Immigration and Status Exchange in Australia and the United States

The claim that marriage is a venue for status exchange of achieved traits, like education, and ascribed attributes, notably race and ethnic membership, has regained traction in the social stratification literature. Most studies that consider status exchanges ignore birthplace as a social boundary for status exchanges via couple formation. This paper evaluates the status exchange hypothesis for Australia and the United States, two Anglophone nations with long immigration traditions whose admission regimes place different emphases on skills. A loglinear analysis reveals evidence of status exchange in the United States among immigrants with lower levels of education and mixed nativity couples with foreign-born husbands. Partly because Australian educational boundaries are less sharply demarcated at the postsecondary level, we find is weaker evidence for the status exchange hypothesis. Australian status exchanges across nativity boundaries usually involve marriages between immigrant spouses with a postsecondary credential below a college degree and native-born high school graduates.Status exchange, immigration, educational assortative mating

The future of cattle veterinary practice: insights from a qualitative study

The British livestock sector is constantly changing due to environmental and economic pressures, consequentially causing a shift in demand on farm veterinary services. The aim of this study was to explore the future of cattle veterinary practice, using a qualitative approach. Telephone interviews were organised with key opinion leaders within the cattle farm and veterinary sectors to discuss their opinions on the future of the profession. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. The analysis of these interviews resulted in the development of six key themes that emerged as being important in the future of cattle veterinary practice; veterinary business structure, veterinary practice income, collaboration, the changing role of the cattle vet, the vet–farmer relationship and the new generation of cattle vets. The study identified that the role of the cattle veterinary practitioner in the UK is changing with an increasing focus on data handling, people management and training and advisory skills. It is important that these findings are accounted for in the development of undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary training

The impact of assessment on constructive alignment of a modern veterinary curriculum

Constructive alignment (CA) describes an approach to education where teaching, learning and assessment are aligned to allow the learner to achieve the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the course. Assessment has a strong influence on learning and therefore the potential to have either a positive or negative impact on CA. The aim of the research in this thesis is to explore the effects of assessment on CA. The context for the research is the final year of study within the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SVMS), at the University of Nottingham. Five mixed methods studies were conducted utilising questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. In study one the ILOs of the course were defined and subsequently used in study two as a framework for an alumni survey to determine how well prepared graduates feel for clinical practice. Studies three and four investigated the impact of assessments on learning behaviour, namely multiple-choice questions (MCQ), directly observed procedural skills (DOPS) and the script concordance test (SCT). Finally in study five the influence of the transition to practice on learning behaviour during final year was explored. Graduates felt well prepared by the SVMS curriculum for a career in practice with respect to all ILOs. However, assessments were not rated so highly when considered alone. DOPS and to some extent the SCT are considered to be authentic assessment formats and encourage a deep approach to learning. The MCQ in this context results in surface learning strategies being adopted. The imminent transition to practice has a positive effect on learning behaviour, however this conflicts with the preparation required for final year examinations. Elements of the assessment strategy that have a positive and negative impact on CA are identified and discussed. Changes to the curriculum are proposed to enhance CA and ease the transition to practice

An investigation into the clinical reasoning development of veterinary students

Clinical reasoning is a fundamental skill for veterinary clinicians and a competency required of graduates by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. However, it is unknown how veterinary students develop reasoning skills and where strengths and shortcomings of curricula lie. This research aimed to use the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science (SVMS) as a case study to investigate the development of clinical reasoning among veterinary students. The analysis was framed in consideration of the taught, learned, and declared curricula. Sixteen staff and sixteen students from the SVMS participated separately in a total of four focus groups. In addition, five interviews were conducted with recent SVMS graduates. Audio transcriptions were used to conduct a thematic analysis. A content analysis was performed on all curriculum documentation. It was found that SVMS graduates feel they have a good level of reasoning ability, but they still experience a deficit in their reasoning capabilities when starting their first job. Overarching themes arising from the data suggest that a lack of responsibility for clinical decisions during the program and the embedded nature of the clinical reasoning skill within the curriculum could be restricting development. In addition, SVMS students would benefit from clinical reasoning training where factors influencing ‘‘real life’’ decisions (e.g., finances) are explored in more depth. Integrating these factors into the curriculum could lead to improved decision-making ability among SVMS graduates and better prepare students for the stressful transition to practice. These findings are likely to have implications for other veterinary curricula

Measuring the success of specific health problem consultations in cats and dogs: a systematic review

Consultations are complex interactions, are central to achieving optimal outcomes for all stakeholders, yet what constitutes a successful consultation has not been defined. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the scope of the literature available on specific health problem consultations and appraise their identified success measures. Searches of CAB Abstracts and MEDLINE were performed in May 2016 using species and consultation terms. Systematic sorting of the results allowed identification of consultation ‘success factors’ cited in peer-reviewed veterinary literature which were appraised using an appropriate critical appraisal tool (AXIS). Searches returned 11 330 results with a total of 17 publications meeting the inclusion criteria, of which four measured consultation success. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association was the most common journal of publication (9 of 17) and the majority of included papers had been published since 2010 (12 of 17). Success factors measured were compliance, client satisfaction and veterinary surgeon satisfaction, and publications primarily used communication analysis tools to measure success. The review highlights the paucity of peer-reviewed literature examining small animal, health problem veterinary consultations. The available evidence is of variable quality and provides weak evidence as to which factors contribute to a successful consultation

Attitudes of UK veterinary students towards careers in the production animal sector: A mixed methods approach

Background: Within the production animal sector, it has long been forecast that demand for veterinary services could outstrip supply. This study aims to identify factors influencing veterinary undergraduates’ attitudes towards a career in farm animal veterinary practice and how those factors may be influenced by their experiences during their time as an undergraduate. Methods: An online survey was distributed to all vet schools in the UK and Ireland. Thematic analysis and descriptive data analysis were performed on the 1146 responses received. Results: Seven themes were identified: relationships, preferences and interest, fit, direct experience, fear, ethics and values and lifestyle. When considering first job choice, extra mural studies (EMS) and personal interest (60% and 75% of respondents respectively) were very influential. Factors that appeal or put off respondents from a career in farm animal varied dependent on anticipated first job (p < 0.001), but working hours and out of hours were consistently identified as barriers. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of EMS being more transparent about the profession and using the opportunity to discuss undergraduate concerns regarding farm animal practice