Potential implications of degree apprenticeships for healthcare education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on evidence relating to the development and delivery of apprenticeships and its potential implications for pre-registration healthcare education. Design/methodology/approach An iterative review of English language literature published after 1995 to date relating to apprentices and apprenticeships was undertaken. In total, 20 studies were identified for inclusion. Only three related to the most recent apprenticeship initiative in the UK, and the majority were UK based. Findings Three key themes were identified: entering an apprenticeship, the learning environment and perceptions of apprenticeships. Successful completion of an apprenticeship relies heavily on both understanding the role the apprentice is seeking to inhabit, as well as well-structured and comprehensive support whilst on the programme. These findings are then discussed with reference to professional body requirements and pre-registration education in healthcare. Practical implications Appropriate work experience and support for learning are critical to apprenticeship success and apprenticeships should be given equal status to traditional healthcare education routes. Originality/value The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 (Finance Act, 2016), acknowledgement that all National Health Service Trusts will be levy payers and the introduction of targets relating to apprenticeships for public sector employers have all contributed to growing interest in the apprenticeship agenda in health and social care.N/

Thomas Jefferson and the West

From his childhood on the fringe of the Virginia frontier until his years of retirement at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson displayed a special interest in the vast expanse of land stretching westward. The land provided the ideal place for the expansion of Jefferson’s dream of an American empire for liberty. He viewed the continent as the home of an agrarian nation living under the principles of democracy. Chapter one is introductory in nature, linking Jefferson’s ideals to his interest in the West. Chapter two concentrates on his early contributions to the West. Emphasis is placed on land speculation, the western land cession, and Jefferson’s plan for a territorial government. Chapter three deals with Jefferson and the western questions developing from the peace negotiations of 1783: the unrestricted navigation of the Mississippi River and conflicts concerning the Northwest Territory. Chapter four covers the exploration of the West and the acquisition of Louisiana. Chapters are developed along topical lines. Into these broad, familiar areas are incorporated other related ideas and issues that reveal Jefferson’s views of both the trans-Allegheny West and the trans-Mississippi West

The Organization of Self-Knowledge and Race: Does Self-Concept Structure Impact the Responses of Black Individuals to Stereotype Threat?

Stereotype threat is defined as “the concern or worry that a person can feel when he or she is at risk of confirming or being seen to confirm a negative stereotype about his or her group” (Steele & Davies, 2003, p. 311). Stereotype threat has been examined in a variety of stereotyped groups, but the primary focus of this research has been Black individuals because they often encounter negative stereotypes about their race in the course of their daily lives. Some researchers have suggested that stereotype threat may partially explain the achievement gap between Black and White individuals (Steele & Aronson, 1995). The possible role that self-concept structure may play in the consequences of stereotype threat has yet to be explored. The present study examines evaluative organization and whether it moderates the responses of Black individuals to a stereotype threat manipulation. Research on the role that self-concept structure may play in the consequences of stereotype threat has the potential to shed additional light on the underlying mechanisms of the stereotype threat process and the impact of self-concept structure on the responses of Black individuals to race-related stress

Self “Sensor”Ship: An Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Persuasiveness, Social Implications, and Ethical Design of Self-Sensoring Prescriptive Applications

This dissertation research investigates the social implications of computing artifacts that make use of sensor driven self-quantification to implicitly or explicitly direct user behaviors. These technologies are referred to here as self-sensoring prescriptive applications (SSPA’s). This genre of technological application has a strong presence in healthcare as a means to monitor health, modify behavior, improve health outcomes, and reduce medical costs. However, the commercial sector is quickly adopting SSPA’s as a means to monitor and/or modify consumer behaviors as well (Swan, 2013). These wearable devices typically monitor factors such as movement, heartrate, and respiration; ostensibly to guide the users to better or more informed choices about their physical fitness (Lee & Drake, 2013; Swan, 2012b). However, applications that claim to use biosensor data to assist in mood maintenance and control are entering the market (Bolluyt, 2015), and applications to aid in decision making about consumer products are on the horizon as well (Swan, 2012b). Interestingly, there is little existing research that investigates the direct impact biosensor data have on decision making, nor on the risks, benefits, or regulation of such technologies. The research presented here is inspired by a number of separate but related gaps in existing literature about the social implications of SSPA’s. First, how SSPA’s impact individual and group decision making and attitude formation within non-medicalcare domains (e.g. will a message about what product to buy be more persuasive if it claims to have based the recommendation on your biometric information?). Second, how the design and designers of SSPA’s shape social behaviors and third, how these factors are or are not being considered in future design and public policy decisions

Apprenticeships

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Using Prolonged Exposure to Treat Abortion-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Alcohol-Dependent Men: A Case Study

