topic of mindfulness in counseling training programs because the current literature shows differing outcomes. The six trainees who participated in this study had completed between 1 and 2 years of coursework at the graduate level and were beginning their practicum requirements through the University’s counseling center. The counseling trainees participated in a focused mindfulness activity as a way to transition from their busy everyday routines to discussing and reflecting on their client’s progress, as well as their own experience within the therapy setting. Themes from the trainee’s responses highlighted a positive experience to learning mindfulness. Some trainees, however, expressed concern with using mindfulness in the therapy room until they felt more practiced in the techniques. Overall, our findings indicate that the use of mindfulness as a supervisory tool produced many benefits in the course of training. Implications for both training practices and future research on mindfulness with trainees are discussed.

The Lack of Standardization of Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical School Grading Systems and Transcripts

The purpose of this study is to assess the variability in grading systems used by US allopathic and osteopathic medical schools across all 4 years of medical school coursework. Transcripts were reviewed from all participating allopathic and osteopathic medical schools for all 4 years of coursework for grading system type, the presence or absence of a key or guide, the inclusion of grade distribution within class year, inclusion of a class rank, and summary statements or evaluation systems used by the institution within the Medical Student Performance Evaluation to evaluate overall performance. Loyola University Medical Center. Maywood, IL. Transcripts were reviewed for 144 out of existing 147 allopathic medical schools (97.9%) and 37 out of 39 existing osteopathic medical schools (94.8%). For allopathic schools, grading system distribution for preclinical years was-41.6% Pass/Fail, 40.3% Honors, 13.2% Letter; while grading system distribution for clinical years was-78.5% Honors, 15.9% Letter. Only 35.4% of allopathic medical schools used the same system for all 4 years, while the remaining schools used a different system for preclinical and clinical years. For osteopathic medical schools, grading system distribution for preclinical years was-45.9% Letter, 32.4% Honors, and 13.5% Pass/Fail; while grading system distribution for clinical years was-59.5% Honors and 29.7% Letter (Table 4). Overall, 56.7% of osteopathic programs used the same system for all 4 years, while the remaining schools used a different system for the preclinical years than the clinical years. Variability also existed within each of these broader grading system categories (Table 1, Table 3). Our results highlight the variability in grading systems used by medical schools both among programs and between preclinical and clinical years. From the residency program perspective, the lack of consistent, objective comparisons between school transcripts makes comparing applicants from different institutions difficult.

The Impact of Baccalaureate Medical Humanities on Subsequent Medical Training and Practice: A Physician-Educator's Perspective.

This reflective essay is an attempt to organize trends in feedback I have observed during ten years of coursework, conversations, and correspondence with former students associated with the Medical Humanities Program at Baylor University. Over the years, recurrent themes arise when speaking with alumni about whether and how their medical humanities experience intersects with their current training. I have identified five particular domains in which baccalaureate medical humanities training affects students' subsequent healthcare professions training and practice: context and complementarity, clinical relevance, reflective practice, professional preparedness and vocational calling. I created an instrument of open-ended questions for each of these categories and posted it to social media with an invitation for alumni to respond. This informal survey was conceived as an exploratory exercise with the intent to help generate a foundation for more formal qualitative research in these five domains. In this essay, I offer my own reflections together with those of former students on the impact of baccalaureate-level medical humanities training in order to illustrate the benefits in each domain for subsequent healthcare training and practice. The need for qualitative research that explores the impact of baccalaureate medical humanities merits collaboration between multiple centers of investigation across many disciplines, and across the divide between premedical and medical educators.

Effects of an integrated geriatric group balance class within an entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy program on students’ perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education in the United States

This study was aimed at determining the effect of an integrated group balance class for community-dwelling older adults within entry-level physical therapist coursework on student perceptions of geriatric physical therapy and geriatric physical therapy education. Twenty-nine Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, 21-33 years old, in their second year of coursework in 2012, participated in an integrated clinical experience with exposure to geriatric patients at an outpatient facility at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, USA. Student perceptions were collected before and after participation in the 8-week balance class. The Wilcoxon sign-ranked test was used to identify differences in perceptions after participation in the group balance class. Cohen's d values were calculated to measure the size of the pre-participation to post-participation effect for each measure. At the conclusion of the group class, the DPT students demonstrated an increase in positive perceptions of geriatric physical therapy in 8 measures, with small effect sizes (d=0.15-0.30). Two perceptions of geriatric physical therapy demonstrated a significant positive increase (P<.05) with moderate effect sizes (d=0.47 and d=0.50). The students' perceptions of geriatric education in the curriculum demonstrated a large positive effect for quality (d=1.68) and enjoyment (d=1.96). Positive changes were found in most of the perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education after participation, suggesting that integrated clinical experiences with geriatric patients are an effective way to positively influence perceptions of physical therapist practice with older adults.

