Search Results for
"Humans"

Health education graduate students were surveyed to assess perceptions of their professional responsibility to be role models of healthy behaviors, characteristics of a professional role model, and related socializing experiences during professional preparation. A total of 233 randomly selected health education graduate students participated in this study nationwide. Significant inverse associations were found between students’ year in graduate school and sense of excellence as a role model, graduate program satisfaction, and professional commitment (all ps < 0.05). Students'sense of professional marketability and competence to role model were statistically significant in predicting their perception that role modeling healthy behaviors is a professional responsibility, F(2, 215) = 110.25, p = 0.00001. Positive associations also were found between students’ desire to improve fitness behavior, nutrition, and weight and/or body fat ratio with self-ratings as role models (all ps< 0.05). Implications for the profession and preparation are provided. © 1999, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.

Gutersloh BTZ has practiced vocational training for the mentally handicapped since August 1995. The main goal is to place the clients into employment in the regular workforce. This is done by intensive vocational training yet without having workshops attached to the institution itself. Gutersloh BTZ is comparable to other training centres in Germany like those in Hamburg, Duisburg, Koln, Dortmund, Paderborn, Straubing, Wiesloch and Schleusingen. They are similar in terms of personnel key, financial support for participants and standards of quality. The main difference between Gutersloh BTZ and other training centres is the absence of attached workshops. In Gutersloh training takes place on the job in the regular labour market like industrial firms, craftsmen establishments and service agencies. The 'heart' of Gutersloh BTZ's concept is the reference group. It consists of not more than 8 participants. Two social workers are assigned to each group and provide intensive attention from the participant's first day in BTZ to aftercare on the regular job. The individual rehabilitation aim can only be achieved by establishing a tailor-made concept of support. This calls for a broad range of media, flexible methods and individual aims. In addition to the individual orientated concept, pedagogical groupwork with three to five participants plays an important role in the work. Here the emphasis is on close relationship. Incentive, start, duration and contents of internships in agencies and firms are to a high degree individually structured. A flexible graduated plan helps the participants to progress from a trial practicum to a long-term practicum and finally to a regular (and subsidized) job in an agency. The Gutersloh BTZ's quota of successful placement into the regular labour market as well as into subsidized jobs is similar to those in other BTZs in Germany. Participants who can't be placed in a job have to achieve a defined perspective of life and an alternative to regular work. This standard of quality is established in the written concept of BTZ. Gutersloh BTZ compares its work and success with other BTZs through uniform social- scientific BTZ evaluation.

The aim of this pilot study was to employ a qualitative research methodology to explore students' perceptions of learning and assessment of that learning whilst on clinical placement. The students' perceptions were sampled by questionnaire both pre- and post-placement (ten weeks block placement). The analysis of the data was undertaken using principles from Grounded Theory (Strauss and Corbin 1990). The analysis yielded a number of categories and bipolar paradigms relating to learning and assessment. However little change was seen between comments made pre and post-placement. The implications of this analysis are discussed. © 1998 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Traditional models of clinical placements for students in speech and language therapy (SLT) are often based on a one-to-one model where the structure of the learning process is: theory, observation and practice. Literature relating to adult learning and professional education suggests alternative approaches to clinical training which may be relevant to SLT. Work in progress is discussed where alternative approaches to placements and student learning in a range of placement settings are being developed. © 1998 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

How can the crisis in training be understood? How can it be resolved? A context for this paper is provided in terms of relevant professional and educational policy. A critical review of nationally available data is presented. It will be argued that commonly cited reasons for not offering student placements might have obfuscated underlying dynamics, which are related to the model of education adopted in the United Kingdom. It will be argued that a shift in emphasis in initial and continuing professional education is relevant. © 1998 Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.

Objective: To describe current patterns of employment, career intentions and factors that influence career choice in young graduates. Design: A cross-sectional postal survey. Subjects: Graduates from the years 1991 and 1994 were selected to provide cohorts before and after the introduction of mandatory vocational training. A total of 232 graduates were sent questionnaires and 183 replied (77%): 90 men (49%) and 93 women (51%). Setting: The cohorts all came from Scottish dental schools. When surveyed in 1996/1997, 66% were working in Scotland and 28% were in England. The rest were elsewhere in the UK or abroad. Measures: A questionnaire which had been piloted, applied to medical graduates and then adapted for dentists, was used. Results: The most common post held was that of Associate in General Dental Practice (61% of the sample) and the majority (85%) were working full-time. Only small numbers indicated that they wished to undertake a career in academia (6) or the hospital dental service (17). In choosing a career, males were more influenced by financial factors (P = 0.009) and women by the availability of part-time employment (P = 0.000). Conclusion: Despite the recent adverse publicity about general dental practice, most young dentists see their future in this sector of the profession. More worrying is the comparatively small number who wish to work within the hospital service or in academia. Results also indicate the need to develop schemes to retain women in the workforce.

