Transcending Thresholds: A Phenomenological Study of How African American Women Working in the Federal Government Experience Professional Development

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the professional development experiences of federally employed African American women and to discover whether and how they perceive race and gender as informing their professional development. The researcher used an existential phenomenological approach, guided by the following research questions: what are the professional development experiences of African American women working in the federal government?; what, if any, challenges to professional development have been experienced by this population, and what meaning do they find in those experiences?; and what are the perceptions of this population regarding how social-organizational constructs inform their professional development? The theories used in this study to illuminate the participants’ experiences included feminism, critical race theory, black feminist thought, and organizational development theory. Through data analysis, the study results pointed to “transcending thresholds” as the essence of how the selected population experienced professional development, which was elucidated through seven (7) themes: (1) twice the fight, (2) contending with challenges and barriers, (3) understanding self and self-efficacy, (4) professional development investors, (5) impact of education, (6) motivational factors and influences, and (7) collective responsibility. The results of this study provide organizational decision makers with a better understanding of this population’s perspective, which will provide better opportunities to more effectively address and manage conflicts stemming from their underrepresentation in higher-level positions. This study also contributes to the understanding of workplace conflict experienced by this population, which may inform policies developed by agencies that could help manage, reduce, or resolve those workplace conflicts

Discussing “eScience and the Evolution of Library Services”

Following an eScience day at the University of Utah held on February 20, 2012, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region invited participants who attended either in person or via the broadcast to engage in an online discussion. This discussion provided the opportunity for them to debrief, continue to learn from each other, and share what was significant to them about the day. Using the research cycle as the focus, participants identified roles librarians could play, the skills and knowledge they needed, and the steps they should take in order to effectively support eScience. This article summarizes the ideas that resulted from their discussion

Does a Web-first Tailored Design Method Work with Rural Populations?

Considering rural populations are historically difficult to reach, an important component of this research revolves around improving survey techniques in rural areas. To address this issue, a web-first Tailored Design Method (TDM), utilizing a mixed-mode of internet and postal mail surveys, was adapted to research the quality of life experienced by rural families. Aided by the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology – Survey Research Services, data were collected from 62 rural counties in Arkansas. Socioeconomic-demographic factors were examined regarding survey response mode (i.e. mail vs. web) with some differences found. Logistic regression results demonstrated males were less likely to use web only responses compared to females. Similarly, higher education and income levels were associated with an increased likelihood of utilizing web response methods opposed to the mail-only response mode. Overall, the web-first TDM approach seems effective for garnering responses from harder to reach populations and should be considered when surveying rural populations

Training Faculty in the Principles of Inter-Professional Education: A Pilot Faculty Development Program

After several site visits, conferences and a review of the IPE literature, the IPE team decided that interprofes-sionalfaculty development was an early priority. Five IPE team members (MD, KS, LK, CA, and BW) attended the EHPIC Faculty Development Certificationtraining course in Toronto, Ontario in 2013. Our project was to begin to design three core IPE Faculty Development workshops for the HSC.https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_ipe_posters/1004/thumbnail.jp

UNM HSC Environmental Scan Survey Results

According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO 2010) all learning activities in the IPE curriculum must be interprofessional. There are currently pockets of IPE activities across the UNM HSC campus. There have been IPE courses offered in the past on campus with great success and strong faculty support and commitment. An IPE Team was formally organized through the support of HSC professional programs. The IPE Teams goal is to build critical capacity by identifying where we can connect or expand with faculty who are engaged in IPE activities and increase and sustain UNM HSC IPE programming. The HSC IPE Environmental Scan was designed by the IPE Team to gather UNM HSC IPE information about: 1) What IPE Activity is currently occurring, 2) What IPE activity occurred in the past, and 3) What is the quality of IPE on campus, present and past.\u27https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc_ipe_posters/1002/thumbnail.jp