Expatriate Guide to Beijing, China

The hospitality industry spans the globe, employing millions of jobs worldwide. In recent years, many well-known hotel companies such as, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott, Fairmont, Four Seasons, and The Peninsula, have expanded their portfolios around the world. With this vast expansion hospitality companies look for leaders that want to have unique experiences, and are able to travel the world during their career. The Asian economic market has done extremely well, particularly Mainland China, the People’s Republic of China. In response to this, Americans have packed their bags and headed to China to live and work in the hospitality industry. According to the Sixth National Population Census of the People’s Republic of China conducted in 2010, there are 71,493 Americans residing in Mainland China (Sixth National Population Census of the People’s Republic of China, 2010). Americans have found that living in China can be very rewarding for their career growth and experience. One must wonder though, what it is like to live in China, what challenges hospitality leaders encounter there, how similar experiences are by Americans serving in China, how hiring for new properties is conducted, and how all of these experiences compare to what would occur in the U.S. Answers to these questions, along with many others could significantly help American expatriates planning to live in China or living and working there today

Maxwell's Equations on a 10-Dimensional Manifold with local Symmetry so(2,3)

The Hawthorn model is built upon the idea that the Lie algebra so(2, 3) is a more natural description of the local structure of spacetime than the Poincar´e Lie algebra. This model uses a 10-dimensional spacetime referred to as an ADS manifold. We find the model to be inconsistent with Maxwell’s equations. We investigate why this is so and proceed to revise the model so as to restore consistency with electromagnetic theory. Consequently we find that the Faraday-Gauss equations (a subset of Maxwell’s equations) arise naturally from the geometry of an ADS manifold

A Career Eulogy Reflective Exercise: A View into Early Professional Identity Formation

Beginning medical students have a very early idea of what their physician identity will be. Providing a brief structured opportunity to reflect on the end of their career can be an important first step in identity formation. A reflective exercise was used in the summer prior to beginning medical school as each class of students at a regional rural medical school began a summer prematriculation program from 2015-2019. Students wrote what they wished to be said about them at the end of their career using a “Career Eulogy.” Identifiers were removed and narratives were coded into recurring text clusters by the authors. The students, on an anonymous evaluation, strongly agreed that the exercise facilitated the accomplishment of the program goals. Reflections from 42 entering medical students indicated a preference to be remembered for compassion, passion, quality, and patient relationships. Men more frequently mentioned family and enjoying life, and women more frequently mentioned patient relationships. Rural students included quality and being a teacher of medical students more frequently, and those with a physician parent included passion and community more frequently. Those who later chose family medicine as a specialty more often included references to enjoying life and family. This reflective exercise provided useful insight into early professional identity formation among these medical students and served to encourage group discussion. It could be used with larger, more diverse groups to determine its value and clarify true differences among the demographic and specialty choice patterns. This exercise could also be used annually for each student, providing a longitudinal view of identity formation

The Impact of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: The View from a Rural Kentucky Hospital

Abstract Introduction Cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) increased 3-fold in the United States from 2000 to 2009, with some indication that the problem may be worse in rural areas. The purpose of our study was to report the incidence of NAS in a small rural community with a regional referral hospital and describe aspects of these infants’ NICU stay. Methods Using maternal prenatal positive urine drug screens (UDS) as our initial focus, deliveries at 35 weeks or beyond between March 2015 and May 2016 were included. NAS severity score, length of NICU stay, and hospital charges for each infant were obtained from chart review. Results Thirty three of 981 infants developed NAS requiring NICU admission. Most of these were not identified by either a prenatal history or a routine first prenatal visit UDS. For the 7 infants who were identified as at risk by a positive UDS early in pregnancy, the average length of stay in the NICU was 10 days, the average NAS score was 8, and the average NICU charge was $46,000 compared to$3,440 charge for a term normal newborn. Discussion Many studies have shown that neonatal abstinence syndrome is becoming more common, and some suggest that it may be a bigger problem in rural areas. While prenatal UDS may be helpful, many exposed infants will be missed. Even when exposure is proven, without reasonable access to medication assisted treatment during pregnancy, the outcome may still be unfavorable. The precise prevalence and cost in rural hospitals that serve as regional referral centers are needed for adequate health service planning. This planning includes strategies to increase local access to treatment options for pregnant women dependent on opioids

Why Medical Students Choose Rural Clinical Campuses For Training: A Report From Two Campuses At Opposite Ends Of The Commonwealth

