Law School: A Few Short and Plain Statements

Do you want to go to law school? Better read this book first. With the crush of the economic downturn and tight job market, law school might be the right choice for you...or not. After having a first profession, author Erin Albert decided to attend law school, and graduated in May, 2012. After publishing several books, Dr. Albert wanted to publish a book about what law school is really like. Here are the Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Read This Book: 10. You can live vicariously through the author\u27s experience instead of putting yourself through the very expensive and time- consuming process of law school. 9. You want to learn about what it takes to be a part-time law student--on top of a life and a day job. 8. You want to learn about law school mistakes--and how to avoid them. 7. You want to learn what the #1 most important question to ask yourself is prior to heading back to school--and studying the law. 6. You want to find what it takes to go through the grind of law school. 5. You want details on the curriculum and the extra stuff - like law review, moot court, etc. 4. You want to understand how you will think differently about life after law school. 3. You are a professional already and are thinking of adding on law school to supplement your first career. 2. You need a good reality check on law school before you head back to class. 1. You want to avoid making potentially the biggest mistake of your life.https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/butlerbooks/1008/thumbnail.jp

Philanthropy and Social Media

We define social media as online or digital technologies that serve to connect people, information and organisations through networks. The term evolved as a way to -distinguish the emerging online -information platforms from traditional "broadcast media" -- TV, radio, film, newspapers -- by highlighting that these new tools -were "socialised" and allowed the audiences to contribute to their content. Social media have therefore become defined in relation to these existing media channels, but in fact they have their ancestry in existing social technologies, like the telephone and the letter. If traditional media connect people to information, social media connect people to people

Understanding Post-Stroke Fatigue

Post-Stroke Fatigue is a common and debilitating condition affecting stroke survivors’ quality of life, rehabilitation outcomes, mood and life expectancy. There is no widely accepted evidence-based method of assessment, measurement or management of fatigue. Improved knowledge of both stroke survivor and health care practitioner perspectives on post-stroke fatigue could inform care pathways. This thesis addresses four research questions 1) How is post-stroke fatigue perceived? 2) What are the psychometric properties of current fatigue measurement scales? 3) How do healthcare practitioners assess post-stroke fatigue? 4) How is post-stroke fatigue managed? These four questions were answered through five studies. Study 1. A systematic search and literature review of validity, reliability, and acceptability of fatigue specific scales. Study 2. Thematic analysis of archived posts on the Stroke Association hosted forum TalkStroke. Study 3. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 25 stroke survivors and supporters investigating the lived experience of post-stroke fatigue. Study 4. An online survey of 137 stroke rehabilitation therapists. Study 5. Framework analysis of 2 focus groups with healthcare practitioners exploring post-stroke fatigue care pathways. Study 1. Many outcome measures have been developed for fatigue in chronic conditions, however there is still no gold standard outcome measure for post-stroke fatigue when considering psychometric properties. Study 2. Six themes were generated, encapsulating forum users perception that fatigue is a legitimate symptom of stroke which can be coped with and conceptualised in a variety of ways. Study 3. The unpredictable and variable nature of fatigue is distressing and acts as a barrier to routine, roles and personal aspirations. Study 4. Therapists use a variety of assessment and management strategies in clinical practice, predominantly focused on self-management. Notable variation was found between respondents’ definitions and characterisations of post-stroke fatigue. Study 5. Approaches to assessment and management varied by profession and setting, often led by one perceived specialist within the clinical team. The resulting lack of standardised approach may affect continuity of care. Stroke survivors, their supporters and healthcare practitioners find understanding and explaining post-stroke fatigue challenging due to its variable and multi-faceted presentation. Perhaps as a result of its subjective nature, no measurement scales used in a stroke population have been found to have optimal psychometric properties. In the clinical setting, measurement tools are often used as an addition to extensive subjective assessment to enable the healthcare practitioner to assess the impact of fatigue. Management strategies vary dependent on profession and setting, leading to unstandardised care pathways and information provision

Exploring adaptations to the clinical reasoning cycle for forensic mental health nursing : a qualitative enquiry

Forensic mental health nurses (FMHN) provide care to address the needs of people who have mental illnesses across a range of diverse settings. The Clinical Reasoning Cycle (CRC) has been identified as a potential framework to assist FMHNs; however, adaptations were required to reflect the unique nature of the clinical setting. This study aimed to explore adaptations made to determine suitability prior to implementation in practice. Nominal Group Technique was used to explore suggested adaptations determined from a previous study and reach a consensus on the changes. Fourteen senior nurses from a state-wide Forensic mental Health (FMH) service participated. A consensus was reached for two proposed changes. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were interpreted from the data; FMH adaptations are warranted, the focus of the CRC, and who owns the cycle? Nurses in this study considered the need to include offence and risk issues due to the impact these factors have on the therapeutic relationship and cognitive bias; however, they also identified the need to focus on recovery-oriented care while engaging in clinical reasoning. Nurses in this study also expressed some reluctance for nursing to ‘own' the model, due to concern that ownership may cause division among the team or result in inconsistency in care. However, some participant's suggested the CRC with adaptations assisted FMH nurses to articulate their specialist skills and knowledge to others and highlight the nursing contribution to care. Further work is needed to finalize adaptations with a focus on engaging the consumer carer workforce and interdisciplinary team. © 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd

Project Retrosight. Understanding the returns from cardiovascular and stroke research: Methodology Report

