The link between post-qualification experience and self-confidence ratings in two problem-solving domains: a study of radiation therapists

Recognising one’s abilities and limits in clinical tasks is a valuable part of professionalism. This study investigated the self-ratings of problem-solving confidence of radiation therapists (RTs) in two domains: clinical scenarios and critical thinking items (CTIs). We divided the 60 participants into three groups based on post-qualification experience (PQE), and found that greater PQE was linkedwith higher selfrated confidence for clinical scenarios, but not for CTIs

Preferences of Louisiana agronomic crop producers and crop consultants regarding sources of information related to agricultural production

The dissemination of information related to agronomic crop production is crucial to the success of the agriculture industry in Louisiana. This information is distributed by various sources and through multiple methods. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the preferences of Louisiana agronomic crop producers and crop consultants in regards to acquiring information related to their agricultural operations. A secondary purpose was to determine how agronomic crop producers perceived selected LSU AgCenter information sources on accuracy, awareness and frequency of use. Data for the study were obtained through surveys completed by 176 agronomic crop producers and 32 crop consultants. The data were analyzed to determine the two groups’ perceptions of various information sources on issues of usefulness, frequency of use and the preference of particular sources. The participants’ perceptions of selected LSU AgCenter information sources were also analyzed for awareness, frequency of use and accuracy. The majority of agronomic crop producers were white (99.4%). Their average age was 48.6 years old, and they had been farming agronomic crops for an average of 25.2 years. The majority of the crop consultants in the study were white (100%), male (96.9%) and were college graduates (96.9%). The findings indicated that both groups actively used many of the information sources featured in the study. Consultants were the most preferred source for agronomic crop producers followed closely by sources affiliated with the LSU AgCenter. For consultants, LSU AgCenter personnel were the most preferred source followed closely by other crop consultants and LSU AgCenter print materials. Both groups had a similar preference toward interpersonal information sources. Mass media sources were scored lower by both groups. Because both groups had a preference toward interpersonal communication, organizations that plan to communicate with these two groups should include an interpersonal communication component in any information campaigns. Additionally, it is important for a source to be perceived by agronomic crop producers as a source that disseminates accurate information. According to producers, accuracy is a crucial characteristic in terms of the usage of an information source

Pharmacist perception of opioid overuse for analgesia in the retail setting

Opioid analgesics are a class of medications with affinity for receptors in the brain which are naturally targeted by endogenous opioid peptides to exert neuromodulatory action.\u27 Long before this target pathway was ever elucidated, ancient cultures had documented use of a naturally occurring plant derivative, opium, which provided the same effects as opioid drugs today. The active alkaloid constituent of opium is morphine. The human body\u27s equivalents of these substrates interact with multiple types of opioid receptors which produce the effects responsible for pain relief. In addition, there are also unwanted side effects including constipation, nemesis, and respiratory depression. Contributing to those undesirable factors, are receptor-induced responses such as euphoria, tolerance, and physical dependence which provide a causal link to medication abuse.2 While there have been multiple studies done which evaluate the efficacy of opioids in chronic pain, that determine the pain relief achieved by opioids versus placebo, and those relating structural modifications to potency and receptor specificity, an initial literature search of the relationship of chemical changes to the opioid ring system to over utilization of the analgesics shows a lack of information. The rate of use among the general public is growing at a rapid pace, with certain opioid prescriptions experiencing an 800% rise in fill rate over the past decade alone.\u27 It has been asserted that this class of medications is the most commonly prescribed in the entire US.\u27 Although that may be true in terms of prescription volume, just greater than 3% of adults are on chronic opioid therapy for treatment of pain not related to 2 malignancies,s with chronic treatment being defined as consecutive usage for greater than three months time

Lesbian and Gay Parents’ Experiences and their Relationships with/in Schools: An Alberta Study

Researchers have identified challenges for sexual minority individuals in schools; however, attention to lesbian and gay parents’ experiences with their children’s schools has not been given. We used a qualitativecase study involving one identified gay couple and one identified lesbian couple to document their experiences and relationships with/in their children’s urban publicly funded schools. Individual interviews with these parents were the chief data source, which we augmented through reviewing school documents. Through the lens of critical queer theory, we interpreted three themes: (1) lesbian and gay parents are shaped by the teachers’, administrators’, and other parents’ openness of attitudes and willingness to question assumptions about family; (2) lesbian and gay parents feel included, or excluded, depending on the policy and administrative processes that symbolically frame definitions of parenthood; and (3) lesbian and gay parents are sensitive to school climate as expressed through gesture, speech, and artefacts in the school. These four parents had the social capital to navigate barriers and opportunities. However, through the lens of critical queer theory, we conclude that there are real and symbolic markers and practices that normalize a heterosexual understanding of ‘parent’ in two-parent families that necessitates lesbian and gay parents to be intentional and vigilante about their positions in ways that heterosexual parents are not required to be to feel welcome in schools

Going Home: Evacuation-Migration Decisions of Hurricane Katrina Survivors

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many evacuees from the Gulf region began the difficult process of deciding whether to rebuild or restart elsewhere. We examine pre-Katrina Gulf residents’ decision to return to the post-disaster Gulf region—which we call the “return migration” decision. We estimate two separate return migration models, first utilizing data from a mail survey of individuals in the affected region and then focusing on self-administered questionnaires of evacuees in Houston. Our results indicate that return migration can be affected by household income; age; education level; employment, marital and home ownership status; but the results depend upon the population under consideration. We find no impact of “connection to place” on the return migration decision. While the impact of income is relatively small, we find that the real wage differential between home and host region influences the likelihood of return. Larger implicit costs, in terms of foregone wages for returning, induce a lower likelihood of return. Exploiting this difference at the individual level, we are able to produce estimates of willingness to pay to return home. Average WTP to return home for a sample of relatively poor households is estimated at $1.94 per hour or$3,954 per year.