Exploring the Wholeness and Learning Climates of Graduate Students at a Religious University

Background: Graduate school students continuously face pressure to perform and excel, especially within highly competitive allied health graduate programs. Not surprisingly, rates of anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout for college/university students are concerning. Recent evidence suggests that intentionally fostered learning and wholeness climates have the potential to positively impact students’ higher education journeys. Resilience and grit are also vital components to aid in optimal personal and academic outcomes. Goal of the Study: The current study’s goal was to discover if a stated institutional policy and philosophy about a commitment to fostering wholeness influenced the perceived wholeness and learning climates of three graduate programs within Loma Linda University’s School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP), thus potentially positively impacting burnout, life satisfaction, and well-being while also considering the influences of resilience, grit, stress, anxiety, depression, and religion/spirituality. Participants and Methods: In the qualitative, first phase, faculty (N = 6) were recruited to participate in key informant interviews to help further guide the student survey. In phase two, all students present for on-campus classes from three departments were given the opportunity to participate in a survey (N = 360). In phase three of the study, graduate students (N = 27) from the participating SAHP departments (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy) were recruited to participate in a focus group (three total). Results: Quantitative results were statistically significant for all four hierarchical multiple regression models exploring variables of interests for the study outcomes of burnout/disengagement (B/D), burnout/exhaustion (B/E), satisfaction with life (SWL), and overall well-being (WB). Variances of the final models explained 45.8% for SWL, 36.9% for B/D, 46.4% for B/E, and 42.5% for WB. For B/D, wholeness and learning climates, grit, and spirituality (peace) continued in significance, and for B/E, learning climate, anxiety, depression, and spirituality (peace and faith) remained significant. For SWL, stress and spirituality (meaning and peace) were significant throughout. WB’s final model included significance for learning climate, depression, and spirituality (peace). Patterns for qualitative results revealed four overall themes which helped further contextualize the quantitative findings: 1) Wholeness with sub-themes of a) Interactions/personalized care at LLU, b) Appreciation for spirituality, c) Reaching out to others, d) Whole person health focus, and e) Barriers to wholeness; 2) Stressors with sub-themes of a) Financial burden, b) Parking, c) Academic-based social stressors, d) Limitations with family and friends, e) Surviving versus learning, and f) Medical/mental health components; 3) Resources with sub-themes of a) Mindy, body, and spirit and b) Support from professors and classmates; and 4) Recommendations with sub-themes of a) Communicating to increase awareness of resources, b) Interprofessional opportunities, and c) On-campus needs. Conclusions: While overall a wholeness-based philosophy does make a difference for students, we recommend to more intentionally build upon existing programs, taking into account the student needs and barriers identified. Supportive university programming and policy are further recommended. Keywords: Learning climate, wholeness, life satisfaction, burnout, well-being, anxiety, depression, stress, resilience, grit, religion, spirituality, university student

The primary cosmic ray spectrum above 10 to the 19th power eV

Progress on a re-evaluation of the spectrum of cosmic rays determined with the Haverah Park shower array is described. Particular attention is paid to the reality of some giant showers

Structuring visual exploratory analysis of skill demand

The analysis of increasingly large and diverse data for meaningful interpretation and question answering is handicapped by human cognitive limitations. Consequently, semi-automatic abstraction of complex data within structured information spaces becomes increasingly important, if its knowledge content is to support intuitive, exploratory discovery. Exploration of skill demand is an area where regularly updated, multi-dimensional data may be exploited to assess capability within the workforce to manage the demands of the modern, technology- and data-driven economy. The knowledge derived may be employed by skilled practitioners in defining career pathways, to identify where, when and how to update their skillsets in line with advancing technology and changing work demands. This same knowledge may also be used to identify the combination of skills essential in recruiting for new roles. To address the challenges inherent in exploring the complex, heterogeneous, dynamic data that feeds into such applications, we investigate the use of an ontology to guide structuring of the information space, to allow individuals and institutions to interactively explore and interpret the dynamic skill demand landscape for their specific needs. As a test case we consider the relatively new and highly dynamic field of Data Science, where insightful, exploratory data analysis and knowledge discovery are critical. We employ context-driven and task-centred scenarios to explore our research questions and guide iterative design, development and formative evaluation of our ontology-driven, visual exploratory discovery and analysis approach, to measure where it adds value to users’ analytical activity. Our findings reinforce the potential in our approach, and point us to future paths to build on

