The double punch of workplace bullying/harassment leading to depression: legal and other measures to help South African employers ward off a fatal blow

Sadly, in addition to being cutting-edge, the modern-day workplace is also increasingly cut-throat, having become a breeding ground for interpersonal violence, including bullying and (sexual) harassment. In South Africa, the country’s notorious problem with violence in broader society is perhaps partly to blame. Yet, when workplace bullying/harassment intersects with employee depression, this could be a double punch with which very few workplaces are able to cope. The issue of workplace violence undoubtedly requires attention: from the 1944 Declaration of Philadelphia to the 2019 International Labour Organisation Recommendation 206 and Convention 190 call for a world of work free from violence and harassment. South Africa’s National Development Plan, too, confirms every person’s right to a working life that is conducive to productivity and embraces freedom, equality, human dignity and security. Nevertheless, South African employers and lawmakers remain sluggish in their response. This article adds momentum to the process (i) by defining workplace violence, and bullying and (sexual) harassment as forms thereof; (ii) by discussing the double punch of bullying/harassment and depression; and (iii) by establishing whether the South African legal framework sufficiently provides for bullied and harassed employees, particularly also those who consequently/already suffer from depression. Bullying is not recognised as a cause of action under South African law, and the Code of Good Practice on the Handling of Sexual Harassment Cases in the Workplace 2005 , while commendable , has no legal force. Furthermore, although depression may be seen as a disability in certain circumstances requiring reasonable accommodation from the employer, not all instances qualify. Recommendations are made to overcome these and other lacunae in the legal framework. However, since it will take more than laws and codes to ward off the double punch of workplace bullying/harassment and depression, additional measures are proposed, at both the levels of society and employers

Traumatic Clergical Ministry Leads to Vicarious Trauma, PTSD, and Ministry Burnout

The exodus of clergy leaving their positions of ministry incites the need to identify the cause; to probe the question of “why?” Though the topic of burnout is proliferous within ministry circles, the writer’s thesis is that the cause of departure lies within three areas, not isolated to the topic of “burnout.” Diversification of causes exist, broken down into three primary causes: Vicarious Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Burnout. Following diversification of cause, personality traits are identified in the section Contributing Factors. From this point, the writer first addresses external supports for those with these primary areas, followed by internal or self-focused initiatives to maintain resilience in ministry. This study tracks the lives of pastors from childhood to clergy ministry, identifying at what stages impacts occurred, and whether they received help for symptomatic impacts, the types of trauma-impacted by clergy, and what hinders prevention of therapeutic supports. Additionally, personal and professional disciplines are separated and identified

An appraisal of the counsellor education program at Memorial University of Newfoundland as perceived by its students : summer 1970 - spring 1973

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Counsellor Education Program at Memorial University during its formative years by a follow-up of former students to obtain their assessment of the educational experiences afforded them by the program. -- The sample for this study consisted of all students who entered the Counsellor Education Program prior to June 1973, and had completed at least six graduate courses in counsellor education. Included were all full-time master's students and all part-time diploma students for a total of 65 individuals. -- A questionnaire developed by the writer was the instrument used in soliciting the opinions of the respondents to this study. The questionnaires were mailed to the 65 individuals participating in the study. -- The method chosen to analyze the data obtained through this project consisted of reporting combinations of raw scores only, raw scores and percentages, or raw scores, percentages, and mean ratings presented in tables. Responses to open-ended questions were summarized and reported by the writer as well. -- The major findings of the study revealed that 72 per cent of the respondents to the questionnaire perceived themselves as using at least some of the counselling skills and knowledge learned during the program. -- The changes in the program considered to be most desirable related to improving the practicum and providing more course choice and flexibility in the program. Respondents felt most adequately prepared in the areas of testing, individual counselling and research. -- Despite specific criticisms and suggestions for improvement, the general assessment of the program was a positive one

From Here to Hypoxia

The public's perceptions and expectations of flight attendants and the airline industry are highly skewed and far from reality. As a microcosm of the real world it mirrors society. Racism exists, terrorism is a constant concern, and the female flight attendant is still a victim of sexist attitudes and practices. Through the use of installation, photography, audio, and video I will explore these issues in depth offering a rare view into the behind the scenes world of the flight attendant

Sexual Harassment in the Education Sector

Education should safely shape the minds and attitudes of young adults and children, especially with the in loco parentis principle in mind. Young adults who have experienced sexual harassment in the very environment that should have protected them as learners suffer greatly from social problems and from emotional and academic strain. Victims often become future harassers themselves. Sexual harassment should be eradicated from the education sector in toto to ensure a safe learning environment.   High incidences of harassment have been found among college students in America, while a very small percentage of such transgressions have been reported. Similar statistics in South African universities are not available, the problem is therefore managed in a void. The position in schools is more alarming.  In South Africa it has been found that 30 per cent of girls are raped at school and that male learners and educators are the main culprits.   Not only is the magnitude of this problem gravely underestimated, but the effect of sexual harassment on learners has also not been managed properly. The authors argue that the focus is on avoiding legal responsibility and accountability, rather than on being proactive. The historic invisibility of sexual harassment in education can be attributed to the wrongful silencing thereof.  &nbsp

Point-of-care versus central testing of hemoglobin during large volume blood transfusion.

