Supervision for certification in the field of applied behaviour analysis:Characteristics and relationship with job satisfaction, burnout, work demands, and support

Background: Supervision of behavior analysts seeking certification and supervision of service delivery are key processes in the provision of quality behaviour analytic services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Our study is the first to examine international supervisory practices within the field of applied behaviour analysis. Method: An online survey was distributed to 92 professionals internationally, assessing supervisory practice, supervisor support, work demands, job satisfaction, and burnout. Results: Findings indicate high satisfaction with the supervisor and supervisory experience. Excessive work demands positively correlate with high burnout and low job satisfaction. Half of all professionals only worked with one or two clients before certification. Supervisor and collegial support seem to decrease the likelihood of suffering burnout and increase job satisfaction, although relationships were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Supervisor and collegial support warrant further research as protective factors. Implications for an evidence-based supervisory practice that produces ethical and competent supervisees are discussed

The use of 'Precision Teaching' in enhancing medical students’ dermatological diagnostic skills

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. BackgroundEducators have been challenged to provide more effective dermatology teaching methods. Drawing from the discipline of Applied Behaviour Analysis, Precision Training (PT) (e.g. using flashcards during timed learning sessions) can promote fluency i.e. accuracy and speed in a particular skill. We aimed to determine the impact of PT on medical students' dermatology diagnostic skills.MethodsA between-groups controlled interventional study was conducted. Third year medical students were allocated to an intervention (PT + traditional teaching) or control (traditional teaching) group. For the PT group, we designed 50 dermatological image flashcards. Flashcard practice (using the Say All Fast Minute Each Day Shuffle method) took place 2-3 times/day and students' data on accuracy recorded over 5 days. Pre / post-training tests were carried out to determine the impact of PT on students' diagnostic skills.ResultsIn total, 70 students (intervention group) / 65 (control group). Analysis of covariance was used to calculate the change score (comparing pre- and post-test). A statistically significant improvement of 8.8% (95% CIs; 4.9-12.7, p&lt;0.001) was detected in the intervention group.ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrated a positive effect of PT on medical students' dermatology diagnostic skills. This study signals new pedagogical opportunities for PT in undergraduate dermatology teaching.</ns4:p