From the Provost

Advisors Gathering – Follow Up -- Visit to Yukon College -- News from Ketchikan Campus -- Sitka WhaleFest – November 3-5, 2017 -- Digital Faculty Fellows -- Dean/Director Recruitment Update -- EAB Kick Off -- URECA Grant Applications Now Available -- Save the Date: Juneau Campus “Spring Start-up” Events – January 9th -- News Engagement --GERs at UAS -- Faculty Development Fund

The impact of school counseling on student educational outcomes in high schools: What can we learn about effectiveness from statewide evaluations of school counseling practice in Nebraska and Utah?

Jay Carey and Karen Harrington synthesize what they\u27ve learned from their research regarding statewide evaluations of school counseling practices in Utah and Nebraska. The authors summarize key introductory context points, methods and results, in addition to offering critical perspectives that discuss limitations of the study like the use of a cross-sectional rather than longitudinal design that limits outcome measurability

Does a group-based self-esteem enhancement program improve students’ self-esteem as they transition into middle school?

St. Germaine, Harrington, and Dimmitt present a brief overview and analysis of the article, Effects of a self-esteem intervention program on school-age children, originally published in Pediatric Nursing. The authors present a summary of the key components of the article including the introduction, method and results of the study. They offer an additional analysis of implications for future practice, including a discussion of the positive impacts of self-esteem programs during transitional periods for students

Does Student Success Skills have an impact on school connectedness and self-regulation of inner-city, African-American elementary students?

Brief overview of the article, Connectedness and Self-Regulation as Constructs of the Student Success Skills Program in Inner-City African American Elementary School Students, originally published in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The authors include a summary of the key components of the original study, including the introduction, method, and results sections of the paper. In addition, they offer a critical perspective speaking to the limitations of the study and a section addressing implications for practice like the effects of school counseling interventions on academic achievement indicators

CSCORE’s Annual Review of Research

Presented at the annual American Counseling Association National Conference in San Francisco, CA, this presentation outlines and summarizes the most cutting edge in school counseling research from the years 2011-2012

CSCORE\u27s Annual Review of Research

Presented at the 2010 American Counseling Association (ACA) National Conference, this presentation outlines and summarizes the most cutting edge in school counseling research from the years 2009-2010

And The Studies Say....

Presented at the annual American School Counseling Association National Conference in Dallas, TX, this presentation outlines and summarizes the multi-state school counseling research project

Non medical prescribing leads views on their role and the implementation of non medical prescribing from a multi-organisational perspective

BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom, non-medical prescribing (NMP) has been identified as one way to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. Healthcare organisations are charged with overseeing the clinical governance of NMP and guidance recommends the identification of a lead director to be responsible for its implementation. While over twelve million items are prescribed each year by the 50,000 qualified NMPs its uptake is inconsistent. Several studies have explored the barriers to NMP at a practice level, however little is known about the role the NMP lead and the implementation of NMP from an organisational perspective. The aim of this research was to explore the role of the organisational NMP lead across a range of practice settings within one Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and consider the development of NMP from a multi-organisational perspective. METHODS: Semi-structured telephone interviews with 28 NMP leads across one SHA were undertaken by a trained qualitative researcher. Interviews addressed the purpose of the role and difficulties encountered; audiotapes were transcribed, coded and themes were identified. RESULTS: The NMP lead role comprised of four main functions; communication, coordinating, clinical governance and support. Factors hampering progress in overseeing the safe development of NMP included lack of clarity about the NMP lead role and responsibilities, strategic support and a lack of protected time. The extent to which clinical governance systems were in place across organisations was inconsistent. Where a strategic approach to its development was adopted, fewer barriers were encountered and NMP was more likely to become embedded within organisations. CONCLUSIONS: The significant contribution that NMP leads play in embedding NMP within organisations should be acknowledged by clearer national guidance for this role and its responsibilities. Greater standardisation and consistency is required of clinical governance systems if quality and safety is to be ensured given the expanding development of NMP. The extent to which NMP is in place worldwide differs. However, our findings will be of interest to policymakers in other countries involved in the development and implementation of this role

Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection: An ongoing conundrum for clinicians and for clinical laboratories

SUMMARY: Clostridium difficile is a formidable nosocomial and community-acquired pathogen, causing clinical presentations ranging from asymptomatic colonization to self-limiting diarrhea to toxic megacolon and fulminant colitis. Since the early 2000s, the incidence of C. difficile disease has increased dramatically, and this is thought to be due to the emergence of new strain types. For many years, the mainstay of C. difficile disease diagnosis was enzyme immunoassays for detection of the C. difficile toxin(s), although it is now generally accepted that these assays lack sensitivity. A number of molecular assays are commercially available for the detection of C. difficile. This review covers the history and biology of C. difficile and provides an in-depth discussion of the laboratory methods used for the diagnosis of C. difficile infection (CDI). In addition, strain typing methods for C. difficile and the evolving epidemiology of colonization and infection with this organism are discussed. Finally, considerations for diagnosing C. difficile disease in special patient populations, such as children, oncology patients, transplant patients, and patients with inflammatory bowel disease, are described. As detection of C. difficile in clinical specimens does not always equate with disease, the diagnosis of C. difficile infection continues to be a challenge for both laboratories and clinicians