Objective: Occupational skin changes in hairdressers are very common. Morbidity, however, has not yet been quantified precisely. Methods: A cohort of 2352 hairdressing apprentices (of the 2570 invited to participate, i.e., 91.5% response) was prospectively followed for the duration of their vocational training (3 years) by three examinations. Three waves (years) were recruited in 1992, 1993, and 1994 from 15 vocational training schools in northwestern Germany. Results: The point prevalence of (mostly slight) irritant skill changes of the hands increased from 35.4% in the initial examination to 47.5% in the intermediate examination and to 55.1% in the final examination. Given a more conservative definition of a case of 'hand dermatitis,' these estimates were 12.9%, 23.5%, and 23.9%, respectively. Altogether, 34.3 and 15.2 cases of 'skin changes (any degree)' and 'hand dermatitis,' respectively, in 100 person-years were observed during the study period. The incidence rate, i.e., the number of newly diseased study participants in relation to the person-time at risk contributed, decreased in the course of the study. The proportion of dropouts until final follow-up was 51.8%. Conclusion: The present results appear to lie in a range with those found in other, much smaller cohort studies. However, comparison of the results is hampered either by the lack of a clear definition or by a different definition of 'person-time at risk' or 'a case of hand dermatitis.' As compared with an external control group of office apprentices, the incidence was several times higher in hairdressing apprentices, which points to the high risk for skin damage in this occupation.

The theoretical foundations of competency-based education are described. Among these are definitions of learning in terms of the situations one can function in rather than the accumulation of knowledge or skills, and of professional growth as a succession of stages from novice to expert. Competence is the midpoint on this continuum where individuals are capable of practicing independently and of assuming responsibility for their continued professional growth. Dental education has functioned well at the early stages of this process, but the assumption that "more of the same" will complete the process is questioned. Also considered are the implications of competency in the political context of dentistry, in curriculum design, and for evaluation. © Munksgaard, 1998.

Baker and confectioner apprentices have been included in a prospective follow-up study in the region of East Thuringia, to evaluate risk factors for the development of hand dermatitis. Starting in August 1996, the apprentices have been interviewed and examined in a standardized way right at the beginning (n = 91) of their vocational training, 6 (n = 79) and 12 months (n = 63) later. To gain objective data, TEWL score was also assessed at 3 standardized sites on the hands. In their case histories, 3.3% (n = 3) of the apprentices reported hand dermatitis. The 1st assessment after 2 to 4 weeks vocational training revealed hand eczema in 17.5% (n = 16) of the individuals. At the follow-up after 6 months of training 29.1% (n = 23), and after 12 month of training 27.0% (n = 17), of the apprentices had hand dermatitis of mild to moderate severity. Within 6 months, the TEWL scare rose significantly (p < 0.001) from 11.9 g m-2 h-1 (± 5.4) to 16.8 g m-2 h-1 (± 9.5). After 12 months, the TEWL score was 14.9 g m-2 h-1 (± 4.6). For the atopic skin diathesis (> 10 points of Diepgen's atopy score), there was a significant tendency to be a predictive factor for the development of occupational hand dermatitis. TEWL score failed to correlate with the development of skin damage in our study. The same was true for respiratory atopy and metal sensitization.

The explosion of knowledge coupled with a more diversified society have led to a new set of demands on dentists. For more than 20 years, dental educators and the profession have been concerned about the pressure on the university to ensure that every new graduate is fully competent to enter a dental practice independently and successfully. This paper reviews some of the innovations which are being employed to attempt to deal with these concerns. There is no one formula that can answer these concerns. Postgraduate training in general dentistry is becoming more wide-spread and may need further investigation. The main focus of this paper is on trends in formal advanced postgraduate training in general dentistry.