Video conferencing: an effective solution to long distance student placement support?

Background Within many health related degree programmes, students receive support during placements via visiting tutors. Literature discusses the importance of this support but economic and environmental arguments indicate a need for alternatives to supporting a student in situ. This project investigated the logistics of and perceptions towards using video conferencing as a means of providing this support. Methods A pilot project was undertaken in which an in situ, support meeting was replaced with a meeting via video link. All participants completed evaluative questionnaires and students attended a follow up focus group in order to explore responses in more depth. Results and discussion Use of the medium identified key logistical hurdles in implementing technology into existing support systems. All participants expressed enthusiasm for the medium with educators expressing a preference. Students identified concerns over the use of this medium for failing placements but could not identify why. As a result of evaluation, this project has raised a number of questions relating to the fitness for purpose of video conferencing in this context. Conclusion Future research aims to respond to the questions raised in evaluating the value and purpose of placement support and the nature of conversations via the video conferencing medium

Arts, Health and Well-Being across the Military Continuum

Is there an active, meaningful role for the arts and creative arts therapies in addressing this vast array of critical human readiness issues across the military continuum? In general, "readiness" is the #1 issue for the military at all times. The connection of the arts to the human dimension of readiness is key. Military leaders say we need every weapon in our arsenal to meet the many challenges we face today. However, one of the most powerful tools we have in our arsenal -- the arts -- is often under-utilized and not well understood within the military and the healthcare system. The arts and creative arts therapists are -- and have been -- a part of military tradition and missions across all branches, supporting military health services, wellness, and mission readiness, including family support. For example, the War Department ordered the use of music in rehabilitation for the war wounded in World War II. In June 1945, the Department of War issued "Technical Bulletin 187: Music in Reconditioning in American Service Convalescent and General Hospitals." This bulletin was a catalyst for the growth and development of music therapy being used as a rehabilitative service for active duty service members and veterans alike during and after WWII. Although many gaps exist in our knowledge regarding the arts in military settings, what we do know to date holds great promise for powerful outcomes for our service members, veterans, their families, and the individuals who care for them. Today, a growing number of members of the public and private sectors are eager to collaborate with military leaders to help make these outcomes a reality.Nowhere was the momentum for greater collaboration more evident than in October 2011, when the first National Summit: Arts in Healing for Warriors was held at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (now referred to as Walter Reed Bethesda) and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks, Commander of Walter Reed Bethesda, hosted the National Summit, in partnership with a national planning group of military, government, and nonprofit leaders. The 2011 Summit marked the first time various branches of the military collaborated with civilian agencies to discuss how engaging with the arts provides opportunities to meet the key health issues our military faces -- from pre-deployment to deployment to homecoming.Building upon its success, a multi-year National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military was established in 2012, with the advice and guidance of federal agency, military, nonprofit, and private sector partners (see Figure 2). The National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military (National Initiative) represents an unprecedented military/civilian collaborative effort whose mission is to "advance the arts in health, healing, and healthcare for military service members, veterans, their families, and caregivers."Members of the National Initiative share a commitment to optimize health and wellness, with a deep understanding and awareness that the arts offer a unique and powerful doorway into healing in ways that many conventional medical approaches do not. The Initiative's goals include working across military, government, private, and nonprofit sectors to: 1. Advance the policy, practice, and quality use of arts and creativity as tools for health in the military; 2. Raise visibility, understanding, and support of arts and health in the military; and 3. Make the arts as tools for health available to all active duty military, medical staff, family members, and veterans

A landscape of change: curatorships breathe new life into historic properties

Supplementary methods (text S1), tables s1-s11, figures s1-s

Laying the Groundwork for Court Reform - A Report of the Mississippi Bar\u27s Commission on Courts in the 21st Century - Discussion Draft

