Search Results for
"human"

Objective: This study was undertaken to devise a suitable survey instrument to measure morale, and to undertake an assessment of morale amongst vocational dental practitioners (VDPs) in the UK. Design: Postal questionnaire survey. Setting: Dental vocational training schemes in the UK. Subjects: Vocational dental practitioners. Method: A confidential postal questionnaire was used to measure levels of morale among all VDPs in the UK in 2007. Results: A response rate of 76.7% was achieved. The mean morale score for Scottish VDPs was significantly higher than that of the Northern Irish VDPs, which in turn was significantly higher than those of the VDPs in England or Wales. In England and Wales females recorded higher morale scores than males. Lowest morale scores were associated with statements referring to concerns about future changes to NHS dentistry, and the limits on treatment within the NHS system. The highest scores were associated with good working relationships. Conclusion: The use of an appropriately tested questionnaire has provided a convenient objective measure of morale. The morale of VDPs in the United Kingdom was lower than expected. Scottish VDPs recorded higher morale scores than other VDPs and responded more positively in the survey instrument. The most negative responses from all VDPs were regarding the effect of the NHS system on treatment and concerns about future changes to the NHS. © 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Objective: This study reports student outcomes for the Kansas Consumers as Providers (CAP) training program. Graduates provide mental health services to other consumers in the community. CAP is a semester-long class plus a 104-hour internship in a social service agency. Methods: This paper reports on the results of a two-year quantitative, longitudinal study of people with psychiatric disabilities who completed the program. Results: Graduates had statistically significant pre-post differences in employment and post-secondary education enrollment at all three follow-up points. Conclusion: Results suggest that CAP graduates can and do provide valuable mental health services to other consumers. Copyright 2008 Trustees of Boston University.

A clinical learning environment survey instrument was developed that provided insights into diagnostic radiology trainees' perceptions of the culture and context of the hospital-based training programme. The survey was completed by trainees allocated to 37 important training hospitals in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in 2006. The main findings were that most obvious strengths of the diagnostic radiology programme are the wide variety of work-based learning opportunities and the social atmosphere. These were well regarded in all training sites. Work overload was seen as a significant problem in most hospitals and will probably remain a challenge. The areas that are most likely to repay efforts to bring about change are supervision and feedback. The study provides baseline data against which the influence of changes to the training programme may be evaluated. © 2008 The Authors.

The main purpose of technical and vocational education is to cultivate personnel who have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The practical training experience should help students focus on their career choices. Therefore, this study surveyed the students who participated in the interactive activities of three universities of technology in 2002 and used a structural equation model to understand the determinants affecting practical training for students. The effectiveness of practical training includes the advance of professional competencies and the advance of employability. The major empirical findings of the study are as follows. Of the various determinants, the factors related to the quality of training courses, the human relationship aspect and the environment for gaining practical training, as expected, are found to have a significantly positive influence on the advance of professional competencies for students. T he quality of training courses and the environment for gaining practical training have a significantly positive influence on the advance of employability for students; somewhat unexpectedly, the quality of teachers is found to have no significant influence on both. ICIC International © 2008.

Individuals make choices in, and adjust to, a world of work that is often a moving target. Because work is so central to human functioning, and transitions in and out of work can have major mental health repercussions, the authors argue that applied psychologists in health services need to understand those transitions. This article focuses on the different types of transition throughout a person's working life and the resources needed at different stages to ensure the success of these transitions. The authors start by examining the roles of capability and adaptability in supporting and facilitating adjustment to work transitions and their relation to identity development. They then examine the role of social and institutional contexts in shaping work transitions and their outcomes. The authors focus on voluntary versus involuntary transitions and then broaden the lens in discussing the policy implications of research on work transitions. © 2008 American Psychological Association.

