Using appreciative inquiry to explore the professional practice of a lecturer in higher education: moving towards life-centric practice

This paper reports on a strategy for exploring the life-centric practice of a lecturer in Higher Education. The initiative for this inquiry arose out of the realisation that there did not appear to be positive, heart-lifting stories in a lecturer’s current teaching experiences. Using an appreciative eye and supported by a critical friend, life-giving experiences were ‘stalked’ from the past. The hope in this endeavour was to find greater meaning in the lecturer’s best professional practice. Using an Appreciative Inquiry approach, this endeavour rejuvenated the lecturer’s professional practice. As life-centric stories were recalled, provocative propositions were constructed that became the basis of a personalised action plan for future professional practice. This paper outlines the nature of the journey and the heartfelt discoveries

Working Environment in Nursing: Needs Improvement?

Background: Knowing the quality of life of professionals is important because it is related to job performance, better results, and greater productivity, which results in better patient care. Objective: To know the Professional Quality of Life perceived by the nurses at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo (Spain). Method: A descriptive cross-section study was employed to measure the Professional Quality of Life of all healthcare nurses (69 in total) at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo. The questionnaire used as a measuring instrument was the Professional Quality of Life - 35. The data obtained was analyzed by means of: descriptive statistics, single-factor ANOVA variance analysis, T Student tests, and simple and multiple regression analysis. The study was approved by both the research commission and the ethics commission at the Hospital Complex of Toledo. Participation in the study on behalf of the nursing staff was voluntary. Results: In total, 45 responses were obtained (65.2%). The overall mean score measured the perceived Professional Quality of Life to be low. In relation to the three dimensions evaluated in the study, the highest average found was in “intrinsic motivation,” followed by “workload”, and then “management support.” In the multivariate analysis, “management support” was shown as the most influential factor in the Professional Quality of Life with a 23% influence (P<0.001), followed by workload with 9% (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The professionals at the participating center perceive their workplace as having an elevated degree of responsibility, a large quantity of work, a high occurrence of rushes and fatigue, and all this with little support on behalf of management. Promotions are scarce or the policies for receiving a promotion are inadequate. The perception of Professional Quality of Life in nursing is low. The obtained results indicate a need for an organizing cultural change based on participation, motivation, and increased management support

Is professional ethics grounded in general ethical principles?

This article questions the commonly held view that professional ethics is grounded in general ethical principles, in particular, respect for client (or patient) autonomy and beneficence in the treatment of clients (or patients). Although these are admirable as general ethical principles, we argue that there is considerable logical difficulty in applying them to the professional-client relationship. The transition from general principles to professional ethics cannot be made because the intended conclusion applies differently to each of the parties involved, whereas the premise is a general principle that applies equally to both parties. It is widely accepted that professionals are required to recognize that clients or patients possess rights to autonomy that are more than the general rights to personal autonomy accepted in ordinary social life, and that professionals are expected to display beneficence toward their clients that is more than the beneficence expected of anyone in ordinary social life. The comparative component of professional ethics is an intrinsic feature of the professional situation, and thus it cannot be bypassed in working out a proper professional ethics. Thus, we contend, the proper professional treatment of clients or patients has not been explained by appeal to general ethical principles

Gender influence on professional satisfaction and gender issue perception among young oncologists. A survey of the Young Oncologists Working Group of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)

Background: The professional gender gap is increasingly recognised in oncology. We explored gender issues perception and gender influence on professional satisfaction/gratification among young Italian oncologists. Methods: Italian oncologists aged 6440 years and members of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology were invited to participate in an online survey addressing workload/burnout, satisfaction in professional abilities and relations, relevant factors for professional gratification, and gender barriers. \u3c72 test for general association or \u3c72 test for trend was used to analyse the data. Results: 201 young oncologists participated in the survey: 67% female, 71% aged 30-40 years, 41% still in training and 82% without children. Women and men were equally poorly satisfied by the relations with people occupying superior hierarchical positions. There was heterogeneity between women and men in current (p=0.011) and expected future (p=0.007) satisfaction in professional abilities: women were more satisfied by current empathy and relations with colleagues and were more confident in their future managerial and team leader skills. The most important elements for professional gratification indicated by all participants were, in general, work-life balance (36%) and intellectual stimulation/research (32%); specifically for women, work-life balance (48%) and intellectual stimulation/research (20%); and specifically for men, career (29%) and social prestige/recognition (26%). Heterogeneity within the same gender emerged. For example, the elements indicated by men as the most important were intellectual stimulation/research (39%) and work-life balance (21%) in general, versus social prestige/recognition (24%) and career (24%), respectively, specifically for men (p<0.0001). More women versus men perceived gender issue as an actual problem (60% vs 38%, p=0.03); men underestimated gender barriers to women's career (p=0.011). Conclusions: Satisfaction in professional abilities varied by gender. Work-life balance is important for both women and men. Stereotypes about gender issues may be present. Gender issue is an actual problem for young oncologists, mostly perceived by women

Implications for Wellness‐Based Supervision and Professional Quality of Life

This study evaluated the efficacy of the wellness model of supervision (WELMS; Lenz & Smith, 2010) for promoting changes across the perceptions of counselors‐in‐training (CITs) regarding professional quality of life. Three female participants (1 Caucasian, 2 Hispanic) were enrolled in a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Results of a single‐case research design with multiple baselines indicated that the WELMS was efficacious across client–CIT interactions on professional quality of life