Repor

Transition to Retirement

This Policy Bulletin describes the implementation and evaluation of the Transition to Retirement (TTR) Program that was examined in a three-year collaborative program of applied research involving university researchers and disability service providers. The Bulletin ends with recommendations for policy and practice based on our research findings and on the practical experience of delivering the program. The TTR Program offered older people with disability the opportunity to begin to build a retirement lifestyle by joining a general community group for one day a week instead of working on that day. Thus, the program fulfils an important goal of disability policy: the social inclusion of people with disability in Australian community life. The program involved: talking to people with disability about retirement, investigating their interests, finding an appropriate community group for individuals to join, seeking and then training mentors from that group, and ensuring the people with disability were actively involved so they could contribute to the group.This research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding scheme (Project number: LP0989241) and with the assistance of two industry partners: (1) Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD), and (2) St John of God AccordCentre for Disability Research and Polic

Disability is not Inability

More than one billion people—15 percent of the world's population—live with some form of disability. This large number belies the fact that people with disabilities are often among the most marginalized, neglected, and invisible members of society, particularly in developing countries, which are home to 80 percent of the world's disabled population. As part of its aim to provide higher education opportunities to disadvantaged groups from around the developing world, the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program (IFP) provided graduate fellowships to nearly 175 emerging social justice leaders who have disabilities and/or work in areas of disability rights, advocacy, and service provision. Since IFP's conclusion in 2013—and with support from the Ford Foundation—the Institute of International Education (IIE) has led a 10-year IFP Alumni Tracking Study that seeks to document the personal trajectories of these and other IFP alumni, as well as the impacts they are having on their home communities morebroadly.We asked IFP alumni who work in the disability field a simple question: What challenges do individuals with disabilities face in your country and how are you working to find solutions? Alumni from around the world engaged with disability issues in various capacities responded, describing the myriad difficulties faced by people with disabilities in their home countries, as well as the efforts being made to improve their lives. This brief shares examples and common themes that emerged from the stories of alumni disability advocates in five IFP countries: Chile, India, Kenya, Russia, and Uganda.Their responses indicate that regardless of their location or impairment, people with disabilities face similar challenges at the individual, community, and national levels. Beyond these common challenges, IFP alumni are also united by the fact that their fellowship experience gave them new tools and perspectives to promote disability rights, improve services, and advance inclusive policies in the developing world

Peer Assisted Learning in Clinical Education: Literature Review

Objective: To examine the occurrence, benefits, and preferences for peer assisted learning (PAL) in medical and allied health clinical education, and to identify areas in athletic training which need further research. Data Sources: Using relevant terms, five databases were searched for the period 1980-2006 regarding literature on the use of PAL in medical and allied health education programs. Data Synthesis: We reviewed over 40 articles on the use of PAL in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medicine, athletic training, and higher education. It is apparent that PAL is a commonly used educational strategy that offers mutual benefits to participating students. Conclusions/Recommendations: Research is warranted regarding the preferences for and occurrence and benefits of planned and unplanned PAL from the perspective of program administrators, clinical instructors, and students. These multiple perspectives will allow for a more complete understanding of PAL in athletic training clinical education, laying the groundwork for future studies comparing student learning outcomes in ATEPs with planned PAL to those with unplanned PAL

How Service Dogs Enhance Veterans’ Occupational Performance in the Home: A Qualitative Perspective

Background: This qualitative study explored the lives of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) and how the partnerships with their service dogs supported improved occupational performance in their homes. Method: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with six veterans with PTSD and/or TBI who graduated and received their service dogs from the Paws and Stripes Program in Albuquerque, NM. Home activities of daily living (self-care, household tasks, leisure activities, and family and friend relationships) guided the interview questions. The individual interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using qualitative data analysis software. Preliminary themes were independently developed by two graduate research assistants. Final themes and subthemes were generated by team consensus. Results: The overarching theme was veteran and service dog partnerships improved occupational performance in the home. Four primary themes arose that supported the overarching theme: (a) providing physical safety and peace of mind; (b) supporting healthy behaviors; (c) my service dog, my hero; and (d) influencing family and friend relationships. Discussion: Findings from this study support that veteran and service dog partnerships improved the veterans’ occupational performance in their homes. The service dogs assisted the veterans on physical and emotional levels and improved their healthy behaviors