Introduction Although US medical schools have increased their enrollment by about 30%, most of the increase has occurred in urban areas. The affinity model proposes that rural training of a rural student will more likely result in a rural physician, but the exact role of these rural campuses is unclear. Do they solidify and reinforce a pre-existing career plan, do they create social and marital ties that make the transition to rural medicine easier, or could they be replaced with a briefer and more efficient rural rotation? We administered a questionnaire to students attending two different two year rural clinical campuses in the same state in order to explore their opinions regarding the advantages of a rural campus. Methods Two different rural M3-M4 year clinical campuses, affiliated with different medical schools in the same state, administered surveys to 70 medical students across all four years of medical school. Both schools selectively recruit rural students to the rural campuses, and require a campus decision at admission. Both schools require students to attend their first two years at an urban campus, and transfer to the rural campus for clinical education. Questions addressed student opinions on rural campus location, recommendations from others regarding attendance, campus atmosphere and social life, teaching methods and involvement in patient care. Comparisons were analyzed using the non-parametric Mann Whitney U test. Results The top five reasons students chose a rural campus included three aspects of rural training and two features of being rural. There were small differences between the two campuses regarding the importance of more procedures during training and more outdoor activities, the opportunity to study with friends, and strength of local leadership, reflecting differences in the practice setting and the environment of the two campuses. Differences were also noted between upper-level and lower-level students regarding the importance of studying with friends, and the chances of meeting a future spouse. Finally, very rural students (30 miles from urban area) were less concerned with availability of scholarships, and lack of fine dining, but viewed the opportunity to study with friends more favorably. Conclusions This study adds to the published literature by surveying students at multiple rural campuses by year of training. There were many more similarities than differences, but there were differences between the two campuses, and there were also differences as the students progressed in their training, and differences between very rural students and other students attending the campus. Rural campuses provide both clinical and social support for students contemplating rural practice. Results of the survey indicate both are of importance to the students as well, with quality of training the most important factor

A closer look into empathy among medical students: The career eulogy as a lens

Background Empathy is widely considered to be key to being an effective physician. The measurement of empathy is important to those designing medical education. The majority of the literature on empathy is based on survey scales that ask the learner to express their degree of agreement with a series of statements. We have previously studied and published an entirely projective measure that we term a career eulogy. Methods We had 65 students based at a regional rural medical school campus complete measures of a career eulogy (CE) and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) over their four years in medical school. We then calculated weighted correlations between these two instruments. We also asked students to rank 10 factors that they thought affected student responses about empathy. Results We found a significant moderate correlation of JSE score with mentions of compassion on the CE (r = 0.414, p= 0.001). We also found that women scored higher on both instruments. The only factor showing consensus among students was that the general outlook on life was the most likely factor explaining student empathy responses. Conclusions Mentions in the compassion category on the CE appear to be measuring a concept very similar to empathy on the JSE. Students expressed that factors affecting their responses about empathy are very individual and that only interventions to change the general outlook on life may affect these measures of empathy. Having used the CE for the last five years, we find it to be a brief, very useful exercise both for measurement of empathy and as a group facilitation method in our professional identity curriculum. We welcome others to use our CE instrument in larger and more diverse groups to determine its true value in both measuring empathy and facilitating group process

Cloud Workflow Automation

The goal of our project was to develop an application in the cloud which automates complex business tasks. The application allows users to create configurable events consisting of a trigger followed by an action. Triggers are designed for common tasks such as scanning a directory or email inbox for new files. When a new file is detected, the application triggers the execution of an associated action such as sending an email alerting the user of the changes or processing and moving the files. Users are thus able to automate complex tasks by configuring event sequences, leading to an increase in productivity and work efficiency on a daily basis. The project also investigated the logistics of deploying applications to the cloud, by researching new tools and technologies used for cloud deployment. Our project consists of a REST driven server, along with a website and a small desktop tray application. We successfully employed several technologies for continuous integration and modular design. Also by hosting the application as a service in the cloud, we solved several problems for both the customer and the applications’ developers. There is no need for a lengthy installation process for the customer, and the developers now have an easier way to regularly update the application to meet customers’ needs. The outcome of the project was both a developed cloud application and research on new technologies for cloud deployment.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1163/thumbnail.jp

Keeping Rural Medical Students Connected to their Roots: A “Home for the Holidays” Immersion Experience

Keeping Rural Medical Students Connected to their Roots: A “Home for the Holidays” Immersion Experience Abstract Introduction Preclinical medical students with an initial affinity for rural practice often experience urban disruption during training. Longer summer rural immersion experiences have been shown to be somewhat effective in keeping rural students connected to their rural roots. Some students cannot adapt their schedules to these longer experiences. In response, a brief practice experience near home during the winter break of the academic year was established. Methods Nineteen detailed rural practice assessments were completed by preclinical medical students during school years 2009-2014 and essays and anonymous evaluations of the experience were analyzed. Results All students reported the four components of the experience increased understanding of rural medicine and all but 2 reported it was relevant to their career objectives. These two, at this early stage in training, decided rural practice was not for them and subsequently chose sub-specialty training. Six of the 12 (50%) who have completed medical school chose a family medicine residency. The themes in the essay portion included insights into rural lifestyle, returning home, health system organization issues, and patient expectations and traditions. Conclusions Initial experience with a “home for the holidays” approach for rural immersion of rural medical students was successful in reconnecting these students to their roots, and 17/19 (90%) reported their intention to choose rural practice

A Curious Reflection

A regional campus dean provides a reflection for colleagues on the importance of maintaining curiosity to find meaning in work