Identification of recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals in Ontario, Canada: results from expert panels

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Demand for rehabilitation services is expected to increase due to factors such as an aging population, workforce pressures, rise in chronic and complex multi-system disorders, advances in technology, and changes in interprofessional health service delivery models. However, health human resource (HHR) strategies for Canadian rehabilitation professionals are lagging behind other professional groups such as physicians and nurses. The objectives of this study were: 1) to identify recruitment and retention strategies of rehabilitation professionals including occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech language pathologists from the literature; and 2) to investigate both the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies using expert panels amongst HHR and education experts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A review of the literature was conducted to identify recruitment and retention strategies for rehabilitation professionals. Two expert panels, one on <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and the other on <it>Education </it>were convened to determine the importance and feasibility of the identified strategies. A modified-delphi process was used to gain consensus and to rate the identified strategies along these two dimensions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 34 strategies were identified by the <it>Recruitment and Retention </it>and <it>Education </it>expert panels as being important and feasible for the development of a HHR plan for recruitment and retention of rehabilitation professionals. Seven were categorized under the <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment </it>theme, another seven in <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing</it>, two in <it>Workload and Skill Mix</it>, thirteen in <it>Professional Development </it>and five in <it>Education and Training</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Based on the results from the expert panels, the three major areas of focus for HHR planning in the rehabilitation sector should include strategies addressing <it>Quality of Worklife and Work Environment</it>, <it>Financial Incentives and Marketing </it>and <it>Professional Development</it>.</p

A Preliminary Examination of Derived Relational Responding in the Context of Body Image

Relational Frame Theory (RFT), a contemporary behavioral account of language and cognition, has been offered as an explanatory model of the development and maintenance of body image disturbance. RFT proposes derived relational responding (DRR) as a process through which the functions of a stimulus are transformed consistent with its relation with other stimuli (and absent direct learning contingencies. Conceptual work has assumed DRR to be central to the development and treatment of body image disturbance. This study offers the first empirical investigation of DRR with body-image stimuli, and untrained approach-andescape functions. Participants readily demonstrated mutual and combinatorial entailment with stimuli they generated to represent their own body image, along with images fatter and thinner than themselves. Participants also readily demonstrated transformation of untrained approach-and-escape functions consistent with that of thinner and fatter body images. These findings provide a preliminary demonstration of DRR in the context of body image disturbance and support further research applying RFT in this area

Effects of Binaural Beats on Working Memory Capacity and Positive and Negative Affect

Binaural beats are a growing interests among some researchers in areas such as cognitive, behavioral, and pain management therapies. This type of research have been conducted after various entrainment sessions with binaural beats on working memory capacity and sustained attention, mood states using self-report questionnaires. While preliminary in nature, research has demonstrated positive effects of binaural beats on mood states, and working memory capacity. One limitation with previous research is the binaural beats were embedded in music or ocean sounds. The participants in these studies appear to have been unaware that the binaural beat was there, as no previous research has explicitly assessed participants ability to detect the binaural beat. The current research attempted to remove this limitation and look at the effects that only the binaural beat might have on working memory capacity and positive/negative affect compared to a control audio tone. The hypothesis of this research is that participants in a binaural beat condition will score higher on the Operation Span Task (OSPAN) for working memory capacity (WMC) than participants in a control condition. It is also hypothesized that participants in a binaural beat condition will experience an increase in positive affect on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) 2 and 3 sessions and for a decrease in negative affect on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) 2 and 3 sessions than participants in the control condition. Data from 80 participants has been collected with primary analyses and implications of the findings to be discussed. keyword: binaural beats, working memory capacity, psychological flexibility, positive and negative affec

An examination of transformation of evaluative and consequential functions through derived relations with participant generated values-relevant stimuli

Values-affirmation interventions have demonstrated efficacy in increasing approach behavior in the context of potential threat. In other words, writing about values seems associated with changes to the functions of previously aversive events. Evaluative conditioning and derived relational responding have been offered as possible mechanisms by which values interventions change behavior. The current study aimed to extend the extant literature by demonstrating derived relational responding and subsequent transformation of evaluative and consequential functions with values-relevant stimuli. Participants were 34 undergraduate students. Participants generated personally meaningful values-relevant stimuli after engaging in a values-affirmation task and were subsequently trained through matching to sample to coordinate a subset of those stimuli to arbitrary stimuli. All participants exhibited mutual entailment, and all but one exhibited combinatorial entailment, suggesting that individuals learn to coordinate events with values quite readily. Further, there was evidence of transformation of functions, both in terms of changes in ratings of derived stimuli and in terms of changes in approach and escape behavior. These data are offered in support of continued scientific exploration of what values are, how they emerge, and how they are best intervened upon

Weight-based discrimination in occupational hiring and helping behavior

This study explored weight-based discrimination using a range of weight categories, as represented by images of real women with known body mass index (BMI). In the first study, 30 men rated each image according to likelihood of occupational hiring for a managerial post. In the second study, 28 men rated the same images for likelihood of helping behavior following a minor accident. Study results showed that individuals with a slender body weight (BMI = 19–20) were most likely to be hired and helped, while obese (BMI > 30) participants were least likely to be hired and helped. However, results also showed that emaciated (BMI < 15) individuals were likely to be discriminated against. Implications for real-life settings are discussed