Linguistic Biases in Letters of Recommendation Written for Rheumatology Fellowship Applicants

Our study aimed to investigate for implicit linguistic biases in letters of recommendation written for applicants applying to our rheumatology program, and to determine if differences in gender and race exist between the applicants. Additionally, we wanted to compare these results to the gender, race, academic rank, and position of the letter writers. We found that among the preliminary 50 letters, they showed that our letters seemed to show the opposite trends than other published studies. We anticipate the need for further study, and look forward to the results

Student and Faculty Perceptions of Live Synchronous Distance Education for Allied Health Students Following Program Expansion to a Rural Campus

Background & Purpose: Distance education (DE) is a means to meet allied health workforce needs in rural locations where healthcare worker shortages are apparent. Five allied health programs were expanded to a rural campus teaching synchronously using distance education technology. The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study was to explore perceptions of allied health students and faculty at two campus locations. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative information were collected through a survey of students and faculty (physical therapy, physician assistant, and medical imaging [diagnostic medical sonography, radiography, magnetic resonance imaging] programs). Both campuses served as live and distance sites depending on instructor location and area of content expertise. For example, morning courses may be taught live from one campus, and afternoon classes taught live from the other campus. Only one program, physical therapy, offered labs by distance education. Response distributions were compared for questions by campus using Cochran-Armitage trend tests and analyzed de-identified qualitative comments using constant comparisons to establish themes. Results: Student (n=121) and faculty (n=19) mostly agreed distance education technology was effective for teaching and learning. Significant differences were found in student opinions about receiving a similar educational experience between the two campuses. More students at the Main campus somewhat or strongly disagreed (n=34, 37%) it was similar compared to the Rural campus (n= 5, 17%, p=0.024). There were no comments specifically related to the physical therapy lab experience. Open-ended comment themes included training, purposeful engagement of both campus locations, and setting clear expectations. Conclusions: Although differences in learning experiences exist between the main and rural campus locations; the results indicated using distance education technology is an effective means to deliver the curriculum. Both students and faculty commented about the lack of experience with the educational technology before implementation. Synchronous, distance education offers the opportunity for program expansion and effective delivery of curriculum content. Using the results of this study can enhance future education in allied health professions using synchronous distance education technology

Key Finding of the 2022 Nebraska End-of-Life Survey: A Report for Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association

The 2022 End-of-Life survey is a continuation by the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Association (NHPCA) to understand the knowledge, beliefs, and actions of Nebraskans and their end-of-life (EOL) wishes. Previous surveys conducted in 2003, 2006, 2010, and 2017 helped to inform the 2022 survey. Results of previous surveys can be found on the NHPCA website. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bureau of Sociological Research contracted with NHPCA to prepare, distribute, and enter survey data for a random sample of Nebraskans 19 years of age and older. Survey invitations were sent to 3,000 Nebraskans 19 years of age and older in one of six regions to ensure adequate representation across the state. Weighting was used to make certain of adequate representation by age and sex. Weighting was not used for oversampling for race or ethnicity. Behavioral health regions are shown on page five highlighting the statewide nature of this survey. Surveys were evenly distributed and completed throughout these regions. Respondents were provided with two options for completing the survey: online using a Qualtrics survey or on paper. 635 adults completed the survey. 490 were completed on paper and 145 surveys were completed online. The response rate for the 2022 survey was 21%. Secondary analysis of the data was completed by University of Nebraska at Omaha, Creighton University, and University of Nebraska Medical Center faculty, staff, and doctoral students. Findings from this analysis are on the pages that follow. Included in this report are key findings from the 2022 survey. Respondent demographics, knowledge of hospice care and knowledge of palliative care are presented separately. Also presented are respondents’ desired preference for where to receive hospice care, knowledge of payment sources for hospice care and palliative care, and their interest in learning more about hospice care and palliative care. We also include highlights of respondents’ attitudes about death and illness along with the completion of EOL planning documents. Information about income is presented based on a combination of Internal Revenue Service Tax Brackets from 2022, the 2022 Federal Poverty level, and average Social Security payments for 2022. Because the 2022 survey took place at the end of a global pandemic, we have included select items from the 2017 survey to compare with the 2022 results. The purpose for including this additional information is to see if any changes in awareness of services and/or usage occurred between the two time periods. This issue, raised by a member of this team and the nursing community, emphasizes the importance of EOL care in relation to the pandemic. What do people know and how does this influence their attitudes about EOL care? While no definitive conclusions can be drawn from these results, they do offer insight into the attitudes of responding Nebraskans to the state of hospice care and palliative care and provide a roadmap for future survey questions

Feasibility of a Readiness Exam for Predicting Radiography Program Success: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Background: Research investigating predictors of academic success in rigorous health science education is valuable for curricular intervention for identified at-risk students. Various predictors of success have been investigated, but the literature is insufficient when examining anatomy and physiology readiness scores as they correlate to radiography curricular success. This pilot study assessed the correlation between readiness exam scores and programmatic course GPA to determine if the scores could be used as a metric for identifying academic success resources for incoming students. Cohorts of the radiography program at a midwestern health sciences center demonstrated a longitudinal trend of difficulty with anatomy and physiology programmatic coursework. Therefore, researchers set out to investigate whether or not readiness exam scores, in addition to the metrics they were already utilizing, could be used as a tool for early academic remediation. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if the anatomy and physiology readiness exam scores would be reliable indicators of programmatic success in anatomy and physiology program coursework. Design: This investigation occurred in two phases: a retrospective correlational phase and a quasi-experimental phase. Methods: Retrospective data from cohorts that matriculated between 2013 and 2017 (n=91) was collected and de-identified. Data included prerequisite grade point average (GPA) and grades from anatomy and physiology course taken during the program. During the quasi-experimental phase, a sample of students (n=18) completed a readiness examination. The scores from this examination were correlated with prerequisite GPA and program anatomy and physiology GPA. Results: Data analysis revealed prerequisite GPA and the anatomy and physiology section of the readiness examination to be strong and moderate predictors of programmatic anatomy and physiology course grades, respectively. Conclusion: Predictors of curricular success in a radiography program’s anatomy and physiology coursework are essential factors to consider in relation to admissions practices, curricular prerequisite standards, and on-boarding of new students, especially those identified as at-risk

