Medical coverage at soccer sessions

INTRODUCTION: Soccer in Rwanda exposes soccer players to the risk of injury warranting a need for medical coverage at both training and competitive sessions. This study aims to identify the prevalence, period of injury occurrence, and severity of common soccer injuries among the 1st and 2nd division soccer teams in Rwanda. METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective quantitative study design was used. Simple random sampling, clustered within teams, was used to get a sample of this study. During sample selection, the random order was determined using the random number generator in Microsoft Excel. Data for soccer players was gathered, using a close-ended questionnaire. The data from soccer players were captured and analyzed with the Microsoft Excel package. RESULTS: The study revealed 68.1 % injury prevalence with a significantly high rate of injuries occurring during training (p< 0.005). Most of the training injuries were moderate followed by major, minor and severe injuries while most injuries during competition were major-moderate, followed by severe-minor. CONCLUSION: The prevalence, period of injury occurrence and severity of injuries in Rwanda indeed warrants medical coverage as a first preventive strategy

Exploring the views of academics on an academic leadership program in higher education

Leadership in higher education institutions has been receiving growing interest, because of the role institutions play in developing students to become leaders in the broader society. However, institutions have to equip staff, adequately, with leadership skills, first, and one way of doing this, is through a leadership development programme for academic staff. The purpose of this current study was to explore and describe the impact of an academic leadership development programme, based on the perceptions of the participants. In this study, a qualitative, exploratory descriptive, research design was employed. Thirteen (13) participants were purposively selected to participate in the study. Data were collected using individual, open-ended, face-to-face interviews. The data were transcribed, verbatim, and analysed, using thematic analysis. Four key themes emerged: (1) emotional responses to the programme; (2) professional application of skills; (3) benefits from the programme; and (4) recommendations. The programme had an impact on both the personal and professional lives of the participants, which is evidence of the truly transformative nature of the programme. The study, however, is limited because the researchers only sought to explore the perceived impact of a leadership development programme. To determine the true impact, it would need to be studied, using multiple sources. &nbsp

The profile of occupational stress in a sample of health profession academics at a historically disadvantaged university in South Africa

Background: Higher education is a high stress occupation or environment. Academics in health professions are engaged in professional training that adds clinical or profession-specific competencies to general academic and research outcomes. Academics in health professions assume many roles and must remain current in the practise of their professions that increases stress. Studies on occupational stress amongst health professions academics are lacking in the South African context.Objectives: To assess occupational stress in a sample of Health profession academics at a Historically Disadvantaged Institution (HDI).Methods: An online survey was conducted with a randomly selected sample of 51 permanent academics. The response rate was 55% after incentives and reminders. Instruments included a demographic questionnaire, Assessing emotions scale and the Sources of Work Stress Inventory. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression were used to analyse the data. Instruments were reliable with this sample. Ethics clearance was obtained (Reg. No.: 15/4/42) and all ethics principles were upheld.Results: The sample was mostly female and the composition was consistent with the profiles of the faculty, health professions and HDIs. Small effects were reported for associations between demographics, EI and Occupational stress. Mixed results were reported for predictive relationships. EI and level of education were predictive of certain sources of occupational stress.Conclusion:  Transformations and the work environment contributed to academics experiencing occupational stress. The historical apartheid legacies still manifest in patterned ways along gender, race and professional status in the occupational stress academics experience. Health professionals constitute a legitimate subgroup that impacts the experience and management of occupational stress. EI is an important factor to consider in the experience and management of occupational stress

Direct Photons at RHIC

The PHENIX experiment has measured direct photons in $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV Au+Au collisions and p+p collisions. The fraction of photons due to direct production in Au+Au collisions is shown as a function of $p_T$ and centrality. This measurement is compared with expectation from pQCD calculations. Other possible sources of direct photons are discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, presented at Hot Quarks 2004, Taos, N

A model for community physiotherapy from the perspective of newly graduated physiotherapists as a guide to curriculum revision

Background. Limitations in physiotherapy curricula have been reported. Work-based experiences, especially during compulsory community service, could inform curricula. Objective. To develop a model of community service physiotherapy to guide curriculum reform. Methods. In this appreciative inquiry, trained physiotherapy students conducted tele-interviews with newly graduated physiotherapists. Twelve recently graduated community-service physiotherapists – heterogeneous in gender, mother tongue, university attended and work setting – were purposively recruited. Two coders applied Tesch’s coding technique to the transcripts; one did paper-based work and the other used AtlasTi software. Consensus was reached and a member check done. Results. Four themes identified were: (i) the essence of community physiotherapy; (ii) the collaborative nature of community physiotherapy; (iii) prerequisites for a positive practice environment; and (iv) community physiotherapy as a gateway to personal growth and professional development. Physiotherapists consult clients from varied cultural backgrounds, ages and health and disease profiles. Health education is a key intervention, but clients emphasised therapeutic touch. Team work enhances services, especially within a context of poverty, and prevents isolation. New graduates have to deal with inefficient management, lack of transport, inadequate equipment and needs resilience. They want discipline-specific supervision. Conclusion. Community physiotherapy makes specific demands, especially for novice therapists. Service-learning in authentic diverse contexts would foster professional development and cultural competence. Clinical competency should remain the backbone of the curriculum, complemented by competency in health education. Different ways of reflection would facilitate lifelong learning and growth in attributes such as resilience, which is necessary for dealing with sub-optimal practice environments

Six Months In: We Surge On

Steve Jobs created Apple in a garage. Facebook emerged out of a college dorm room. And so, like all good (and equally famous) things, the idea for Surge began in the Plank basement. As seniors, and admittedly all bonafide social justice enthusiasts, we wanted to expand the movement at Gettysburg College and leave our mark. [excerpt