A tribute to Elizaveta Ubryatova: professional life and personal destiny

The article was submitted on 10.06.2015. Translated by Dr. Lilia Gorelova.In Russia, the name of prominent turkologist Elizaveta Ivanovna Ubryatova, at present is known mostly to specialists who study the languages spoken by the Northern peoples of the country. However, the essence of scientific research of a linguist of such a calibre includes naturally attentive and concerned attitude to the fate of the peoples residing in the North of Russia, which was especially important in the conditions of the Soviet era. Survival of the Northern peoples and their languages became for Ubryatova not only a scientific problem but also a mission of vital importance. Ubryatova’s scientific interests were not restricted to linguistic problems, she also purposefully studied the important monuments of folk literature and ethnography of indigenous peoples. This was due to her scientific breadth, social responsibility, and commitment to a supreme mastery of the research object. That is why she became the founder of the original linguistic and cultural school in the study of the history and structures of languages spoken by peoples living in the North of Russia. The scale of her bright personality, combined with her intelligence, patience, and feminine care about colleagues and students, made her a center of attraction for researchers in this field. She launched an extensive project of publishing works devoted to folklore of the peoples who inhabited the Northern territories of Russia, and whose traditional culture became a part of the world culture as a result. The languages of the Dolgans and Yakuts became the main topics of her research. In this article, we outline the major ideas proposed by Ubryatova in her works, viz., those concerning the origin of the Turkic languages, Dolgan and Yakut in particular, and principles of the organization of the Yakut syntax. In her works, devoted to syntactic problems, Ubryatova determined the fundamental characteristic features of systemic organization of Turkic languages, Yakut in particular, as the ability of these languages to link language units of different levels between each other by using the same grammatical means. In Turkic languages, almost all syntactic relations between clauses can be expressed grammatically, and this linguistic phenomenon entails the existence of a diverse and advanced system of non-finite verbal forms. These important findings can be successfully generalised to embrace all Altaic languages. Addressing a linguistic problem, Ubryatova combined her deep intuition with intensive field work and systematic theoretic investigation. Monographs and textbooks written by Ubryatova belong to the gold reserve of Turkology and cultural linguistics.Среди российских лингвистов имя Елизаветы Ивановны Убрятовой известно преимущественно специалистам, изучающим языки народов Севера. Однако суть научных изысканий лингвистов этого профиля закономерно включала в себя неравнодушное отношение к судьбе народов Севера в условиях советского времени, что для Убрятовой было не только научной, но и жизненной задачей. Елизавета Ивановна, путь которой отчасти случайно пересекся с исследованием не только языка, но и памятников фольклорной словесности и этнографии, отнюдь не случайно, а в результате научной добросовестности и стремления к доскональному знанию объекта исследования становится основателем оригинального лингвокультурологического направления в изучении истории и структуры языков народов, живущих на севере России. Масштаб личности, яркая индивидуальность в сочетании с настоящей интеллигентностью, терпением и женской заботой об окружающих сотрудниках и учениках сделали ее центром притяжения, позволили сформировать школу, запланировать и осуществить величественный проект издания фольклора народов Севера, где самобытная культура этой территории стала частью мировой культуры. Главными в ее исследовании стали тюркские языки - долганский и якутский. В статье прописаны основные тезисы работ Убрятовой по темам «Происхождение тюркских языков» и «Принципы организации синтаксиса якутского языка». В трудах по синтаксису Елизавета Убрятова определяет особенность системной организации тюркских языков, и якутского в частности, как способность единиц разного уровня соединяться при помощи одних и тех же средств. Идея Убрятовой о том, что почти все синтаксические отношения имеют грамматические выражения, что и определяет систему глагольных форм, как показано в статье, оказалась принципиально важна не только для тюркологии. В ее лингвистических изысканиях тонкая интуиция сочеталась с огромной полевой работой и системными исследованиями каждого вопроса. Научные сочинения Убрятовой составляют золотой фонд тюркологии

QUALITY OF PROFESSIONAL LIFE: FACULTY COMPENSATION AND APPOINTMENTS

The average real salary of agricultural economists has risen approximately 20 percent over the last two decades. Currently agricultural economists' salaries are approximately 6 percent above the average college of agricultural salary and 1 percent above the average of all university faculty. Over the last two decades agricultural economists' salaries have remained among the highest in the college of agriculture and their numbers have risen as a percentage of total agricultural faculty. Conversely our profession, and the college of agriculture in general, has experienced declines in salary levels and faculty numbers relative to average university salaries and total faculty numbers.Agricultural economics, Appointments, Faculty, Salaries, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The Brawn-Drain? Issues for the professional sports worker

Professionalism is now the reality in many sports. For the professional sportsperson (most professional sports are male), there are several challenges and issues that make them a 'special' type of worker. We explore three of the challenges of the sports professional: the short-term nature of the career and its implications which includes living with injury and the fear of life after a sports career; second, the 'brawn drain'; and third, the celebrity status of athletes

Professional Development: COLA 100L

The need for professional development integration into curriculum is vital for student success. Colleges and universities across the country are implementing career and professional development opportunities into classroom curriculum to better prepare students for life outside the classroom. Specialized events and focused learning opportunities help students successfully navigate through the career development process, and is exactly what students need.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1067/thumbnail.jp

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

The life and work of student life professionals provide the glue in the academy. Being attentive to students’ health, well-being, success, and leadership development is what we do. It is what keeps the heart of our institutions beating. While dedication to this field requires passion, it can also run us dry. Love for the profession and love for oneself are essential to be whole, resilient professionals and human beings. Professional development includes personal development. This article is both a scholarly personal narrative and a call to action. It weaves the voices of a young professional and her mentor through their own journeys of discovery with research in the importance of heart in higher education. This article offers insight about the need to integrate the essential inner work of self-love into our profession