Men’s reactions to a partner’s abortion are an understudied area. Few studies have examined abortion as it relates to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in males, and no studies have examined the use of an empirically supported behavioral treatment for PTSD in this population. The current case study examines prolonged exposure (PE) for the treatment of abortion-related PTSD in a 46-year-old White male who also has alcohol dependence. The patient was involved in a residential substance abuse treatment program at the time of treatment. After receiving 12 sessions of PE, the patient experienced a decrease in PTSD symptoms as measured by the Clinician Administered PTSD Rating Scale (87%) and Impact of Event Scale–Revised (85%). The results of this study suggest that the literature supporting PE as a first-line treatment for PTSD can be expanded to include men needing treatment for abortion-related PTSD. Implications for treatment and research are discussed

Don’t Touch That Dial: Psychological Reactance, Transparency, And User Acceptance Of Smart Thermostat Setting Changes

Automation inherently removes a certain amount of user control. If perceived as a loss of freedom, users may experience psychological reactance, which is a motivational state that can lead a person to engage in behaviors to reassert their freedom. In an online experiment, participants set up and communicated with a hypothetical smart thermostat. Participants read notifications about a change in the thermostat\u27s setting. Phrasing of notifications was altered across three dimensions: strength of authoritative language, deviation of temperature change from preferences, and whether or not the reason for the change was transparent. Authoritative language, temperatures outside the user\u27s preferences, and lack of transparency induced significantly higher levels of reactance. However, when the system presented a temperature change outside of the user\u27s preferences, reactance was mitigated and user acceptance was higher if the thermostat\u27s operations were transparent. Providing justification may be less likely to induce psychological reactance and increase user acceptance. This supports efforts to use behavioral approaches, such as demand response, to increase sustainability and limit the impacts of climate change

Early Childhood Supervision: Tensions in the Advancement of Developmentally Appropriate and Social-Justice Oriented Practice

This case examines the complex interactions among university faculty, teacher candidates, and school-based mentor teachers during supervision. In early childhood, among other skills and dispositions, the use of developmentally appropriate practice and an equity focus are important to the overall advancement of teacher candidates’ practice. However, supervisors do not have oversight of the classrooms in which early childhood candidates are placed for field experiences. In some cases, teacher candidates may be expected to conform to or demonstrate practices themselves which are not developmentally appropriate, or which are inequitable. What is the role of the supervising faculty member in these cases, and how can the supervisor navigate the relationship with mentor teacher and host school, while also supporting appropriate and equitable professional growth in the teacher candidate

Risk factors for long-bone fractures in children up to 5 years of age: a nested case–control study

Aim: To investigate risk factors for first long-bone fractures in children up to 5 years old in order to provide evidence about which families could benefit from injury prevention interventions. Methods: Population-based matched nested case–control study using The Health Improvement Network, a UK primary care research database, 1988–2004. Maternal, household and child risk factors for injury were assessed among 2456 children with long-bone fractures (cases). 23 661controls were matched to cases on general practice. Adjusted ORs and 95% CIs were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results: Fractures of long-bones were independently associated with younger maternal age and higher birth order, with children who were the fourth-born in the family, or later, having a threefold greater odds of fracture compared to first-born children (adjusted OR 3.12, 95% CI 2.08 to 4.68). Children over the age of 1 year had a fourfold (13–24 months, adjusted OR 4.09 95% CI 3.51 to 4.76) to fivefold (37+ months, adjusted OR 4.88 95% CI 4.21 to 5.66) increase in the odds of a long-bone fracture compared to children aged 0–12 months. Children in families with a history of maternal alcohol misuse had a raised odds of long-bone fracture (adjusted OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.82) compared to those with no documented history. Conclusions: Risk factors for long-bone fractures in children less than 5 years old included age above 1 year, increasing birth order, younger maternal age and maternal alcohol misuse. These risk factors should be used to prioritise families and communities for injury prevention interventions

Are the special educational needs of children in their first year in primary school in Ireland being identified: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: If the window of opportunity presented by the early years is missed, it becomes increasingly difficult to create a successful life-course. A biopsychosocial model of special educational need with an emphasis on participation and functioning moves the frame of reference from the clinic to the school and the focus from specific conditions to creating supportive environments cognisant of the needs of all children. However, evidence suggests that an emphasis on diagnosed conditions persists and that the needs of children who do not meet these criteria are not identified. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a well-validated, teacher-completed population-level measure of five domains of child development. It is uniquely placed, at the interface between health and education, to explore the developmental status of children with additional challenges within a typically developing population. The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which the special educational needs of children in their first year of formal education have been identified. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ireland in 2011. EDI (teacher completed) scores were calculated for 1344 children. Data were also collected on special needs and on children identified by the teacher as needing assessment. Mean developmental scores were compared using one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Eighty-three children in the sample population (6.2%) had identified special educational needs. A further 132 children were judged by the teacher as needing assessment. Children with special needs had lower mean scores than typically developing children, in all five developmental domains. Children considered by the teacher as needing assessment also had lower scores, which were not significantly different from those of children with special needs. Speech, emotional or behavioural difficulties were the most commonly reported problems among children needing further assessment. There was also a social gradient among this group. CONCLUSIONS: A small but significant number of children have not had their needs adequately assessed. Teacher observation is an effective means of identifying children with a level of impairment which prevents them from fully participating in their educational environment and could be integrated into a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting the needs of all children