Workers with disabilities are entitled to have their individual needs accommodated in a way that allows them to perform the essential duties of their job. However, adults with disabilities are often lacking in career development and are ill-prepared to negotiate workplace accommodations. This has led educators to seek workplaces that can accommodate the needs of adolescents with disabilities, so these adolescents can learn to negotiate accommodations and enhance their career development through work-based education. This paper reports on two case studies in which employers had agreed to accommodate the needs of adolescents with disabilities participating in work-based education. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framed the analyses of these two cases - a case of a student with physical disabilities and a case of a student with developmental disabilities. SCCT proves valuable in understanding the role of work-based education in the career development of disabled youth. © 2008 IOS Press. All rights reserved.

This study examined the current trade shortage in Australian industry from the perspective of fewer young people entering the trades. We investigated the extent to which certain variables (relationship with their boss/supervisor; relationship with their co-workers; extrinsic motivation within the compensation subscale; the use of emotion-focused coping styles rather than problem-focused styles; and apprentices' work expectations) could predict their intention to quit or stay in the job. Of the five predictors, only two (relationship with their boss/supervisor and/or their relationship with their co-workers) were found to have the ability to significantly predict intention to quit. Comparisons between Queensland and Victorian participants led to the conclusion that an apprentice's choice to stay in or leave their trade was individually specific, and was most likely not based solely on one explicit factor, but on a range of work-related factors, which they, personally, considered important. © 2008 Australian human Resources Institute.

The organization of work in call centres has been the centre of study and debate for a number of years. This article explores the adoption of nationally-recognized training (based on formal qualifications) in Australian call centres, which is now becoming quite widespread, and its relationship to work organization and human resource management practices. The article draws on a national research project that explored the take up of nationally recognized training by Australian employers. A number of call centres were included in this study that forms the basis for the present article. One of the major attractions for call centre employers, apart from the financial incentives involved in adoption, is the close fit between nationally recognized training and work organization. Because of its on-job nature, such training fits the close quantitative controls that characterize almost all call centres. Because of its integration into the workplace and into work organization, nationally recognized training seems to be moving human resource management processes towards an increased emphasis on employee development.

Background. The State of Victoria in Australia introduced Chinese medicine practitioner registration in 2000 and issued its education guidelines in late 2002 for introduction in 2005. This study obtained practitioners' views on desired capabilities for competent Chinese medicine practice and to identify professional development needs. Methods. A questionnaire, consisting of 28 predefined capabilities in four categories with a rating scale of importance from one to five, was developed and sent to all registered Chinese medicine practitioners in the State of Victoria, Australia in October, 2005. Results. Two hundreds and twenty eight completed questionnaires were returned which represented a response rate of 32.5%. Of the four categories of capabilities, technical capabilities were considered to be the most important for clinical practice. Specifically, the ability to perform acupuncture treatment and/or dispense an herbal prescription was ranked the highest. In contrast, research and information management capabilities were considered the least important. The educational background of practitioners appeared to be an important factor influencing their rating of capabilities. Significantly, nearly double the number of practitioners with Australian qualifications than practitioners trained overseas valued communication as an important capability. For continuing professional education, clinical skills courses were considered as a priority while research degree studies were not. Conclusion. Registered Chinese medicine practitioners viewed skills training as important but did not support the need for research and information management training. This represents a significant hurdle to developing Chinese medicine as a form of evidence-based healthcare. © 2008 Xue et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

This article describes a curriculum in oral surgery for undergraduate dental education in the United Kingdom prepared by the Education Subgroup of The British Academic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. This group is made up of representatives from each of the 13 UK Dental Schools, one Irish Dental School and one Post-graduate Institute. The document represents a group consensus of an undergraduate UK oral surgery curriculum that is founded on the frameworks outlined by the General Dental Council, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and the Association for Dental Education in Europe. Our curriculum document is more prescriptive than the information available in the aforementioned documents. It is based on UK undergraduate oral surgery experience and thus attempts to set achievable core competencies and, in a few areas, challenges the available curriculum and related documentation. © 2008 Blackwell Munksgaard.