Valuation of Scholarly Activities for Physical Therapy Faculty

Purpose/Hypothesis: Physical therapy (PT) faculty are required to participate in scholarly endeavors. Scholarly productivity is frequently evaluated based on quantity of production.1-3 This approach fails to account for quality (e.g. authorship order, presentation audience, or funding). Study aims: 1) compare PT program scholarly productivity valuations between programs of varying Carnegie Classification, 2) establish a scholarly activity measure which accounts for quality, and 3) provide an applied example of the new measure. Number of Subjects: PT Program Directors from CAPTE institutions (n=226) were surveyed using Dillman’s protocol.4 Materials/Methods: Respondents were asked to value (0 – 20) 30 scholarly activities (e.g., grants, publications, presentations, patents). A peer reviewed publication was the benchmark (score of 10) to which all options were compared. Nine additional questions asked about bonus value (0-100%) for impact factor, authorship order, role on a grant, and grant competitiveness. The mean for each component was the value that component contributed to the Scholar Score. Comparisons were performed via ANOVA models. Results: We received 59 responses (response rate 26%) from Professors (n=28), Associate Profs (n=28), and Assistant Profs (n=3) from institutions of Carnegie Classifications: Doctoral (n=26), Masters (n=22), and Special Focus (n=11). Significant effects of classification were observed for two of the bonus items: Last Author (p=.015) and Role as Co- PI/PI on a Grant (p=.03). Post hoc comparisons using the Bonferroni correction indicated Last Author and Grant Role assigned bonuses were less for Masters programs than for Doctoral programs [(M=25.9, SD=28.7 vs. M=53.5, SD=34.4, p=.02) and (M=49.0, SD=32.5 vs. M=77.3, SD=36.7, p=.03), respectively]. No other pairwise comparisons were significant. Responses were used to develop a Scholar Score based on perceived quality. Scholarly achievements from curriculum vitaes of two early-career PT faculty demonstrates the application of this new measure. While the numerical count of their scholarly products was identical, Scholar Scores differed by \u3e70%. Conclusions: The Scholar Score was developed from PT Program Director input. Directors from different Carnegie Classified institutions reported similar values for most components. This indicates the Scholar Score may be generalizable to PT faculty across all Carnegie Classifications. Our application example demonstrates how quantity and quality-based descriptions differ. Clinical Relevance : Scholarly activity plays an integral role in the career advancement of the PT faculty. A Scholar Score offers a clear and uniform, peer validated approach to the valuation of scholarly activities for PT educators. KEYWORDS: faculty development, research, early career. References Kaufman RR. Career factors help predict productivity in scholarship among faculty members in physical therapist education programs. Phys Ther. 03;89(3):204-216. Hinman MR, Brown T. Changing profile of the physical therapy professoriate--are we meeting CAPTE\u27s expectations? J Phys Ther Educ. 2017;31(4):95-104. Emerick, T., et al. (2013). Scholarly activity points: a new tool to evaluate resident scholarly productivity. British Journal Of Anaesthesia 111(3): 468-476. Dillman DA. Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2000. Tscharntke T. Author sequence and credit for contributions in multiauthored publications. PLoS biology. 01;5(1):e18. Richter RR. Journal publication productivity in academic physical therapy programs in the United States and Puerto Rico from 1998 to 2002. Phys Ther. 03;88(3):376-386

Step width variability as a discriminator of age-related gait changes

Background There is scientific evidence that older adults aged 65 and over walk with increased step width variability which has been associated with risk of falling. However, there are presently no threshold levels that define the optimal reference range of step width variability. Thus, the purpose of our study was to estimate the optimal reference range for identifying older adults with normative and excessive step width variability. Methods We searched systematically the BMC, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Frontiers, IEEE, PubMed, Scopus, SpringerLink, Web of Science, Wiley, and PROQUEST databases until September 2018, and included the studies that measured step width variability in both younger and older adults during walking at self-selected speed. Data were pooled in meta-analysis, and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. A single-decision threshold method based on the Youden index, and a two-decision threshold method based on the uncertain interval method were used to identify the optimal threshold levels (PROSPERO registration: CRD42018107079). Results Ten studies were retrieved (older adults = 304; younger adults = 219). Step width variability was higher in older than in younger adults (SMD = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.60; 1.70; t = 4.72, p = 0.001). The single-decision method set the threshold level for excessive step width variability at 2.14 cm. For the two-decision method, step width variability values above the upper threshold level of 2.50 cm were considered excessive, while step width variability values below the lower threshold level of 1.97 cm were considered within the optimal reference range. Conclusion Step width variability is higher in older adults than in younger adults, with step width variability values above the upper threshold level of 2.50 cm to be considered as excessive. This information could potentially impact rehabilitation technology design for devices targeting lateral stability during walking