“You’ve Always Got Challenges”: Resilience and the Preservice Teacher

Agricultural educators hold a position that bears much responsibility to many different stakeholders and is accompanied by many forms of stressors, making a high level of resilience particularly essential to this group (Anderson, Kitchel, &amp; Thieman, 2012; Croom, 2003; Straquadine, 1990; Torres, Lambert, &amp; Lawver, 2009; Walker, Garton, &amp; Kitchel, 2004). Agricultural educators continue to be in short supply in relation to demand and especially in the early years high attrition rates plague the profession (Kantrovich, 2007). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe teacher resilience of preservice high school agricultural educators. The population studied was ten pre-service agricultural education teachers in their last year of coursework in agricultural education at the University of Missouri. The themes exposed include: youth experiences are a key component toward reflection on resilience, the uncertainty of the reality of the job could counter resilience, and belief that “doing a good job” is key to resilience in teaching. Recommendations for practice and theoretical questions for teacher educators to discuss are provided.

Romanian-French Collaboration for Master and Doctoral Studies in "Materials Engineering"

Materials engineering involves knowledge of the fundamental physics, chemistry and engineering of materials in order to elaborate, develop, and use materials with superior and new properties. The research, development and applications of materials are the major reasons behind the availability, cost reduction, innovations and improvements in all the fields of industry. Master's programs are designed to give you a solid (strong) education in the materials engineering field. Students entering a Master program have already earned a bachelor's degree and have solid acquirement of engineering. The program entails coursework, examinations and an internship or other applied experience. A master report is required to obtain the masters degree based on the researches during the stage. During a Master programme the students learn to approach complex issues from the perspective of different disciplines such as: characterisation of materials, thermodynamics, structurals transformations, technology of materials, properties of surfaces or initiation on research methods. By understanding the properties of materials, materials engineers create new materials with desired properties. Students entering a Ph.D. program have already earned a a masters degree in the field of „Materials engineering". Because of the nature of specialization the Ph.D. program tends to be smaller than master program. The international orientation of the practice stage approaches to of the Erasmus mobilites. A Ph.D. typically demonstrates a person's competence in research. Ph.D. students begin by taking courses and exams, go on to taking advanced seminars and preparing dissertation research. To complete their knowledges, they are continuing by researching, writing and completeing a dissertation thesis. The doctoral-level thesis, is the culmination of a Ph.D. candidate's research into a topic and is the major requirement of earning the doctorate. A doctoral degree is obviously a more advanced degree. However, it is long. Depending on the program, a PhD could take 4-8 years to complete. A PhD programs entails 3 years of coursework and a dissertation. During this these years the independent researchs projects are designed to cover new knowledge in your field and to be of publishable quality. Doctoral study offers the unique opportunity for an individual to develope intensive and prolonged research on a particular topic, which often leads to publication. The present paper presents the association of Romanian and French university teachers to educate students to prepare a Master diploma and to continue with cotutelle doctoral studies in the field of materials engineering.

