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The high rates of injury among young workers are a pressing public health issue, especially given the demand of the job market for new workers. Young and new workers experience the highest rates of occupational injuries of any age group. Incorporating occupational safety and health (OSH) information into the more than 20000 vocational and other workforce preparation programs in the United States might provide a mechanism for reducing work-related injuries and illnesses among young and new workers. We assessed the status of including OSH information or training in workforce preparation programs and found there is an inconsistent emphasis on OSH information.

Background: The incidence of occupational skin disease (OSD) in geriatric nurses (GNs) is increasing in Germany. Objectives: A prospective controlled study of secondary individual prevention (SIP) of OSD in GNs was conducted. Methods: Two hundred and nine participants completed questionnaires prior to the start of the program and 3 months after its conclusion. One hundred and two GNs participated in an interventional program (intervention group, IG). Severity of OSD was classified upon each visit. Δ-TEWL values were measured at regular intervals. Findings were compared with those for 107 control group (CG) participants consulting a dermatologist on demand. SIP was not offered to CG participants. Results: Upon entry, 89% of IG and 90% CG complained of OSD (NS). Dermatologic examination revealed skin changes in 90% of IG at first consultation. Upon study completion, 59% of IG was free of OSD. Questionnaires 3 months after study completion revealed skin lesions in 53% of IG and 82% of CG (p < 0.01). Δ-TEWL measurements reflected significant improvement of the epidermal barrier during SIP in IG (median 6.9-3.0 g/m2/h, p < 0.001). Three months after study completion, 96% of IG and 86% of CG were still employed. Conclusions: Objective dermatologic and skin physiologic data reveal that SIP in GNs is effective in the secondary prevention of OSD. Further, IG was superior to CG in terms of health maintenance and employment. © Springer-Verlag 2005.

Collaborative management of chronic illness is undermined by neglect of emotional and psychological factors in both the patient and doctor.

Aim and objectives. This paper reports the views of teaching staff and clinical assessors on their experience of programme delivery and assessment. Background. In 2001, the Irish Department of Health and Children developed a vocational training programme for healthcare assistants. This programme was piloted nationally across 14 hospital and community sites. Teaching staff and clinical assessors at each site delivered the programme. Method. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 16 clinical staff and 26 teaching staff. With consent, all interviews were tape-recorded, from which the transcripts were subject to content analysis. Results. A lack of experience and preparation among teaching staff and clinical assessors was evident. The staff's commitment to their role on the programme while maintaining their normal duties caused frustration and uncertainty. Not withstanding, the value of the programme in terms of increased motivation, satisfaction and knowledge of healthcare assistants and the impact on care delivery, was recognized by respondents. Conclusions. This programme represents the provision of a national standard training programme for healthcare assistants. It provides an insight into the delivery of such a programme and the educational and training needs of healthcare assistants through the views of staff that taught and assessed on it. Relevance to clinical practice. Findings suggest that the development and implementation of a national training programme for healthcare assistants is achievable. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

In the face of the serious problem of lack of access to health care in the United States, with over 45 million uninsured,1 there exist many models of collaborative local programs serving the uninsured. One such approach is the student-run free clinic, small projects managed by health professional students, supervised by licensed health professionals, offering free health services to those without health access. The purpose of this article is to describe the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, its history, mission, partners, clinical services, curriculum, funding, replicability, outcomes, elements of success, transdisciplinary nature, and hopes for the future.

The ACGME requires adequate lengths of appointment for both the program director and faculty as being essential to maintaining an appropriate continuity of leadership (1). Although this requirement does not apply to the program coordinator, the ACGME does require that a program have a dedicated coordinator. Any list of coordinator duties is long, but underestimates the true volume of the coordinator's responsibilities. Although the program director is accountable for all aspects of the program, much of the director's work is delegated to the coordinator. The training period for a new coordinator is from months to years, and coordinator turnover can be very disruptive to the program. The coordinator must possess skills in communication, problem solving, decision making, administration, organization, and supervision. He or she must have a broad knowledge of academic medicine and radiology training. The coordinator is generally the first and last person to interact with resident candidates, visiting speakers, and ACGME site reviewers. His or her professional and administrative skills are a reflection of the quality of the program and effectiveness of the program director. The work of a coordinator involves managing many complex tasks at once, while maintaining the flexibility to accommodate changes in work priorities in the face of unexpected events. He or she should be seen as an advocate of both faculty and residents. The coordinator needs to work independently within prescribed guidelines, engage in continuous professional development and suggest initiatives to improve the quality of the program. When done well, the coordinator's work is accomplished effortlessly in the eyes of the program director, faculty, and residents. A highly skilled and experienced coordinator is a valuable asset to the program. Providing the coordinator with adequate support (i.e., clerical assistance, materials, training, and workspace) is a smart investment, the return on which can be substantial. © AUR, 2005.

Professional life counselors will serve an increasingly important role in the life quality of global citizens in the 21st century. The optimal preparation of service providers will reflect basic principles of human development, professional helping, and educational processes. The dynamic systems appreciations of constructivism offer valuable scaffoldings for mentoring and apprenticeship in human helping. Suggestions are made for practical refinements in professional education. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background: Traditionally, specialty vocational/residency training is totally done in tertiary care university-hospital settings, making it very difficult for specialty residents to learn about the joys and challenges of rural and regional patient care. Description: The University of Western Ontario's Multi-Specialty Community Training Network (MSCTN) was developed to provide specialty residents with the opportunity to do part of their postgraduate vocational training in rural and regional practice settings. The network involves 10 medical school departments/divisions and 7 rural/regional communities. From 1997 to 2004, 174 residents have completed 287 months of rural/regional training. Evaluation: Residents rated their overall learning experience at 6.41 on a 7-point scale. Nineteen of the 39 graduating residents have chosen to practice in rural and regional underserviced communities. Conclusion: Rural/regional specialty postgraduate vocational training rotations can provide excellent learning experiences. Preliminary results indicate that this exposure encourages many specialty residents to establish rural and regional practices. Copyright © 2005 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

This article addresses the mental health of young people taking part in an active labour market programme (ALMP). The subject of the paper follows the demand for research on the 'permanent impermanence' identified as a situation characterized by shifting in between different labour market training programmes, unemployment and odd jobs. The research on which the article draws was an evaluation study of an active labour market programme in Germany, known as JUMP. The article uses data derived from a participants' survey and addresses the following questions: How can the mechanism of ALMP and mental health be described? What affects young people within an ALMP? Are there any differences according to the density of the surrounding labour market? Previous research has explored the impact of unemployment on mental health. This article investigates the possible impact of ALMP, referring to the complex relationship between the density of the labour market and young people's mental health. It then applies data derived from the JUMP participants' survey to explore the influence on young people. The impact of the density of the surrounding labour market is addressed by separating the available data into East and West German participants. The article finally compares the research findings from young participants in an ALMP with previous research on unemployed young people and concludes with differences between East and West German young people. © Institute of Psychiatry.