Copyright @ 2011 RAND Europe. All rights reserved. The full text article is available via the link below.This project explores the impacts arising from cardiovascular and stroke research funded 15-20 years ago and attempts to draw out aspects of the research, researcher or environment that are associated with high or low impact. The project is a case study-based review of 29 cardiovascular and stroke research grants, funded in Australia, Canada and UK between 1989 and 1993. The case studies focused on the individual grants but considered the development of the investigators and ideas involved in the research projects from initiation to the present day. Grants were selected through a stratified random selection approach that aimed to include both high- and low-impact grants. The key messages are as follows: 1) The cases reveal that a large and diverse range of impacts arose from the 29 grants studied. 2) There are variations between the impacts derived from basic biomedical and clinical research. 3) There is no correlation between knowledge production and wider impacts 4) The majority of economic impacts identified come from a minority of projects. 5) We identified factors that appear to be associated with high and low impact. This report presents the key observations of the study and an overview of the methods involved. It has been written for funders of biomedical and health research and health services, health researchers, and policy makers in those fields. It will also be of interest to those involved in research and impact evaluation.This study was initiated with internal funding from RAND Europe and HERG, with continuing funding from the UK National Institute for Health Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the National Heart Foundation of Australia. The UK Stroke Association and the British Heart Foundation provided support in kind through access to their archives

A VIEW FROM THE GROUND: A REFORM GROUP’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ONGOING EFFORT TO ACHIEVE MERIT SELECTION OF JUDGES

This article describes the history of judicial selection in the state of Pennsylvania. It describes the judicial selection reform movement and the growth of the organization Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts ( PMC ) which devises solutions to meet the various challenges to judicial integrity in Pennsylvania. It focuses on the merit system that PMC has been trying to achieve for Pennsylvania\u27s appellate courts

A qualitative analysis of psychosocial needs and support impacts in families affected by young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) : the role of community and peer support

Background Young sudden cardiac death (YSCD), often occurring in previously healthy individuals, is a tragic event with devastating impact on affected families, who are at heightened risk of posttraumatic stress and prolonged grief and may themselves be at risk of YSCD. Previous research suggests that surviving family members’ psychosocial support needs are often unmet. Purpose This study sought to identify how YSCD-affected families experience dedicated community and peer support in light of their psychosocial support needs. Methods The study used a qualitative design, employing a thematic analysis of focus group and interview data. Three focus groups and five individual interviews were conducted with affected family members ( N = 19). The sample was drawn from a UK-based charity, Cardiac Risk in the Young. Audio-recordings of the focus groups and interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Results Three super-ordinate themes were identified: 1. YSCD community support as offering a place of safety, 2. YSCD community support as fostering sense-making, 3. YSCD community support as facilitating finding new meaning. Conclusions YSCD-affected families can benefit from access to dedicated community and peer support that offers a safe environment, provides affiliation, understanding and normalisation and enables sense-making and the rebuilding of a sense of self. Dedicated community support can facilitate meaningful re-engagement with life through helping prevent YSCD and through memorialisation and legacy-building to maintain a continuing bond with the deceased. Clinicians need to be aware of the need to incorporate available community and peer support into patient pathways

Just a “Click” away from evidence-based online breast cancer information, advice and support provided by a specialist nurse: An ethnonetnographic study

Breast cancer has had, and will continue to have, a devastating impact on the lives of many Australian women, their families, friends and the wider community. The concomitant treatment of this disease places a considerable burden on the health care system and the supporters of the person diagnosed with this disease. While there are many government and non-government organisations that provide treatment and support services for the person with breast cancer, these services are usually provided in person either in the home or at the organisation’s offices. This study extended the information advice and support aspects of these services to the online or Internet based realm via the design and development of a breast cancer focused online support community www.breastcancerclick.com.au and explored the role of the expert nurse through the employment of a specialist breast care nurse as a member, moderator and health professional within this online community. This study used an ethnonetnographic approach, including online (on the Internet) and offline (face-to-face) methods, to explore the role of the specialist breast care nurse within the online, breast cancer support, community. The study was comprised of three phases, Phase One, the offline and online identification of the information, advice and support needs of Western Australian women with breast cancer and their Internet use; development of a website designed to meet those needs and to foster the development of an online support community; Phase Two, the employment and introduction of a specialist breast care nurse as a member and provider of evidence-based information, advice and support for online community members; Phase Three, the online and offline collection of data relevant to the role of the specialist breast care nurse within the online support community. The identification of the expert nurse as a linchpin in the patient’s care and communication has implications for future nursing practice and curricula as well as consumers of health care. Recommendations arose from the findings in relation to further research, nursing practice, education these recommendations indicate an innovative extension to expert nursing practice and together the elementary guidelines for health professional when developing an illness specific online support community foreshadow a future direction for nursing, in line with the digital age

Application of Natural Language Processing to Determine User Satisfaction in Public Services

Research on customer satisfaction has increased substantially in recent years. However, the relative importance and relationships between different determinants of satisfaction remains uncertain. Moreover, quantitative studies to date tend to test for significance of pre-determined factors thought to have an influence with no scalable means to identify other causes of user satisfaction. The gaps in knowledge make it difficult to use available knowledge on user preference for public service improvement. Meanwhile, digital technology development has enabled new methods to collect user feedback, for example through online forums where users can comment freely on their experience. New tools are needed to analyze large volumes of such feedback. Use of topic models is proposed as a feasible solution to aggregate open-ended user opinions that can be easily deployed in the public sector. Generated insights can contribute to a more inclusive decision-making process in public service provision. This novel methodological approach is applied to a case of service reviews of publicly-funded primary care practices in England. Findings from the analysis of 145,000 reviews covering almost 7,700 primary care centers indicate that the quality of interactions with staff and bureaucratic exigencies are the key issues driving user satisfaction across England

SA Heart Newsletter

15th Annual SA Heart Congress