“All Ways at Once”: A. R. Ammons, Poet, and the Poetics of His Prose

REVIEW-ESSAY TESSA JOSEPH-NICHOLAS University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill “All Ways at Once”: A. R. Ammons, Poet, and the Poetics of His Prose LITERARY CURATION IS AN INVISIBLE BUT COMPLEX ART, REQUIRING A delicate balance of scholarship, editorial skill, and an absolute commitment to the text. Curation provides shape and context, culls and selects, clarifies and illuminates, then—as it should—cedes the stage to its object. Kevin McGuirk’s An Image for Longing: Selected Letters and Journals of A. R. Ammons is both entirely loyal to, and in service of, Ammons’s papers, legacy, and impeccable prose and also a striking and undeniable testament to the impact of truly skillful, faithful curation. McGuirk’s selection reveals unexpected moments of interest, often in unexpected places. Among the treasures collected in An Image for Longing, Ammons’s letters to his closest friends—many of whom were also colleagues in the literary world—figure prominently. One, a letter addressed to his then-editor at W. W. Norton and Company and lifelong friend, John G. Benedict, provides a particularly telling illustration of the complexinterplayofAmmons’sprofessionalandpersonalcommitments, loyalties, and identifications. Before closing, Ammons lingers to praise the backyard glories of his home in Ithaca, New York. In impeccable, delicate prose, he describes a pastoral vision so pure and uncomplicated that it’s clear he’s up to something. “The hollyhocks are ablooming,” he exults, “the morning glory vine has climbed up on the quince bush again, and the first crop of roses and robins is complete. Come on up before drought sets in” (381). The sentiment is sincere, if strategic. The pleasures of the Ithacan summer are bait; Ammons hopes to lure Benedict upstate. The context of An Image for Longing suggests a longstanding campaign for visits on Ammons’s part, which both men good-naturedlyrecognizeasexaggeration:fewrealplansmaterialize,but Ammons persists, calling on all his powers of persuasion, issuing invitations with gusto. This letter is also a striking example of Ammons’s tendency to assert and align himself via shifts in his diction and dialect. He dons lightly the 336 Tessa Joseph-Nicholas poetic and pastoral conventions of his 1971 letter to Benedict for the sake of their rhetorical effect (and quite possibly, to ensure Benedict understands the passage as jest). Having invoked the register, however, Ammons cannot let it stand: he corrects the situation in an instant with the affably rural vernacular of “Come on up before drought sets in,” realigning his concerns from the pleasures of summer and leisure to the vulnerabilities of rural labor. The specter of drought serves to inject a sense of urgency—come soon or you’ll miss it—but it’s also an unsettled, superstitious moment, especially for one who, like Ammons, was born and raised on a family farm. Those whose livelihoods rely on the whims of nature learn to avoid the appearance of excessive bounty; they avert their eyes from the sun, lest the pleasure they take in it offends the storm. In this sense, we might understand Ammons’s instinct to erase his celebration of summertime as a protective charm, an attempt to disguise his own bounty by acknowledging its inevitable destruction. Ammons knew well the ancient passages between science and superstition, concealment and revelation, thought and action, bounty and loss, as he knew that in Ithaca, every summer day is haunted by its own passing. It is An Image for Longing that makes this close, contextual reading of Ammons’s papers possible. The initial collection from which McGuirk culled its contents is truly vast, the majority of its documents loosely catalogued but unpublished. I remember it well, having spent one of my own Ithacan summers on a first attempt to catalogue the papers. It was the summer of 1998, I had recently completed my second year of coursework in the MFA in Poetry Writing at Cornell University, and Ammons, my thesis director, was retiring from full-time teaching. That spring, he had donated 26.4 cubic feet of his papers—most of a lifetime of journals, letters, manuscripts, notes, sketches, and more—to the Rare and Manuscript Collections at Kroch Library. A few items had already been placed on display during “Ammonsfest...

The development of an interdisciplinary nurse educator doctoral program: Issues for consideration and goals for success

The nursing shortage is exacerbated by the faculty shortage, as faculty approach retirement age and too few faculty exist to replace them. Masters-prepared nurse with limited preparation for teaching may be unable to attend traditional educational programs because of work and family commitments. Without further academic preparation, these nurses are illprepared for the faculty role. The College of Nursing partnered with the College of Education to develop a nurse educator degree program to prepare nurses for the faculty role. Blended and online courses are provided by the Colleges of Nursing. The EdD. in Instructional Leadership for Nurse Educators degree can be completed in three years of coursework followed by dissertation research.

An Alternate Route to Teaching

Introduction: Alternate route to teacher certification typically refers to programs that permit people with non-education bachelor degrees the option to earn a teaching license. This route allows people to enter the teaching field without returning to a college campus for two years of coursework and student teaching to obtain a license.

A Collective Pursuit of Learning the Possibility to Be: The CAMP Experience Assisting Situationally Marginalized Mexican American Students to a Successful Student Identity

Many students of Mexican descent must learn how to be successful students. This study describes 5 students of Mexican descent from situationally marginalized lives who were a part of a support and retention scholarship program (College Assistance Migrant Program—CAMP). These case studies document how they perceived their learning and how they changed as students after their first college experience and involvement in CAMP. Through her involvement in CAMP, Laura, a high school dropout without a supportive home or school environment, came to see herself as a successful student. As an English Language Learner, Cristina felt ill-prepared to begin a college career; however, by experiencing successes in her first year of coursework and being involved in CAMP, she gained self-confidence. Maria, a teen mother with two children, saw college as the only way out of poverty. She exhibited resiliency and the desire to use the experience to gain insightful and practical knowledge about herself as a student and mother. During high school, the continual relocation between Mexico and the United States negatively affected Luz's ability to be successful. Through CAMP, she gained confidence in her ability to relate with others, particularly with teachers and professors. Ruben, a former gang member, struggled in his first semester as he acclimated to the structured environment of a classroom. Despite this struggle, the CAMP staff and his professors saw growth in Ruben's social behavior. These case studies show that students who would not normally be considered “college material,” when given the opportunity and appropriate support, can become successful. This success hinges on their new perspective of themselves and their participation in a community of practice.