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin testing has the potential to revolutionize massive transfusion strategies. No prior studies have compared POC and central laboratory testing of hemoglobin in patients undergoing massive transfusions. METHODS: We retrospectively compared the results of our point-of-care hemoglobin test (EPOC®) to our core laboratory complete blood count (CBC) hemoglobin test (Sysmex XE-5000™) in patients undergoing massive transfusion protocols (MTP) for hemorrhage. One hundred seventy paired samples from 90 patients for whom MTP was activated were collected at a single, tertiary care hospital between 10/2011 and 10/2017. Patients had both an EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin performed within 30 min of each other during the MTP. We assessed the accuracy of EPOC® hemoglobin testing using two variables: interchangeability and clinically significant differences from the CBC. The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) proficiency testing criteria defined interchangeability for measurements. Clinically significant differences between the tests were defined by an expert panel. We examined whether these relationships changed as a function of the hemoglobin measured by the EPOC® and specific patient characteristics. RESULTS: Fifty one percent (86 of 170) of paired samples\u27 hemoglobin results had an absolute difference of ≤7 and 73% (124 of 170) fell within ±1 g/dL of each other. The mean difference between EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin had a bias of - 0.268 g/dL (p = 0.002). When the EPOC® hemoglobin was \u3c 7 g/dL, 30% of the hemoglobin values were within ±7, and 57% were within ±1 g/dL. When the measured EPOC® hemoglobin was ≥7 g/dL, 55% of the EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin values were within ±7, and 76% were within ±1 g/dL. EPOC® and CBC hemoglobin values that were within ±1 g/dL varied by patient population: 77% for cardiac surgery, 58% for general surgery, and 72% for non-surgical patients. CONCLUSIONS: The EPOC® device had minor negative bias, was not interchangeable with the CBC hemoglobin, and was less reliable when the EPOC® value was \u3c 7 g/dL. Clinicians must consider speed versus accuracy, and should check a CBC within 30 min as confirmation when the EPOC® hemoglobin is \u3c 7 g/dL until further prospective trials are performed in this population

Race and Implicit Bias in the JeffMD Case-Based Learning Curriculum

Purpose: Race is related to health disparities, not to genetic predispositions, but race is often presented to medical students as a biological variable. At Sidney Kimmel Medical College, the curriculum has never been reviewed to analyze how race is presented to students. This Scholarly Inquiry project aims to analyze how the case-based learning (CBL) narratives presented to medical students perpetuate or challenge implicit biases in medicine, especially in regard to race. This paper will describe the methods of the project, which can serve as a model for other institutions to review their own curricula. Methods: Thirty-nine CBL cases from the 2018-2019 SKMC curriculum are being coded using the iterative process of directed content analysis. One of the two coders is a white medical student who has seen all of the cases in the classroom setting, and the other is a black doctoral student and adjunct faculty member in the College of Population Health who has never seen the cases before. The cases were imported into the qualitative analysis program NVivo, and each coder conducted line-by-line open-coding of seven different cases. From those cases, the coders developed a code book which includes definitions and examples of each code. Updates were made to the code book as more cases were coded and new topics emerged, and discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Using the final code book, all cases are now in the process of being double-coded (i.e. coded by each coder independently). Results and Conclusions: The coders aim to complete double-coding by the end of January 2020. At that point, the kappa value will be calculated to assess inter-coder reliability and codes will be organized into themes to write a results section. Already, we have noted the value of having at least one “case-naïve” coder and coders of different racial backgrounds, as many nuances of the cases were overlooked by the non-minority coder

Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods

Final project for URSP688L: Planning Technologies (Fall 2015). University of Maryland, College Park.For this project the Healthy and Safe Neighborhoods group worked with Baltimore’s Southwest Partnership (SWP) to create mapping resources for their seven partnering neighborhoods. The primary focus was to investigate the health and safety of Southwest Baltimore’s current neighborhood using the most recent ACS (American Community Survey) and Census Data as well as open source data provided by the City and the SWP, to determine if certain conditions influence one another. Like much of Baltimore, the Partnership’s neighborhoods have been isolated and neglected due to white flight, racially restrictive zoning, redlining, and “decades of disinvestment.”1 By using GIS mapping to visualize the neighborhood conditions and GIS analysis to pinpoint areas of opportunity and concern, we hope to help SWP focus their resources to attract new residents and investment, particularly from its neighboring partners and anchor institutions. Recently planners have used GIS to map areas of opportunity and spatial mismatch where, for example, employment needs do not match resident skills. Using crime data provided by the SWP and the City, this report compares street conditions and demographics in Southwest Baltimore with contributing factors or variables that would affect the neighborhoods’ health and safety. The following variables were mapped: racial demographics, median household income, vacant houses, crime density by type and time of day, urban tree canopy, street conditions, street lights, and illegal dumping sites. Analysis showed that the neighborhood trends reflected issues facing Baltimore City as a whole, so the study area was expanded to provide context and draw comparisons between the City and the SWP area. Both Baltimore City and the SWP area have overlapping clusters of aging infrastructure, low income, crime, and vacancies abutting areas of wealth and security. In the end, the limiting factors on the analysis were due to incomplete data sets, which SWP recognizes and continues to build.The Southwest Partnership (SWP), Baltimor