Veterans’ perceptions of racial bias in VA mental healthcare and their impacts on patient engagement and patient-provider communication

Objectives Drawing from social identity threat theory, which posits that stigmatized groups are attuned to situational cues that signal racial bias, we examined how African-American veterans evaluate verbal and non-verbal cues in their mental health encounters. We also explored how their evaluations of perceived racial bias might influence their healthcare engagement behaviors and communication. Methods We interviewed 85 African-American veterans who were receiving mental health services from the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), examining their views and experiences of race in healthcare. We analyzed the data using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Results Participants identified several identity threatening cues that include lack of racial diversity representation in healthcare settings, and perceptions of providers’ fears of Black patients. We describe how participants evaluated situational cues as identity threats, and how these cues affected their engagement behaviors and healthcare communication. Conclusion Our findings revealed situational cues within clinical encounters that create for Black veterans, fear of being negatively judged based on stereotypes that have characterized African-Americans

Primary Care Providers\u27 Attitudes and Practices Regarding Cancer Screening in Older Adults.

Introduction: Cancer-screening decisions for older adults should be individualized. However, conducting such complex shared decisions may be challenging for primary care providers (PCPs). Additionally, there is little information on how PCPs make these decisions. This study consisted of a provider survey and chart review to assess current PCP approaches to breast and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with patients age ≥75. Methods: PCP survey questions: panel age, comfort with discussion of screening harms and benefits, screening decision-making process, and discussion style. One Hundred charts were chosen from a random sample of male and female patients ≥75 with a recent office visit. Chart reviews assessed whether providers recommended screening for breast and/or colon cancer in patients ≥75, if there was a documented screening discussion, and if screening was completed. Results: Fifty-one PCPs completed the survey. PCPs varied in the proportions of older adults they recommended for breast and CRC screening. 90.2% reported feeling very (43.1%) or somewhat (47.1%) comfortable discussing reasons for/against screening with older patients. Top screening considerations: life expectancy (84.3%), patient preference (82.4%), and severity of medical conditions (70.6%). Three-quarters (74.55%) reported a shared decision-making approach with discussion of harms/ benefits. Of 61 eligible patients, 8(13.1%) had a documented discussion regarding mammography. Of 58 patients eligible for CRC screening, 7(12.1%) had a documented discussion. Discussion: Findings showed inconsistency in PCP approaches to cancer screening in older adults and in discussion documentation. There is ample room for improvement in standardizing approaches and documentation of cancer screening discussions with older patients

Cataclysmic Variables in the First Year of the Zwicky Transient Facility

Using selection criteria based on amplitude, time, and color, we have identified 329 objects as known or candidate cataclysmic variables (CVs) during the first year of testing and operation of the Zwicky Transient Facility. Of these, 90 are previously confirmed CVs, 218 are strong candidates based on the shape and color of their light curves obtained during 3–562 days of observation, and the remaining 21 are possible CVs but with too few data points to be listed as good candidates. Almost half of the strong candidates are within 10 deg of the galactic plane, in contrast to most other large surveys that have avoided crowded fields. The available Gaia parallaxes are consistent with sampling the low mass transfer CVs, as predicted by population models. Our follow-up spectra have confirmed Balmer/helium emission lines in 27 objects, with four showing high-excitation He ii emission, including candidates for an AM CVn, a polar, and an intermediate polar. Our results demonstrate that a complete survey of the Galactic plane is needed to accomplish an accurate determination of the number of CVs existing in the Milky Way