Students’ changing views and the integrated-skills approach in taiwan’s efl college classes

The integrated-skills approach (ISA), which incorporates the four language skills-reading, writing, speaking, and listening-has become a dominant trend in FL college instruction in Taiwan. The purpose of the study was to examine how the ISA is being used in Taiwan’s EFL college classes, develop an understanding of students’ satisfaction with the integrated-skill class and authentic activities, and determine if students’ views about separated-skill instruction changed during the year of coursework. Data were collected from a questionnaire survey, interviews of students, and classroom observation. The results indicated that the instructor provided a wide range of authentic materials and class activities, allowing students to interact with texts and each other in a seamless integration of the four language skills. 90% of students recommended continuing to implement the ISA in class for the next academic year. Survey and interview data revealed that under teachers’ class structures, students changed their views on EFL instruction.

Funding the Future

Funding the Future

The Benefits of Pass-Fail Grading on Stress, Mood, and Group Cohesion in Medical Students

To objectively measure the effect of a pass-fail grading system on stress, mood, group cohesion, and test anxiety in medical students. Beginning with the class of 2006, the Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minn, changed the grading system for first-year courses from a 5-interval grading system to a pass-fail grading system. Students in the previous class of 2005, who were graded using a 5-interval system during their first year of medical school, were compared with students in the class of 2006. Using a prospective study design, the 2 groups were compared at the end of both the first year and the second year of medical school on the Perceived Stress Scale, Profile of Mood States, Perceived Cohesion Scale, Test Anxiety Inventory, and (after year 2) the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1. Data collection occurred in 2002 and 2003 with the class of 2005 and in 2003 and 2004 with the class of 2006. Students graded with the pass-fail system had less perceived stress (median, 15.0 vs 21.0; P-.01) and greater group cohesion (median, 34.5 vs 30.0; P=.02) at the end of their second year of coursework than their 5-interval graded peers. The pass-fail group had better mood (median, 46.5) than the graded group (median, 64.0), but this difference was not statistically significant (P=.07). No significant differences were found between the 2 groups in test-taking anxiety or in United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 board scores. Pass-fail grading may reduce stress and increase group cohesion in medical students compared with traditional 5-interval grading.

Personality, achievement test scores, and high school percentile as predictors of academic performance across four years of coursework

This research examined the role of three Big Five-related personality traits (Prudence, Sociability, and Ambition) as unique predictors of academic performance. Two successive undergraduate classes (entering in 1998 and 1999) completed personality inventories upon entering college. The authors obtained grade point averages (GPA’s) for all students in the Spring of 2003. Two of the traits, Prudence and Sociability, contributed unique variance to GPA when the effects of high school percentile rank and achievement test scores were controlled for both classes. There was a decline in incremental validity for these two personality traits as predictors of GPA later in student tenure. Ambition was unrelated to academic performance for both classes.

Personality as a Predictor of Professional Behavior in Dental School: Comparisons with Dental Practitioners

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of personality measures to predict the success of dental students (N = 87) in clinical and academic courses and to compare their personality profiles to those of dental practitioners (N = 130). A second purpose of the study was to develop a new criterion measure, the Student Professionalism Scale, based on competencies previously identified as necessary for professional success. The Canadian Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) predicted first-year, preclinical academic success; the DAT Reading Comprehension component predicted third-year clinical performance; and Perceptual Ability, the ability to deal with two- and three-dimensional objects, predicted student professionalism. Results from the personality measure indicated that Conscientiousness and Neuroticism, and to a lesser extent Agreeableness, were significant predictors of both first-year academic performance and professional behavior. In comparing the personality profiles of dental students to dental practitioners, students who were more similar to the dentists did better in their first year of coursework. Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of the dental admissions process.

El aprendizaje basado en problemas en la enseñanza de la urología. Modelo de la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Ongoing changes in the social, economic, technological and scientific realms have generated new needs and led various organizations to suggest that educational institutions should reorient their educational strategies toward developing effective professionals with the skills to meet these needs.These “modern” strategies include problem-based learning, in which the student seeks and selects information, analyzes the data obtained, integrates both prior and newly acquired knowledge, and, finally, offers diagnostic and therapeutic options to resolve the problem posed, as would occur in professional practice. With this approach, prior skills and practical experience form the foundation of learning. Problem-based learning incorporates some aspects of cognitive psychology, a model that mainly centers on the nature of the knowledge structures found in active memory, the processes involved in information storage and retrieval and the various factors that activate these processes.At the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, urology is part of a core subject (Medical and Surgical Pathology II) taught in the fifth year of coursework together with nephrology. Each course includes approximately 75 students, divided into five groups. The rotation lasts six weeks, with students spending a mean of two hours a day on theory (nephrology and/or urology) and the remaining time on rotations in the various activities: three weeks in nephrology and three weeks in urology. Upon completion of the rotation, the students write a combined theoretical examination with 100 multiple-choice questions (50 on urology) and take a practical skills examination. At the end of the course, another practical test consisting of an objective, structured clinical examination is taken, in which standard patients are used and the professor directly assesses the level of skills acquired with a “real” case.